Jon S. Dawson
Partner
Jon Dawson grew up in Anchorage and has practiced with Davis Wright Tremaine since 1983. He has extensive expertise in commercial transactions, mergers and acquisitions, intellectual property matters, real estate transactions, and commercial and general civil litigation. Jon also serves as principal outside counsel for several companies in Alaska.
Jon is ranked by Chambers USA as one of the best M&A/commercial, real estate, and litigation attorneys in Alaska, and by Best Lawyers in the areas of mergers and acquisitions, litigation, banking and finance litigation, and real estate. Martindale-Hubbell rates him as preeminent (AV) in commercial law, intellectual property, and litigation.
Commercial/Mergers & Acquisitions/IP Transactions
Jon’s commercial/mergers and acquisitions experience includes negotiating and documenting major business acquisitions and asset purchase agreements, manufacturing and distribution agreements, and a wide variety of commercial contracts. He has represented manufacturers and distributors, fuel companies, professional corporations, Alaska Native corporations, and healthcare entities.
His IP experience includes trademark, trade secret and copyright agreements, as well as major software licensing and distribution contracts. He represents a wide range of clients regarding their business IP. He served as chair or co-chair of the IP Section of the Alaska Bar Association for more than a decade.
Specific examples of Jon’s representative experience in commercial, M&A and IP matters can be found here.
Real Estate
Jon’s real estate background ranges from commercial lease negotiations to building acquisitions to purchase/leaseback arrangements.
Specific examples of Jon’s representative experience in real estate matters can be found here.
Litigation
With more than 33 years of litigation experience, Jon Dawson’s expertise includes complex, multi-party litigation involving major commercial disputes, large, secured transactions, IP disputes, and media matters. His litigation clients include manufacturers, national banks, bulk fuel distributors, and television networks.
Specific examples of Jon’s representative experience in litigation matters can be found here.
Admitted to Practice
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Alaska, 1984
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U.S. Court of Appeals 9th Circuit
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U.S. District Court District of Alaska
Education
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J.D., University of California, Berkeley, School of Law, 1983
- Order of the Coif
- Chief Justice Boney Memorial Scholarship
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B.A., English, Economics, University of Kansas, 1980
- with highest distinction (4.0 GPA)
Memberships & Affiliations
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- Fellow, American Bar Foundation
- Co-chair, Intellectual Property and E-Commerce Section, 2008; Chair, 2005-2007 – Alaska Bar Association
- American Bar Association
- Lay Leader, St. John United Methodist Church
Professional Recognition
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- Named as one of "America's Leading Business Lawyers" by Chambers USA in Corporate/M&A (Alaska), 2003-2020; Litigation: General Commercial (Alaska), 2012-2020; Real Estate (Alaska), 2010-2020; Received "Band 1" ranking in Corporate/M&A (Alaska), 2012-2020
- Selected by Best Lawyers as Anchorage's "Lawyer of the Year" in Mergers & Acquisitions Litigation, 2020; Real Estate Litigation, 2018, 2021
- Named one of the "Best Lawyers in America" in Commercial Litigation, Corporate Law, and Mergers & Acquisitions Law, 2008-present; named in Intellectual Property Law, 2010-present; named in Copyright Law, Litigation - Banking & Finance, Litigation - Mergers & Acquisitions, and Litigation - Real Estate, by Best Lawyers, 2012
- Selected to "Alaska Super Lawyers" in Business/Corporate, Business Litigation, and Mergers & Acquisitions; Thomson Reuters; 2009-2019
- Selected to "Top 10 Alaska Super Lawyers," Thomson Reuters, 2014-2015, 2017-2019
- Listed in IP Stars, Managing Intellectual Property, 2014-2021
- Martindale-Hubbell AV Rating
