Jessica Ann Hallmark, an attorney whose practice includes real estate and business law, is running for Oakland County Probate Court judge in the Nov. 3, 2026, general election.

She faces Elisabeth Dery in the nonpartisan contest for a six-year term, according to Oakland County Times’ election coverage. Voters may choose one candidate.

Hallmark responded to the Birmingham-Bloomfield Bulletin candidate questionnaire on Oct. 1. Unless otherwise noted, the information and responses below come from that questionnaire.

Asked why she is running, Hallmark pointed to her legal career and her family’s experience in public service.

“My parents were lawyers and taught me by example that lawyers help people,” she said.

Her mother, Linda Hallmark, served as an Oakland County Probate Court judge. Hallmark said that experience helped her understand the court’s role in residents’ lives.

“I have spent most of my career representing individuals, families and small companies in real estate and business matters,” she said. “My clients are the kinds of regular people who come to probate court, and I help them create, grow and protect the kinds of assets that the probate court administers in many of its cases.”

Candidate information

Party affiliation: The judicial election is nonpartisan.

Education: Hallmark graduated from Bloomfield Hills Lahser High School in 1997. She reported earning a bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor in 2001, with majors in English and communication studies.

She earned her law degree from Wayne State University in 2008 while attending its evening program.

“I worked full time to put myself through Wayne State University Law School’s evening program,” she said.

Family: Hallmark said she and her husband, Tony, have been married for 16 years and have a 12-year-old daughter and a 14-year-old son. Tony works as an information technology project manager.

Family in politics or government: Hallmark said her mother served as an Oakland County Probate Court judge for 26 years, retired at the end of 2024 and continues working as a visiting judge.

Experience and public service

Hallmark works at Adkison Need Allen & Rentrop, where she represents individuals, families and small business owners in real estate, business and liquor licensing matters.

Before entering private practice, she served as a law clerk to the chief judge of the Oakland County Circuit Court.

She also reported accepting court appointments as a guardian ad litem in guardianship and conservatorship cases.

Hallmark said she served on the State Bar of Michigan’s Real Property Law Section council from 2019 to 2026 and chaired its Continuing Legal Education Committee from 2021 to 2026.

Her work included evaluating legislation and pending cases, planning educational programs for attorneys and helping develop a five-year strategic plan.

She also reported serving as an Oakland Literacy Council advisory board member and adult literacy tutor. In 2015, she received the Detroit City Council’s Spirit of Detroit Award for work associated with the Urban Land Institute’s Larson Center for Leadership, according to her questionnaire.

On the issues

Public trust and impartiality: Hallmark identified public confidence in the probate court as its biggest challenge.

She said her background outside professional guardianship and conservatorship work would bring a different perspective to the bench.

“I would seek to ensure that decisions are unbiased and based on the unique facts and circumstances of each case, which in turn will help to restore public trust in our probate court,” she said.

Access to justice: Hallmark supports clearer guidance for people representing themselves in court.

“As a judge, I would look for opportunities to increase access to justice, particularly for self-represented litigants, by improving public guidance on court procedures, forms and e- filing and continuing and expanding the use of reliable new technological developments and platforms,” she said.

She also said she would seek opportunities to advocate for policies benefiting vulnerable people, particularly in mental health.

Legal experience: Hallmark said her work with real estate, personal property and business interests would help her address assets involved in probate cases.

Her campaign biography emphasizes careful legal analysis, courtroom management and explaining complex matters to clients.

Endorsements and rating

Hallmark said in her questionnaire that she had endorsements from 41 Michigan judges, Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard, Teamsters Local 1038 and Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers Local 2.

The Women Lawyers Association of Michigan gave Hallmark a “Highly Recommended” judicial candidate rating in March 2026. The rating is a professional evaluation, separate from an endorsement.

Advice that guides her

Hallmark said judges who have supported and mentored her consistently emphasize judicial temperament.

“Judges must maintain a calm and patient demeanor and ensure that every person who enters the courtroom is treated with courtesy, dignity, respect and fairness,” she said.

She described her mother’s approach to the courtroom as an example she hopes to follow.

“That’s the legacy I hope to continue,” she said.

This profile draws primarily on Jessica Ann Hallmark’s responses to the Birmingham-Bloomfield Bulletin candidate questionnaire, with additional information from her campaign website, the Women Lawyers Association of Michigan and published election reporting. Responses have been excerpted and paraphrased; direct quotations retain her wording.