Jessica Lourdes Pearson , J. She began to her legal career after being hired by Charles Van Dyke , one of the three name partners at Gordon Schmidt Van Dyke , due to the fact that she was black and female and the firm wished to fulfill a diversity quota.
She made her way up the firm's ranks and, after becoming a senior partner, conspired with Daniel Hardman to oust the three partners and restructure the firm as Pearson Hardman , with Hardman taking over the reins as managing partner. However, when Jessica discovered that Hardman was stealing money from the firm and its clients in order to fund an extramarital affair, Jessica and her associate Harvey Specter blackmailed him into resigning from the firm, with the public story being that Hardman stepped down of his volition to take care of his wife, who had cancer.
Jessica then became the firm's new managing partner and Harvey was promoted to junior partner, and the firm flourished. Five years later, Hardman returns after his wife passes away, and successfully regains his former position as managing partner. With the help of Mike Ross , Hardman is ousted for a second time and Jessica is able to regain her title. With their financial funds being depleted after Hardman allies with the firm's enemies, Jessica merges with Darby International to form Pearson Darby , which becomes Pearson Darby Specter when Jessica promotes Harvey to name partner.
Mike, Harvey and Jessica eventually evict Darby, and the firm undergoes a name change once more by becoming Pearson Specter , and again to Pearson Specter Litt when Louis Litt discovers Mike Ross' secret and leverages himself to be name partner. After working with Rachel Zane on a case, Jessica realizes she forgot why she became a lawyer in the first place and steps down, leaving the firm to Harvey and Louis, with the former taking over as managing partner.
When she was 16, her parents had split up, due to her father Alan, who was a surgeon, prioritizing saving the lives of patients over his family. She and her father had a falling out as he disapproved of her decision to become a lawyer than a surgeon; her mother Virginia had given her a car as a gift, which Jessica hated.
