Jessica Pahl’s practice focuses on complex civil litigation and government investigations.  She represents corporations, professional firms, and individuals in federal and state courts throughout the country, at both the trial and appellate levels, in arbitration proceedings, and before government agencies.  Jessica has first-chair trial experience in bench and jury trials, has represented a major financial institution in an arbitration merits hearing, and has argued multiple dispositive motions in state and federal courts. 

Jessica has represented clients in a number of substantive areas, including accountant liability, pharmaceutical and life sciences, trade secret litigation, legal malpractice, securities litigation and Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") enforcement matters, qui tam lawsuits and related Department of Justice ("DOJ") investigations under the False Claims Act ("FCA"), government contracting, partnership and shareholder disputes, banking and financial services, and commercial contract disputes. 

Among her representations, Jessica has:

• Defended a national accounting firm against professional liability claims arising from audits of funds invested in the Petters Ponzi scheme.
• Represented a national accounting firm in claims against a former employee for misappropriation of trade secret and confidential information.
• Defended a national accounting firm in professional liability claims brought by state-appointed receivers and/or liquidators.
• Defended a Fortune 500 company in one of the largest and most complex environmental MDLs pending in the United States.

• Defended pharmaceutical companies in a commercial contract disputes in trial and arbitration proceedings.
• Defended pharmaceutical companies against patent infringement claims.
• Represented a life sciences company in a contract dispute regarding commercial supply agreements.
• Defended a major banking institution in an arbitration proceeding involving a commercial contract dispute.
• Defended an Internet news organization against putative class action claims pertaining to allegations of unfair business practices.
• Defended a financial advisor against claims brought by the Securities and Exchange Commission.
• Represented government contractors in internal investigations and resulting voluntary disclosures and/or debarment proceedings.
• Represented senior executives in connection with civil and criminal investigations and qui tam proceedings regarding cost accounting.
• Defended AmLaw Top 100 law firm against legal malpractice claims.
• Counseled a client regarding non-compete clauses in employment contracts.
• Represented a legal recruiting firm against claims alleging misappropriation of trade secret and confidential material.

Jessica also has dedicated substantial time to pro bono matters involving asylum proceedings and landlord-tenant disputes, and her work on one of those matters was featured in the Washington Lawyer. 

As a North Carolina native, Jessica received her undergraduate degree, cum laude, from Duke University in Durham, North Carolina in 2006 and her J.D., magna cum laude, from Duke University School of Law in 2009, where she served on the Executive Board of the Duke Law Journal, president of the Mock Trial Board, and as a member of the Moot Court Board.