Jessica Zadjura

I know firsthand what happens to a family when it comes apart. I am the child of divorce, one of five siblings in a blended family, and I have been through a divorce myself. I am now a wife, a mother, and a stepmother. I have watched families handle conflict in very different ways, and I have seen how much the approach changes what everyone has to live with afterward. That is the experience behind how I practice today.

I founded Zadjura Family Law LLC in April 2023, and I serve Maryland families in five roles. In three of them I represent you: litigation, estate planning, and retirement orders. In two of them I serve as a neutral and represent no one: mediation and parent coordination. These are genuinely different jobs, and part of my work is helping you understand which one your situation calls for.

While conflict may be inevitable, resolution does not always have to be a battle. My approach centers on giving clients clear options, honest guidance, and steady support, and on protecting the interests of children while parents build arrangements they can actually sustain.

AS A LITIGATOR

I have practiced family law exclusively since I was admitted to the Maryland bar in June 2011. My work is concentrated in high conflict matters, high asset matters, and complex custody cases. I practice primarily in Anne Arundel and Howard Counties, with regular appearances in Baltimore, Carroll, and Calvert Counties, and I know these court systems and the judges who hear these cases.

I cannot promise a client a specific result. What I can give is a realistic range based on the facts and the evidence, and I approach every case with both the client's emotional goals and their financial reality in view. Litigation is expensive, and the large majority of family law matters settle. The real question is usually where in the process that happens.

AS A MEDIATOR

I completed Maryland's 40-hour basic mediation training in law school and again shortly after admission to the bar, followed by 20 hours of training in child custody and access and 20 hours in financial and property matters. Together these are the qualifications required to appear on the court referral list in Maryland, and I maintain annual continuing education.

I have mediated between 75 and 100 family law matters, both privately and through court referral. I have also appeared in mediation as a client's litigator, so I understand the process from both sides of the table.

My approach is rooted in self-determination. The parties have to live with whatever terms they reach, so the durable agreements are the ones they build themselves rather than the ones a mediator suggests.

AS A PARENT COORDINATOR

I completed the 40-hour parent coordination training and maintain annual continuing education. I came to this work through years of watching custody litigation, and I believe parent coordination is an underused tool, both while a case is pending and after judgment.

Maryland rules give judges the authority to appoint a parent coordinator during active litigation involving minor children, and that authority is exercised far less often than it could be. Parent coordination can also help families work through smaller post-order disagreements before they turn into modification or contempt filings.

This is an area I am actively growing, and I welcome inquiries from attorneys, therapists, and financial professionals with clients who would benefit from it.

RETIREMENT ORDERS

Discovery in litigation rewards close attention to detail, and retirement orders are a natural extension of that. I prepare orders dividing retirement accounts and pensions, including private employer plans, federal retirement benefits, and military retired pay.

I handle these matters for my own clients and on a flat fee basis for clients referred by other Maryland attorneys. When I work with a referred client, I communicate directly with the client and keep the referring attorney informed throughout. I have been building this referral practice deliberately since I opened the firm.

ESTATE PLANNING

Estate planning was my original focus in law school before family law became my path, and it has always been part of this practice. Divorce creates an immediate need to update beneficiary designations and either create or revise an estate plan, and I can handle that without a client starting over with someone new at an already difficult time.

I prepare wills, trusts, powers of attorney, and advance directives, both for existing family law clients and for standalone estate planning referrals.

BEYOND THE PRACTICE

I serve as an adjunct professor at Anne Arundel Community College, where I teach and mentor students entering the legal field. I previously served on the board of Impact100 Greater Chesapeake, and I was appointed 2025 to 2026 Co-Chair of the Family Law Section of the Maryland Association for Justice.

I hold a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice from the University of Maryland and a Juris Doctor from the University of Baltimore School of Law.

Super Lawyers named me a Maryland Rising Star in family law from 2016 through 2021, and selected me for Maryland Super Lawyers in 2024, 2025, 2026, and 2027. In 2026, I was named to Doyle's Guide list of Leading Family, Matrimonial, and Divorce Lawyers in Baltimore.

Whether you need someone to represent you, or a neutral to help you and another parent reach your own agreement, my goal is the same. I want you to leave with a clear understanding of your options and a realistic sense of what comes next.