I earned a B.A. in philosophy from Reed College (www.reed.edu) in 1996, Reed is often described as the most rigorous college in the nation; after spending a year traveling in the United States, I began studying at University of Pennsylvania Law School (www​.law.upenn.edu) and obtained my J.D. in 2000. I started practicing commercial and franchise litigation with Buchanan Ingersoll, P.C.. At Buchanan, I represented various franchisors (including McDonald's, Rita's Water Ice, Days Inn, and Familymeds, Inc.) in complex litigation matters, defending and prosecuting claims concerning disputes with franchisees. The disputes spanned from breaches of contract, territorial encroachment, covenants not to compete, injunctions, unfair competition, intellectual property protection, labor and employment, licensing, and regulatory compliance. My legal experience in corporate law has served my clients well. In addition to my background in corporate commercial litigation, I have experience in litigating accounting fraud, and securities matters. I gained this experience during my tenure with Barrack, Rodos, & Bacine (www.barrack.com) and while prosecuting In re WorldCom Securities Litigation case, which achieved a record-breaking $6.13 billion recovery for investors. While at Barrack, Rodos, & Bacine, I also served as lead counsel for other class action lawsuits involving securities and antitrust claims. As an associate with Booth & Tucker, I expanded my legal expertise and services to include personal injury litigation, successfully defending a premises liability matter on behalf of Temple University that resulted in a favorable jury trial. Recently, with my firm solely (Law Office of Pearlette V. Toussant LLC), and in association with the law firm of Lyman & Ash (www.lymanash.com), I have litigated matters that concern business disputes, family disputes, trust and estate concerns, constitutional violations, and statutory claims. I also draft transactional documents on behalf of my clients.