After graduating from law school, Pearsall served as a law clerk for Charles R. Donaldson on the Idaho Supreme Court. He then operated a private legal practice in Salem, Oregon, where he specialized in business law, tax law, and employee benefit planning. Pearsall later worked as a church administrator. He returned to Northwest Nazarene University in 1999 as vice president for financial affairs and in-house legal counsel, serving until 2008. In August 2008, Pearsall became vice president for university advancement.
