“No two legal issues are the same. Each one is a puzzle, and I enjoy the challenge of engaging with the problem and finding the solution that is the best fit for my client.”
Jessica Summers
Principal (She/Her)
301-968-3402
301-654-7354 FAX
jsummers@paleyrothman.com
(She/Her)
Jessica Summers is a Principal in the firm’s Employee Benefits, Employment Law, Retirement Plans, Litigation and Government Relations practice groups. Jessica works with companies and organizations on a wide range of matters, including establishing and implementing effective employment policies, drafting employment agreements, maintaining employee benefit plans, addressing corporate planning issues and monitoring and advising clients on legislative and regulatory developments of import to them.
As an all-purpose business attorney with experience across several practice areas, Jessica has a comprehensive understanding of the legal and business needs of her clients and uses a common sense approach to finding solutions. In looking out for her clients’ best interests, Jessica remains readily accessible and uses cost effective ways of identifying concerns that they might not have thought of.
Prior to joining Paley Rothman, Jessica was a law clerk at the firm. A cum laude graduate of American University’s Washington College of Law, she served as Topics and Trends Manager on the Administrative Law Review. As a law student, she was admitted to practice and represented low-income clients through the school’s General Practice Clinic. Jessica also interned in the chambers of the Honorable Judge Joan Zeldon in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia and in the Office of the General Counsel at the U.S. Department of Commerce.
Maryland
District of Columbia
Virginia
United States Supreme Court
J.D., Cum Laude, American University, Washington College of Law, 2012
B.A., Magna Cum Laude, Wheaton College (MA), 2008
Maryland Super Lawyers "Rising Stars" (2017-2022)
Washington D.C. Super Lawyers "Rising Stars" (2017-2020)
Best Law Firms – U.S. News & Best Lawyers (2013-2023)
- Tier 2 National Ranking for Litigation - Labor & Employment
- Tier 2 National Ranking for Employment Law - Management
- Tier 1 Metropolitan (D.C. area) Ranking for Litigation - Labor & Employment
- Tier 1 Metropolitan (D.C. area) Ranking for Employment Law - Management
- 10 Paley Rothman Attorneys Named as Maryland Super Lawyers and Two Attorneys Named as Maryland Super Lawyers Rising Stars for 2022
- Jessica Summers Provides Commentary for HR Dive Concerning Pre-Employment Testing Policies
- Glenn Cooper No. 1, 13 Paley Rothman Attorneys Named to the 2021 Maryland Super Lawyers and Rising Stars Lists
- Glenn Cooper Top 10, 14 Paley Rothman Attorneys Named to the 2020 Washington D.C. Super Lawyers and Rising Stars Lists
- 14 Paley Rothman Attorneys Named to the 2020 Maryland Super Lawyers and Rising Stars Lists
- Michelle Chapin Elected Shareholder and Jessica Summers Named Principal at Paley Rothman
- Jessica Summers Published an Article on the Anticipated Changes From President-elect Joe Biden’s Workplace Agenda on Law360
- Jessica Summers Published an Article On Bloomberg Law And Examines What The FDA Final Approval Of The Pfizer Vaccine Means For Employer Mandates.
- Jessica Summers Provides Commentary for HREOnline Article on DOMA
- 13 Paley Rothman Attorneys Named to the 2019 Washington D.C. Super Lawyers and Rising Stars Lists
- 17 Paley Rothman Attorneys Named to the 2018 Washington D.C. Super Lawyers and Rising Stars Lists
- 17 Paley Rothman Attorneys Named to 2017 Washington D.C. Super Lawyers and Rising Stars Lists
- Jessica Summers Serves as Panelist at B-CC Chamber Event on Affordable Health Care
- Paley Rothman Hires Jessica Summers and Jack Blum as Associates
- Paula Calimafde and Jessica Summers Co-Author Article for MSBA Bar Bulletin Estate & Trust Section
- Paula Calimafde and Jessica Summers Co-Author Chapter on Employee Benefits for NYU Review
- Jessica Summers Admitted to Practice in Maryland
- Jessica Summers Published an Article in the Society for American Florists Magazine
"What if Customers Prefer Vaccinated Employees?," SHRM.org, January 2022
"Pfizer Final Approval Boosts Employer Vaccine Mandates for Workers," Bloomberg Law, September 2021
“What New EEOC Vaccine Incentive Guidance Means for HR Leaders,” HRExecutive.com, June 2021
"Biden Workplace Agenda Will Bring Change Despite Hurdles," Law360, November 2020
"Managing the Risks of Employee Cellphone Use," Society of American Florists Magazine, June 2017
“Stand Alone HRAs, Employer Payment Plans and the ACA’s Most Overlooked Penalty,” MSBA Section of Labor and Employment Law Newsletter, Volume XX, Number 2, Spring/Summer 2015
“Local Jurisdictions are Beating the Drum to ‘Ban the Box’,” MSBA Section of Labor and Employment Law Newsletter, Volume XX, Number 2, Spring/Summer 2015
“Supreme Court Rules That ERISA Fiduciaries Have Distinct Liability for Ongoing Duty to Monitor Plan Investments,” MSBA Section of Labor and Employment Law Newsletter, Volume XX, Number 2, Spring/Summer 2015
“Retirement Plans for Small Businesses: Finding the Right Fit,” co-authored with Paula Calimafde, Marketwatch Retirement Weekly, January 2015
“Tax Reform and the Potential Negative Impact for Small Business and Its Qualified Retirement Plan System,” Chapter 10, co-authored by Paula Calimafde. Originally published in New York University Review of Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation – 2014. © 2014 New York University. Published by Matthew Bender & Co., Inc., a member of the LexisNexis Group.
“Six Worst Mistakes to Make with Beneficiary Designations,” MSBA Bar Bulletin, September 2013
Northern Virginia Chapter of the Virginia Women Attorneys Association
-Member, Board of Directors (2022-Present)Society for Human Resource Management
Bethesda-Chevy Chase Chamber of Commerce
Bar Association of Montgomery County
Maryland State Bar Association
Virginia State Bar Association
District of Columbia Bar
"Employment Law Day: Old Laws, New World: Applying Existing Laws to a Changing Workplace," Paley Rothman, February 2022
"Returning Employees to the Workplace," Paley Rothman, April 2021
“Employment Law Day - Changes: A New Chapter in Employment Law,” Paley Rothman, February 2021
"A Look Forward - What to Expect from the New Administration," Montgomery County Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), December 2020
"Employment Law Day: Employment Deployment - Managing the Realities," Paley Rothman, February 2020
"Employment Law for Child Care Providers," Maryland State Child Care Association, October 2019
“Employment Law Day: Taming the Toxic Employee,” Paley Rothman, February 2019
“Employment Law Basics for Childcare Centers,” Organization of Child Care Directors, January 2019
"Classifying Workers: From Independent Contractors to Overtime Exemptions," Federal Bar Association and myLawCLE, June 2018
“Advanced Employment Law: What You Need to Know,” National Business Institute, April 2018
“Employment Law Day: Take It or Leave It – A look at new leave issues facing employers,” Paley Rothman, November 2017
"Grassroots Breakfast - What Lies Ahead?" Society of American Florists, March 2017
"Employment Law Day: The Afternoon After the Morning After - Post-Election Debrief," Paley Rothman, November 2016
"Employment Law: 2016 Comprehensive Guide," National Business Institute, August 2016
"Navigating the New Overtime Rules," Federal Bar Association and myLawCLE, August 2016
“From Hire to Fire: Effectively Managing Critical Junctures in the Employer-Employee Relationship,” Federal Bar Association and myLawCLE, July 2015
“The Employer Mandate & Beyond: Navigating the ACA from an Employer’s Perspective,” Federal Bar Association and myLawCLE, November 2014
“Affordable Care Act and Other Developments in Employment Law,” Human Resources Law: What You Need to Know Now, National Business Institute, October 2013
"The risks of posting to social media at work," Good Day DC, WTTG, October 26, 2022
“Employers face ‘new era’ of drug testing in post-pandemic landscape”, HRDive.com, September 22, 2022
“Analysis: Vaccine Mandates In The Work Place,” Good Day DC, WTTG, October 18, 2021
“Legality of Vaccine Mandates,” Good Day DC, WTTG, August 24, 2021
“Workplace Harassment,” Good Day DC, WTTG, August 10, 2021
“The DOMA Decision: One Year Later,” by Mark McGraw, Human Resource Executive Online, July 21, 2014
Change Comes to the Commonwealth – A Virginia Employment Law Update, June 2020
Returning Employees to Work As COVID-19 Restrictions Ease, May 2020
CARES Act – Your Questions Answered, April 2020
Overtime Rules Rematch: Navigating the Newest Overtime Rules, October 2019
From Wort to Wages: Employment Law Basics for Breweries, October 2018
We’ve Got Chicken Soup for You: How to Comply with Maryland’s New Sick & Safe Leave Law, February 2018
New Overtime Regulations - An Overview, June 2016