Mercedes McFarland Jackson, Fredrikson & Byron P.A.

Mercedes McFarland Jackson is a shareholder at Fredrikson & Byron in Minneapolis, where she serves as senior lead on the financing side for the firm’s Private Equity, Mergers & Acquisitions, and Banking & Finance groups. As co-contact for the firm’s Debt Finance group, she represents national companies, corporate borrowers, private equity groups, and domestic and international financial institutions in transactions ranging from $10 million revolving credit facilities to senior secured facilities exceeding $1 billion.

Prior to joining Fredrikson & Byron, Jackson was a partner at Kirkland & Ellis, an AmLaw 50 firm in Chicago. Her extensive experience includes representing clients in secured and unsecured commercial lending transactions, acquisition financings, senior and mezzanine financings, secured bond offerings, debt restructurings, and debtor-in-possession financings. Notable transactions include representing a private equity group in $1.7 billion senior secured facilities for a national department store retailer acquisition and a Fortune 500 power company in $2 billion revolving and term loan debtor-in-possession credit facilities.

Jackson earned her law degree from Yale Law School in 2005 and her bachelor’s degree magna cum laude from The Ohio State University in 2002. She is a member of Phi Beta Kappa and was named to Best Lawyers in America for Banking and Finance Law in 2025. In 2020, she was recognized as a “40 Under 40” honoree by the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal.

Beyond her legal practice, Jackson is CEO and co-owner of PAR365, a Twin Cities indoor golf simulator lounge that prioritizes inclusion and accessibility. The business has hosted twelve interns and actively engages urban youth through golf programming. Her advocacy led to changes in Roseville’s restrictive liquor licensing code, reducing barriers for small business ownership.

Jackson’s community leadership includes serving as vice chair of the Science Museum of Minnesota’s Board of Trustees and chair of its Governance and Nominations Committee. She serves on the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and has been involved with organizations including EMERGE Community Development and The BrandLab, focusing on empowering underrepresented communities.