Baltimore’s Professional Leaders: Jana L. Ponczak

Jana Ponczak, an attorney who graduated from Beth Tfiloh in 2003, stands outside the school. (Photo by Steve Ruark)

Jana L. Ponczak, Attorney, Zirkin and Schmerling Law

Attorney Jana L. Ponczak is a 2003 alumna of Beth Tfiloh Dahan Community School, a 2007 alumna of Barnard College of Columbia University and a 2012 alumna of the University of Baltimore School of Law, from which she received a J.D. cum laude with a concentration in Criminal Practice.

After receiving her law degree, she had a solo practice for four years specializing in family law, including contested and uncontested divorces, child custody, guardianships, and protective order hearings. 

In 2017, she joined the firm of Zirkin and Schmerling, where she continues to take a holistic approach to family law. “I want my clients to see me as more than just a litigator,” she says. “I’m also a resource for them as they go through this difficult period of their life.”

Ponczak is also passionate about helping the communities in which she lives. She volunteers her legal services through the Maryland Volunteer Lawyers, and is also a member of the Maryland Association for Justice. Especially close to her heart is her involvement with her high school alma mater. 

Ponczak served as Chair of Alumni Council for three years and is a member of the Board of Trustees for Beth Tfiloh School, which her four children now attend, following in both their parents’ footsteps.

“It means a lot to me to give back to the Beth Tfiloh community,” says Ponczak. “I feel strongly about Jewish education in general, and more specifically, about the role Beth Tfiloh plays in the Jewish community, not only in Baltimore but around the world. Beth Tfiloh has given me the tools to become who I am in my professional and personal lives, and in the Jewish world in which I live.”

Meet other accomplished Beth Tfiloh alumni at Facebook.com/bethtfilohalumni.

Zirkin and Schmerling Law
1852 Reisterstown Rd., Pikesville, MD.
410-753-4611
zirkinandschmerlinglaw.com

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