Nicole M. Pearl is a partner in the law firm of McDermott Will & Emery LLP and is based in the Los Angeles office. Nicole focuses her practice on estate planning, wealth transfer planning, marital property agreements, business succession planning and post-death administration.
Much of Nicole's work involves helping high net worth individuals pass wealth to the next generation, while minimizing their tax burden. To that end, she creates estate plans and charitable giving programs designed to meet her clients' family succession and wealth management objectives. Nicole also assists individuals in creating corporations, limited liability companies, limited partnerships or other business entities, and works with business owners to maintain control of their companies through buy-sell agreements, or to relinquish control via responsibly-conducted transition of ownership to family members or employees.
Nicole has extensive experience in estate and tax planning for gay, lesbian and unmarried couples. She regularly speaks on this topic at programs sponsored by several groups, including the California Community Foundation, the CPA Society, Lambda Legal and the Los Angeles County Bar Association. She was also a speaker on Recent Developments in Trust and Estates Law at the 34th Annual USC Trust and Estate Conference.
Nicole's clients include professional service providers, entrepreneurs and business owners, entertainment industry figures, corporate executives, landowners and others. She primarily works with clients throughout Southern California, but also maintains a statewide practice that includes a strong Northern California client base.
Among other professional distinctions, Nicole has been named a Southern California Rising Star in estate planning and probate by Law & Politics Super Lawyers five years in a row (2006 - 2010). She also serves as a member of the Executive Committee for the Trusts & Estates Section of the Los Angeles County Bar and of the Los Angeles Leadership Committee for Lambda Legal.
Nicole is admitted to practice in the state of California.
Education
- University of California, Berkeley, School of Law, J.D., 1998
- University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, B.A. (cum laude), 1994
