Jessica L. Farmer

Jessica Farmer is an attorney in Holland & Knight's Litigation and Dispute Resolution Practice in the firm's Washington, D.C., office. Ms. Farmer has a diverse federal and state court litigation and international arbitration practice, representing clients in complex commercial disputes, in a wide array of matters involving breach of contract, allegations of fraud, real estate disputes and Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), including litigation involving employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs).

Ms. Farmer has experience both prosecuting and defending claims, including jury and bench trials in cases in federal and state court. She is also experienced in managing complicated discovery, taking and defending depositions, arguing motions and negotiating settlements.

Ms. Farmer's recent representative experiences include:

• representing an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor in a multibillion-dollar arbitration before the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) arising out of the construction of a mega infrastructure project
• defending companies and plan service providers with respect to fiduciary and prohibited transaction issues in investigations by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) involving ESOPs
• defending a company and its board of directors in an ERISA putative class action alleging  breach of fiduciary duty and engaging in prohibited transactions arising out of a $200 million ESOP transaction
• representing real estate developers in breach of contract litigation
• representing a television distributor in breach of contract litigation with a major programming content provider
• defending corporations in False Claims Act litigation
• representing Native American tribes in suits against the U.S. government
• defending companies in wrongful discharge litigation
• defending commercial property owners and construction companies against Fair Housing Act claims and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) claims
• defending insurance companies and brokerage firms against claims brought before the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA)

During law school, Ms. Farmer was an associate editor of the Maryland Law Review. She also served as a teaching assistant for legal writing and appellate advocacy courses. In addition, Ms. Farmer worked as a paralegal while attending law school and as a judicial intern to Judge Leo E. Green Jr. in the Prince George's County (Md.) Circuit Court.