Engaged and
Responsive
Counsel.

We provide business owners and principals with experienced, direct counsel on important legal matters. We limit what we take on. We focus on results.

Explore Practice Areas Contact the Firm
About the Firm

Beardsley, P.C.

Beardsley, P.C. was founded to provide business owners and principals with the quality of legal counsel ordinarily available only to large enterprises. The firm serves as outside general counsel and as transactional counsel to closely held businesses across a focused range of corporate and commercial matters.

We are a small firm by design. We are thoughtful about the client relationships we take on and the matters we undertake — not because we are selective for its own sake, but because doing so allows us to bring genuine attention and experience to every engagement.

Our clients rely on us for day-to-day legal guidance as well as significant transactions. In either case, we bring the same level of care and the same standard of work.

Read More About Us
A small firm with a highly focused practice — we take only the matters where we are confident we can deliver outstanding results.
20+
Years of Business Law Experience
5.0
Google Review Rating · 14 Reviews
Atlanta
Georgia — Serving Clients Nationally
Our Services

Practice Areas

01

Outside General Counsel

We serve as outside general counsel to a select number of businesses, providing the ongoing legal support of experienced in-house counsel without the overhead. We become familiar with our clients' businesses and provide direct, practical advice as matters arise.

02

Business Entity Formation

We advise founders and principals on entity formation, ownership structure, operating agreements, and initial governance. We offer flat-fee formation services that include the benefit of experienced business counsel — not simply document preparation.

03

Succession Planning

We work with business owners to develop succession arrangements that protect the enterprise and reflect their intentions. We address ownership transfer, key-person continuity, and the legal documentation necessary to execute a transition on the owner's terms.

04

Mergers & Acquisitions

We represent buyers and sellers in business acquisitions and divestitures of all sizes. We handle the full range of transaction work — from letters of intent through negotiation, due diligence, and closing. We focus on achieving results, not generating process.

05

Contract Negotiation & Drafting

We draft and negotiate commercial agreements across a broad range of contexts. We write contracts that are clear, precise, and protective of the client's interests — and we advise clients on the legal and commercial implications before they sign.

06

Joint Ventures

We structure and document joint venture arrangements with careful attention to governance, capital, profit allocation, and exit. We anticipate the problems that arise when business relationships change, and we draft agreements that address them in advance.

Our Approach

How We Work

Clients who work with Beardsley, P.C. work directly with Pearson Beardsley. There are no associates, no handoffs, and no ambiguity about who is responsible for their matter. That directness is the point.

When a matter requires specialized expertise — litigation, tax, real estate, employment, intellectual property — we assemble the right team. Over more than twenty years of practice, Pearson has developed a network of trusted co-counsel across a broad range of disciplines. Clients receive coordinated, experienced representation precisely calibrated to their situation, without paying for capabilities they do not need.

The result is a level of access and accountability that larger firms rarely provide, combined with the depth of resources to handle matters of real complexity.

Direct Access

Every client works directly with Pearson. No associates. No handoffs. The attorney you hire is the attorney who does the work.

Right-Sized Teams

When matters require additional expertise, we draw on a referral network of trusted co-counsel developed over twenty years of practice.

Focused Engagements

We maintain a limited client roster by design. Every engagement receives the attention it warrants — not the attention that remains after larger matters are served.

Pearson Beardsley, Principal Attorney
D. Pearson Beardsley Principal Attorney
Download V·Card
Principal Attorney

D. Pearson Beardsley

Pearson Beardsley has advised business owners and principals on corporate and commercial matters for more than twenty years. He has represented companies at every stage of their development — from founders establishing their first enterprise to established family businesses navigating complex transactions.

His practice is concentrated in mergers and acquisitions, outside general counsel services, business entity formation, and succession planning. Clients consistently describe him as responsive, well-prepared, and genuinely invested in their success. When matters require specialized co-counsel, he draws on a network of trusted attorneys developed over more than twenty years of practice.

Pearson maintains a limited number of client relationships so that he can remain deeply engaged in the matters entrusted to his care. That has always been the way he has practiced, and it remains the foundation of the firm.

Education
B.A., English, magna cum laude, Vanderbilt University, 1997 · Phi Beta Kappa
J.D., Washington & Lee University School of Law, 2001
Bar Admissions
Georgia · Florida · New York · Arizona
Recognition
The Best Lawyers in America® — Business Organizations
Georgia Super Lawyers
Georgia Super Lawyers — Rising Stars
Georgia Trend Legal Elite — Corporate Law & Business Law
Good Apple Honoree, Georgia Appleseed Center for Law & Justice
Community & Professional Activities
Georgia Lawyers for the Arts — Board of Directors & Volunteer
Georgia Heirs Property Law Center — Founding Member of the Board of Directors; Treasurer, 2015–2018
State Bar of Georgia — Chair, State Disciplinary Board, 2019–2020
State Bar of Georgia — Vice Chair, State Disciplinary Board, 2018–2019; Vice Chair, Investigative Panel, 2017–2018
State Bar of Georgia — Member, State Disciplinary Review Board, 2021–2024
Pro Bono Partnership of Atlanta — Volunteer
Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation — Volunteer
Georgia Appleseed — Young Professionals Council, Executive Committee; President, 2014–2015
Lawyers Club of Atlanta — Member
Atlanta Bar Association — Business and Finance Section; Sole Practitioner and Small Firm Section
Financial Services Manufacturing Health Care Consulting Start-Ups Family Business
Experience

Representative Matters

The following reflects the range of matters in which Beardsley, P.C. has counseled clients. Specific client information is kept confidential.

Outside General Counsel
  • Representation of various manufacturers with routine legal matters as outside general counsel
  • Representation of a national healthcare nonprofit in day-to-day legal affairs
  • Representation of multiple family businesses as general counsel
  • Representation of an education technology start-up from inception to successful exit
  • Representation of various consulting and marketing firms in day-to-day legal matters
Mergers & Acquisitions
  • Representation of seller of $3,600,000 HVAC company
  • Representation of purchaser in multi-state franchise add-on
  • Representation of purchaser in $2,400,000 residential painting acquisition
  • Representation of purchasers and sellers in multiple landscaping business acquisitions
  • Representation of seller of $30,000,000 insurance and benefits brokerage
  • Representation of purchaser in acquisition of $1,400,000 medical imaging company
  • Representation of board of directors and officers in asset sale of $2,000,000 privately held corporation
  • Representation of venture capital group in complex asset acquisition of a national educational software brand
Contract Negotiation & Drafting
  • Routine negotiation and drafting of service agreements, supply agreements, and NDAs as outside general counsel
  • Review and negotiation of commercial leases for industrial service provider
  • Drafting and negotiation of deferred compensation and incentive compensation agreements
  • Representation of a boutique M&A advisory business in a buy-out and severance of a partner
  • Representation of numerous employers and buyers in drafting enforceable non-compete and employment agreements
Business Entity Formation
  • Representation of various companies across many industries in their formation and initial governance documents
  • Advice on ownership structure, operating agreements, and tax planning across LLCs, corporations, and other entities
Succession Planning
  • Development and documentation of succession arrangements for closely held and family-owned businesses
  • Ownership transfer planning and key-person continuity arrangements
  • Alignment of succession strategy with long-term organizational goals
Workouts & Restructuring
  • Strategic representation of debtors and creditors to avoid bankruptcy through reorganization and negotiation
  • Debt restructuring and amendment of existing commercial agreements
  • Representation of business clients in workout negotiations with creditors
Joint Ventures & Strategic Alliances
  • Structuring and documentation of joint ventures and strategic alliances
  • Governance arrangements, profit-sharing, capital contributions, and exit provisions
  • Pre-formation planning through final documentation
Commercial Leases
  • Negotiation and review of commercial lease agreements on behalf of business tenants
  • Representation across office, retail, and industrial premises
  • Lease amendments, renewals, and landlord negotiations
Client Testimonials

What Clients Say

5.0
★★★★★ Google Reviews
Based on 14 verified client reviews
Get In Touch

Have a Question?
Contact the Firm.

Email
pbeardsley@dpblegal.com
Phone
(404) 558-7646
Office
4200 Northside Parkway, NW
Building 1, Suite 200
Atlanta, GA 30327
When driving to our offices, stay straight at the top of the hill. Building 1 is the first building on the left. Suite 200 is on the main floor, accessible by a short walkway to the building's entrance.