About
Who We Are
We are a team of nationally recognized and collaborative attorneys who focus on defending employers and insurance carriers in a niche area of federal workers' compensation defense.
Our Philosophy
At Markovich Grover, we believe there is a direct correlation between employee wellbeing, increased productivity, and client satisfaction. We are passionate about building a better law firm, and we maintain that a forward-looking and growth-focused leadership model is critical to achieving that mission. By leveraging innovative software technologies to streamline and prioritize workflows, we not only attract and retain top talent, but we are poised to achieve the best possible outcomes for our clients.
Markovich Grover is positioned to respond to the complex and changing needs of the industry and its stakeholders.
Practice Areas & Industries
We will initially focus on federal workers’ compensation defense–primarily in response to Defense Base Act (DBA), Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act (LHWCA), and other "extension” act claims–as well as recovery under the War Hazards Compensation Act (WHCA). We are also poised to handle a broad range of civil practice areas.
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The Defense Base Act (DBA) is a U.S. federal law enacted in 1941 to provide workers' compensation protection for civilian employees working on military bases or under certain government contracts outside the United States. It is an extension of the Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act (LHWCA) and is administered by the U.S. Department of Labor. The DBA provides benefits for workers who are injured or killed in the course of their employment including medical benefits, disability compensation, and death benefits.
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The Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act (LHWCA) is a federal law enacted in 1927 to provide workers' compensation benefits to employees who are injured or become ill while performing maritime work on navigable waters of the United States or adjoining areas such as docks, piers, terminals, and shipyards. Administered by the U.S. Department of Labor, the LHWCA provides financial protection for eligible workers by covering medical expenses, disability benefits, and death benefits for work-related injuries or illnesses.
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The Longshore Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act has been expanded through amendments and related acts to cover additional workers, including:
The Defense Base Act (DBA) for overseas civilian contractors.
The Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA) for workers on offshore drilling platforms.
The Nonappropriated Fund Instrumentalities Act for employees of certain non-military activities on military bases.
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The War Hazards Compensation Act (WHCA) is a U.S. federal law that provides compensation and medical benefits to employees who suffer injuries, disabilities, or death due to war-related hazards while working overseas under a U.S. government contract. It was enacted in 1942 as an extension of the Defense Base Act (DBA) and is administered by the U.S. Department of Labor.
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Markovich Grover’s founding attorneys have a combined experience of over 100 years.
Our Founders
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Monica Fekete Markovich
President, Director & Senior Partner
Monica Markovich has been working on Defense Base Act cases since 1996 (first for work in Haiti, and later from the Balkans). She has been a leader in the DBA industry for years, speaking at numerous conferences and writing articles for the Benefits Review Board Service in addition to her extensive trial work. Monica is committed to partnering with employers and carriers to address the ever-changing and unique challenges of the DBA industry.
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Alexandra (Sasha) Grover
Vice President, Director & Senior Partner
Alexandra (Sasha) Grover has handled thousands of Defense Base Act claims over her 15-year career. She is a frequent presenter at industry conferences as well as in-house seminars for carriers, insureds, third party administrators, and brokers, co-authored a chapter regarding trial in The Longshore Textbook, and is on the planning committee for the WCI Workers Compensation Institute breakout on LHWCA Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act and DBA.
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Lauren E. Wilson
Treasurer, Director & Senior Partner
Lauren Wilson has been handling Defense Base Act, Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act, Texas Workers’ Compensation Act, and subrogation claims since 2010. Through the handling of TWCA claims early on in her career, Lauren honed her trial skills, winning 12 out of 12 cases in her first year of practice. She has since expanded her practice to heavily focus on the defense of DBA claims and has tried over 175 cases in the last four years alone.
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Krystal L. Layher
Secretary, Director & Senior Partner
Krystal Layher actively practices and manages Defense Base Act and War Hazards Compensation Act dockets. In the past three years, Krystal was the lead trial attorney on over 200 Defense Base Act claims. In addition to her extensive DBA trial experience, Krystal manages war hazards recovery efforts for carriers. She has filed well over 1,000 war hazards applications. Krystal serves on the DOL JBA Board of Directors and is a member of the Texas Bar College.
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Sherman W. Jones III
Director & Senior Partner
Sherman Jones has handled thousands of Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act and Defense Base Act claims over the past 10 years. He takes great pride in supervising, training, and developing new talent; he has grown his Florida-based DBA team to include Partners, Senior Associates, and Associates. In the past year alone, Sherman served as lead counsel on at least fifteen favorable decisions and orders from the OALJ, two favorable decisions from the BRB, and a dismissal of a claimant-petitioner’s appeal in the United States Courts of Appeals.
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Alexandra R. Awar
Director & Senior Partner
Alexandra (Alie) Awar has been defending claims arising under the Defense Base Act and the Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act for over a decade. Alie has a reputation within the industry of obtaining cost-effective and early settlements for her clients. Alie has presented at industry events and frequently hosts trainings for carriers and third-party adjusters on various DBA and LHWCA topics.
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Michelle K. Whitley
Senior Partner
Michelle (Dougherty) Whitley has practiced, managed, and defended claims arising under the Defense Base Act and Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act for the past eight years. During that time, she has advocated for her clients at live trials and submitted countless briefs before the OALJ. Michelle has also been successful in arguing before the Benefits Review Board and the United States Court of Appeals of the Ninth Circuit.
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Missy Basone
CFO & Firm Administrator
Missy Basone is a CFO with 15 plus years of experience in a diverse array of industries, both domestic and international. Paramount to her past tenures is Missy’s natural ability to view challenges from multiple perspectives, combining creativity, drive, and leadership to enable pivotal growth. This is especially the case when she finds herself in a delicate balancing act between the interests of management and employees. She is a big proponent of efficiency and creates value by reducing friction in work processes.
