Jessica Pearlman

Practice Areas

Jessica Pearlman is a partner and global practice area leader in the firm’s Corporate practice. Jessica represents emerging and established companies in various corporate, governance, and finance matters, with an emphasis on mergers and acquisitions for both public and private clients, domestic and international. She has particular depth of experience in various technology sectors, including healthcare applications, software, social media, data security, data storage, mobile applications, search and search engine optimization, and artificial intelligence as well as in energy, digital and traditional media, biotechnology, transportation, and manufacturing.

Jessica is vice chair of the American Bar Association’s M&A Committee, is a former chair of the M&A Committee’s Market Trends Subcommittee, and has served as chair since 2010 of its flagship Private Target M&A Deal Points Study.

She is a frequent presenter on mergers and acquisitions topics and is listed in the Chambers USA guide as a leader in Corporate/M&A and listed in the Best Lawyers in America® in Mergers and Acquisitions Law, in The International Who’s Who of Merger and Acquisition Lawyers, in Who’s Who Legal, and as one of the Top Women Attorneys in Washington, as well as being selected to the Washington Super Lawyers list. Jessica has served as an adjunct professor at the University of Washington School of Law and Seattle University School of Law and as a member of the Thomson Reuters Business Law Solutions Advisory Board and the Practical Law Company Corporate Advisory Board.

Professional Memberships

Member, Washington Corporate Act Revision Committee

Vice Chair, American Bar Association Mergers and Acquisitions Committee

Chair, American Bar Association Private Target Deal Points Study

Member, American Bar Association Revised Model Asset Purchase Agreement Editorial Working Group

Former Chair, M&A Market Trends Subcommittee, M&A Committee of the American Bar Association’s Section of Business Law

Adjunct Professor, the University of Washington School of Law and Seattle University School of Law, Mergers & Acquisitions

Member, Practical Law Company Corporate Advisory Board

Member, Thomson Reuters Business Law Solutions Advisory Board

Member, Board of Directors of Jewish Family Service of Seattle

Former member, Board of Directors of Hillel at the University of Washington and Board of Governors of Washington Athletic Club

Publications

“Announcing the ABA’s 2025 Private Target Mergers & Acquisitions Deal Points Study,” Business Law Today, 19 December 2026

“To Be Released Soon: The ABA's 2025 Private Target Mergers & Acquisitions Deal Points Study—and Sneak Preview of Select Data Points,” Business Law Today, October 2025

Disclaimers of Reliance in Private M&A Deals Chart, Practical Law, October 2025

“M&A Market Trends in Focus (2024),” Practical Law Magazine, August 2024

“Announcing the ABA’s 2023 Private Target Mergers & Acquisitions Deal Points Study,” Business Law Today, December 2023

“To Be Released Soon: The ABA's 2023 Private Target Mergers & Acquisitions Deal Points Study—and Sneak Preview of Select Data Points,” Business Law Today, October 2023

“Q&A: Market Trends in Focus," Practical Law Journal (Reuters), 31 July 2023

“Opinion: Headwinds on the horizon for private equity M&A,” The Puget Sound Business Journal, July 2023

“Private Target Deal Points Market Trends in the United States – Insights for Japanese Buyers,” Shoji Homu, March-May 2023

“Claims 'If True': Buyer and Seller Perspectives,” Hotshot Market Check video series, October 2022

"Podcast: ABA Private Targets Deal Points Study," Deal Lawyers, 18 April 2022

“Announcing the ABA’s 2021 Private Target Mergers & Acquisitions Deal Points Study” Business Law Today, December 2021

“To Be Released Soon: The ABA’s 2021 Private Target Mergers & Acquisitions Deal Points Study—and Sneak Preview of Select Data Points” Business Law Today, November 2021

“Claims 'If True',” “Claims 'If True': Market Trends,” “Claims 'If True': Buyer and Seller Perspectives,” and “Claims 'If True': Drafting,” Hotshot Market Check video series, November 2020

Negotiating M&A Escrow Agreements Checklist, Practical Law Checklist, July 2020

COVID-19 Pandemic Highlights Need for Stakeholders to Be Considered, Business Law Today, 14 April 2020

Interview with Marty Lipton, The Business Lawyer, Vol 75, Spring 2020

“Announcing the ABA’s 2019 Private Target Mergers & Acquisitions Deal Points Study,” Business Law Today, January 2020

“Annual Survey of Judicial Developments Pertaining to Private Equity and Venture Capital,” The Business Lawyer, January 2019

“Author Spotlight: Lisa Stark Interviews Jessica Pearlman on M&A Market Trends,” Business Law Today, November 2018

"Announcing the ABA’s 2017 Private Target Mergers & Acquisitions Deal Points Study," Business Law Today, January 2018

“Confidentiality and Standstill Agreements: Recent Delaware Law Developments,” The Review of Securities & Commodities Regulation, Volume 46, Number 10, May 2013

“Negotiating M&A Escrow Agreements Checklist,” Practical Law, June 2011

“What’s the Market for that Cross-border Deal? The European, US and Canadian Private Target M&A Deal Points Studies,” Business Law International, Volume 12, Number 2, May 2011

Education