Wendi Adelson: Former Wife of Dan Markel

Full name	Wendi Jill Adelson
Nationality	American
Profession	Attorney
Education	University of Miami School of Law (J.D., 2006)
Bar admission	Florida Bar, September 2006 (member in good standing)
Known for	Immigration and human rights legal work; former wife of law professor Dan Markel
Children	Benjamin Markel, Lincoln Markel

Wendi Jill Adelson is a Florida-licensed attorney whose professional work has focused on human rights, immigration law, and advocacy for vulnerable populations including trafficking victims and asylum-seekers. She earned her law degree from the University of Miami School of Law and has been a member of the Florida Bar since 2006, listed as in good standing and eligible to practice law in Florida as of 2026.

Most people who search for her name do so because of her connection to Dan Markel, the Florida State University law professor she was married to until their 2013 divorce. Markel was murdered in Tallahassee in 2014, and Adelson subsequently became a witness in the criminal proceedings that followed. She has never been charged in connection with his death and has denied any involvement.

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Who Is Wendi Adelson?

Adelson built her legal career around representing people who often have few other options — immigrants facing deportation, survivors of human trafficking, asylum-seekers fleeing persecution, and abused immigrant spouses. That work predates the public attention she received after Markel’s murder and represents the bulk of her documented professional life.

The Florida Bar identifies her as Wendi J. Adelson. She completed her law degree at the University of Miami School of Law and was admitted to the Florida Bar in September 2006. Her professional background is in clinical legal education and human rights advocacy, with a particular emphasis on immigration law.

Legal Education and Early Clinical Work

Adelson received her law degree from the University of Miami School of Law in 2006. Before moving to Florida State University, she worked at the University of Miami School of Law’s Children and Youth Law Clinic and its Community Health Rights Education Clinic. Those roles established the direction her career would take — hands-on legal work on behalf of people with limited access to representation, particularly children and low-income individuals.

Immigration and Human Rights Work at Florida State University

Adelson joined Florida State University in 2007, affiliating with its Center for the Advancement of Human Rights. She served as program director of the Human Rights and Immigration Law Project and also held clinical faculty roles at the FSU College of Law.

Her practice areas were wide-ranging within the immigration and human rights space. She represented asylum-seekers and refugees, unaccompanied immigrant children, victims of torture, survivors of human trafficking, and immigrants who had experienced domestic abuse. She also speaks Spanish, which extended her ability to work directly with clients in a language they were comfortable using.

One of her documented initiatives at FSU was an alternative spring-break program that gave law students practical, hands-on experience with immigration law. Rather than spending that time on a conventional break, participating students worked on real immigration legal matters — an approach that reflected both her commitment to legal education and her interest in expanding services to underserved communities.

The Florida Bar featured Adelson in a piece about human trafficking advocacy, highlighting her work on behalf of trafficking survivors. That same publication also reported that she wrote a fictionalized novel inspired by her experiences representing trafficking victims, though specific publication details were not fully documented in available sources.

Her Marriage to Dan Markel and Their Family

Adelson and Dan Markel married in 2006, the same year she was admitted to the Florida Bar. Markel was a law professor at Florida State University, and the two had two sons together: Benjamin and Lincoln. The couple divorced in 2013.

In July 2014, Markel was shot and killed at his home in Tallahassee. The murder set off a lengthy criminal investigation and a series of trials that drew considerable national media coverage. Following his death, Adelson changed her sons’ surnames. She described the decision as a way to protect them from the intense media attention surrounding the case.

Wendi Adelson’s Role in the Murder Proceedings

Adelson testified under an immunity agreement in proceedings connected to Markel’s murder, including the trial of Sigfredo Garcia and Katherine Magbanua. During her testimony, she denied having any knowledge of or involvement in a plot to kill Markel. She has not been charged in connection with his death.

Prosecutors used the divorce and the family dynamics that followed it as background context when laying out the alleged motive in the case. That framing placed Adelson’s name in court filings and news coverage, but being referenced as relevant background is not the same as being a defendant, and no charges were filed against her.

Her mother, Donna Adelson, and her brother, Charlie Adelson, were separately discussed in connection with the prosecution. Their legal situations are distinct from hers and involve their own separate proceedings and allegations.

For those following the broader case, coverage from outlets including the Tallahassee Democrat provides detailed reporting on the criminal proceedings. Resources like First Business Mag also cover developments related to high-profile legal stories.

Current Standing

As of 2026, the Florida Bar continues to list Wendi Adelson as a member in good standing, meaning she remains eligible to practice law in Florida. Her documented career represents more than a decade of legal work focused on some of the most vulnerable people who come into contact with the immigration system — trafficking survivors, asylum-seekers, and children navigating immigration proceedings without their parents.

Her name became widely known because of her connection to Dan Markel’s murder, but her professional record reflects a legal career built around human rights work that existed well before and independently of those events.