Desean Waters

Desean Waters joined Markham Law Firm as a law clerk in 2025 and rejoined the firm following law school. She earned her Juris Doctor, cum laude, from Howard University School of Law in 2026. Her admission to the District of Columbia Bar is pending. Desean is an active member of several professional associations, including the Montgomery Chapter, Baltimore Chapter and Prince George’s Chapter of the Women’s Bar Association of Maryland and District of Columbia Bar Association.

During law school, Desean served on the Howard Human & Civil Rights Law Review, first as a Staff Editor and later as Executive Solicitations and Submissions Editor. She was the first transfer student selected to serve in the executive editor position. In that role, Desean spearheaded the Law Review’s annual Ferguson Symposium, bringing together scholars, educators, legal professionals, and members of the judiciary for discussions addressing significant contemporary legal and social issues.

Desean also participated in Howard University School of Law’s Environmental Justice Research and Advocacy Clinic, where she worked with grassroots organizations on environmental justice matters. As part of her work, she contributed to the Environmental and Climate Justice Center’s Fifty State Lead Scorecard Project, a nationwide assessment examining state policies addressing lead poisoning prevention.

Desean also interned with the World Bank Group’s Staff Association, where she worked on labor and employment matters affecting World Bank Group employees stationed throughout the world. Before joining Markham Law Firm, she served as a Summer Legal Intern with the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Court in Hillsborough County, Florida, where she gained experience with misdemeanor, traffic, and domestic relations matters.

Prior to attending Howard University School of Law, Desean attended Western Michigan University Cooley Law School, where she was a Dean’s Fellow. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Political Science, with a minor in Legal Studies, from Central Michigan University.

Bar Admissions: Washington, D.C. (pending)

Law School: Howard University School of Law (Juris Doctor, cum laude, 2026)

Undergraduate: Central Michigan University (Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science, Minor in Legal Studies, 2017)