Today we’d like to introduce you to Jessica Wortham.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Born and raised in small town Baldwin City, Kansas as a fourth-generation Kansan. My father was a custodian at the junior high and my mother was the lunch lady for a spell before she became a rural postal carrier. After graduating high school in 2000, I went to KU and graduated with a B.A. in Anthropology in 2005. I worked in banking for a spell as a teller and cash auditor before going in Law School. I graduated Texas Wesleyan School of Law in 2012. To pay off my student loans faster, I remained in Texas for another 13 years as an assistant district attorney. I prosecuted in Dallas, Fort Worth, Longview, and Tyler, Texas. Most of my legal career has been focused on helping victims, children, and families. I have handled a wide variety of cases including CPS cases, juvenile, misdemeanors, engaging in organized criminal activity, terrorism, sexual assaults, and a few capital murders.
I met my husband in Texas and he agreed to move with me back to my hometown. I opened up my own solo law firm in March 2026. I am working part-time as the City Attorney for the City of Baldwin. I advise the city counsel, mayor, city administrators/supervisors, code enforcement, and also work as the city prosecutor. I handle everything from traffic tickets, writing leases, reviewing contracts, and writing/reviewing ordinances.
After being in the courtroom almost daily for 13 years, I wanted to help keep families out of the courtroom. To prevent any conflicts with being a City Attorney, I am focusing on Wills, Trusts, and Estates. Helping families plan ahead to make transitions easier, prevent family arguments, and keep them out of costly probate courts.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I am a self-made person. I have worked a wide variety of jobs and usually multiple jobs to make ends meet to get to where I am today. I delivered newspapers, waited tables, clerked for an auctioneer, sales associate at Hastings, bookkeeper for Food-4-Less, parked cars during KU games, and so many other jobs I have lost count. I had very little sleep, very little money, and very little food.
As an attorney, who you know and politics are usually more important than what you know. Most folks in law school had white collar parents and did not work so they could focus on their studies. I nannied, worked at the bookstore, and tutored othere law school students so I could take out the minimum for loans and make it. I also decided to take the bar exam before I graduated. I was taking classes while working over 30 hours a week and studying for the bar exam. Most people take several months off to study for it exclusively. That was a rough time but I got through it. Not much sleep then!
Once I became an attorney, I did not have political connections to help me or know any other attorneys to guide me. I found my own mentors and in return started mentoring other attorneys to pay it forward. The hardest part about working for the government is the politics. You can be the best attorney in your field, but if you make the wrong person mad or your boss loses their re-election bid, you are out of the job. Bigger offices like Dallas and Fort Worth are very focused on trial statistics. I found that frustrating as I felt it was more important to do the right thing than get a trial stat. It was difficult having a new boss almost every election cycle which would radically change the office culture. I lucked out at the end by working in Tyler, Texas. A new district attorney took over, creating a family-friendly work environmentfocused on justice not trial statistics.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Maple Leaf Law LLC is focused on helping people. If I cannot help you, I want to find someone who can. I try to keep a list of attorneys and firms in the area in case I get a call from someone that needs an expert in a different area of law. Lawyers are a bit like doctors. There are general practitioners but most attorneys specialize in different areas of law.
I am not a big flashy law firm. Maple Leaf Law LLC is located in an office within the Chamber of Commerce building. I have a cozy corner for clients to relax in. Baldwin City is also the Quilt Capital of Kansas so I have a quilt that my Grandma Annabell and Grandma Brumm made with a Texas-Star in the shape of a bald eagle. I believe that the law should be accessible to everyone. If someone cannot get off work to meet me during 8-5 office hours, I can meet them after work or on the weekends. If someone has transportation issues or cannot travel due to health problems, I am happy to travel to them. I can also hold virtual appointments or phone appointments for folks that live too far away to drive to Baldwin.
I am focused on people and not business numbers. I do not drive a Land Rover–I drive a minivan to haul my small children around town. I genuinely care about my clients and want to make sure they are okay. I enjoy learning about their families. I love learning about their children and grandchildren. It helps me develop the best plan possible to protect the family, assets, and give everyone peace of mind for the future.
Maple Leaf Law LLC is also about paying it forward. I volunteer for Kansas Free Legal Answers to give pro bono hours to the community. I also give pro bono hours to a non-profit organization as their general counsel. When possible, I try to sponsor local events for the community and children.
When selecting me as your Wills, Estates, and Trust attorney, your dollar goes to the community and allows me to continue helping more people. For packaged plans, I make sure everything your family will need is all in one folder or binder. Upon your death or incapacity, your family will just need to grab the folder or binder to get all the information they need to assist them with your estate.
Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
I was an introvert forced to be an extrovert. I preferred to stay home and play outside. Small town life means you’re involved with everything though: church, 4-H, choir, theater, speech/forensics, volleyball, track, Scholar’s Bowl, etc. I have always enjoyed reading and problem solving. I love volunteering. I grew up in the United Methodist Church learning to love my neighbors–ALL of my neighbors–and to serve the community.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.mapleleaf.law
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61586958197709
