Attorney Biographies
Markham & Read defends individuals and companies in criminal and civil cases and regulatory investigations in many state and federal courts.
Markham & Read defends the rights of students in private schools, colleges and universities
Our Firm
Markham & Read was established in 1990 with attorney John Markham as principal attorney. He has over 35 years of trial and appellate experience across the country, in both federal and state courts.
Markham & Read is small by design and John Markham leads the attorneys in analyzing the legal and factual issues and developing a litigation or representation plan. Should you decide to retain Markham & Read, our attorneys personally attend to your case, report to you on a regular basis, and promptly respond to your inquiries. We work as a team with our clients to identify and pursue the desired outcome, and manage fees and costs on an on-going basis.
While our clients receive concentrated representation from attorneys throughout the representation, Markham & Read has talented staff to conduct investigations, provide research assistance, and offer full office support. As necessary and in consultation with our clients, we collaborate with local law firms to handle cases in jurisdictions across the United States.
Before accepting a case, the firm conducts an initial consultation with the prospective client to determine if our firm is right for the job. If we find that the case is one we can handle well and the client agrees, the case is vigorously pursued to obtain the best outcome possible. If the case is not suited to the firm’s practice areas, we are pleased to recommend, and help secure, other counsel.
John Markham
John Markham practiced commercial law as an associate at the Wall Street law firm of Shearman & Sterling in New York and as a partner at Lillick, McHose & Charles (now Nixon Peabody) in San Francisco. He later served as a federal prosecutor for six years in San Diego, San Francisco, and Boston, where he was appointed Chief of the Major Frauds Section. John has taught law at the Harvard Law School as an adjunct faculty member, at the University of Santa Clara Law School as a tenure track professor, and as an instructor at the Attorney General's Advocacy Institute at the Department of Justice. His writings include contributions to books and journals such as:
- California Criminal Trial Practice, Matthew Bender. A three-volume treatise on the California Evidence Code.
- Making the Most of the Multiparty Defense, Litigation, The Journal of the ABA Section of Litigation, Vol. 18, 1992.
- Attacking and Supporting Witness Credibility, California Litigation, The Journal of the Litigation Section (California), Vol 4, No. 3, Spring 1991.
John is a member of the bar in the states of Massachusetts, Maine, New York, and California, as well as a member of the United States District Courts in those states. He is also admitted to the federal bar of the District of Connecticut, the United States Courts of Appeal for the First, Second, Third and Ninth Circuit Courts of Appeal, and the United States Supreme Court.
John Markham received his Bachelor of Arts Degree from Roanoke College in Salem, Virginia in 1969. He majored in French literature and made the Dean's List for his academic achievements. As an undergraduate, he defended other students charged with honor and conduct violations, was captain of the varsity tennis team, and played varsity soccer. He went on to obtain his law degree from Washington & Lee School of Law in 1972. He won the school moot court competition, competed as a regional finalist in the National Moot Court Competition, and edited and contributed to the Washington & Lee Law Review. He was a member of the Honor Counsel and was inducted into the prestigious Order of the Coif, a national honor society for law school graduates.
Elizabeth Read
Elizabeth Read has been active professionally in Boston, New York and California since she was first admitted to practice in California in 1979. She is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, and received her J.D. from the University of California, Hastings College of Law, where she was Executive Editor of the Hastings Constitutional Law Quarterly.
Upon graduation from law school Elizabeth joined the firm of Lillick, McHose & Charles (now Nixon Peabody), where she focused on general commercial litigation and complex insurance coverage cases in its San Francisco and San Diego offices, and appeared in state and federal courts across the country. In 1985 she relocated to the east coast with her family and joined Foley Hoag & Eliot as an associate, continuing a commercial litigation practice. After returning to California, she and attorney John Markham formed Markham & Read (San Francisco and Boston) where she continued her practice in civil and criminal law.
From 2000 to 2010 Elizabeth worked as a legal administrator at an AmLaw 50 firm headquartered in Boston. As an administrative director she was responsible for practice area management and strategic operations, including the opening of five offices in California, as well as offices in London and Hong Kong.
Since returning to Markham & Read she has represented clients in civil and criminal litigation in Massachusetts and California, including the defense of actions brought by the Internal Revenue Service and the Federal Trade Commission. Her practice has also included the defense of clients in bank foreclosure cases and internal investigations. Throughout her years of practice she has acquired a special interest and developed an advisory practice in legal ethics and conflicts of interest.
She is a member of the bars of California, Massachusetts and Maine, and admitted to practice before the Northern, Central and Southern Districts of California, the District of Massachusetts, and the First and Ninth Circuit Courts of Appeal.
Bridget A. Zerner
Bridget Zerner has worked at Markham & Read since 2005. She is a member of the bars of Massachusetts and New York and is admitted to the United States District Courts of Massachusetts and the Southern, Western and Eastern Districts of New York. Bridget is also a member of the American Bar Association, the Massachusetts Bar Association, the Boston Bar Association, and the New York State Bar Association.
Since joining Markham & Read, Bridget has represented clients in criminal and civil matters in Massachusetts and New York, and in federal cases across the country, including Utah and Georgia.
Bridget received her Bachelor of Arts Degree from American University in Washington, D.C. in 2004. She double majored in Law & Society and Philosophy and was admitted to the School of Public Affairs Leadership Program. She graduated summa cum laude with University Honors in philosophy and was inducted into the academic honor society Phi Beta Kappa.
Bridget was awarded a J.D. from Boston College Law School in 2007. She was a participant, then a co-leader, of the Indian Law Service project that organized service trips to the Navajo Nation where law students interned for the Navajo Supreme Court and Department of Justice. She also interned for a summer in New Mexico, where she provided legal aid services for the Navajo Nation and Jicarilla-Apache tribe. In her final year, Bridget participated in the Boston College Defenders clinical program where she was a student advocate representing clients in criminal cases in Dorchester District Court.
