Justia Legal Services & Lawyers Directory

Practice Areas

Since 2000, Mr. Meriwether has focused seventy percent (70%) of his practice on family law and thirty percent (30%) on business law. Through time, he has found that family and business law complement each other well in practice, as his skills from one area transfer easily to the other. Business litigation cases tend to require fewer Court appearances, but the family law cases of Mr. Meriwether's practice has afforded him the opportunity to appear in Court more often and hone skills necessary both for family law and business litigation. Mr. Meriwether's business litigation and transactional work provide the experience and ability to examine and tirelessly move through financial documents, both for business cases, including personal and small businesses, as well as family law cases involving large marital estates in need of equitable division.

Mr. Meriwether utilizes the latest computer software to maintain detailed and comprehensive records of his complex cases. This software allows Mr. Meriwether and his clients to quickly access case information and ensures that no details of the case are overlooked.

Family Law

Mr. Meriwether handles a broad range of family law cases, including divorce, adoption, child custody and support modification, adoption, domestic violence, and premarital agreements. He regularly deals with marital assets ranging from those of little or even negative value to those worth millions of dollars, and competently calculates spousal and child support when applicable.

Mr. Meriwether has said, "In the Courtroom, we zealously represent our clients. But often, fierce litigation is not the best way to resolve a divorce, and we work to settle cases through active negotiation. A divorce can be the most life altering and stressful event anyone can go through, but it does not have to be." To help alleviate the stress often involved in family law cases, Mr. Meriwether takes a collaborative approach to family law. This approach involves utilizing negotiation and mediation to help maintain an amicable relationship between the parties. In cases with children, collaborative law protects the children above all else, creates a win/win situation for the parties, and the parties walk away as satisfied as possible.

In some family law cases, collaborative law will not work, or is inappropriate. Mr. Meriwether evaluates every case on an individual basis to determine how aggressive to approach the case based on the facts, the Court in which the case will be heard, and the Judge who will hear the case. The goal is to achieve the best possible outcome for an individual client. In Mr. Meriwether's experience, compared to a more subtle approach, a "take no prisoners" attitude often results in higher lawyer's fees without a corresponding increase in the achieved result. As such, Mr. Meriwether aims to provide the correct level of aggressiveness to each case for the best result possible.

Business Law

Mr. Meriwether handles a variety of business law cases including simple and complicated business formations, and business divorces. He routinely forms Limited Liability Companies and Corporations. In so doing, he often is asked to draft complex contracts to assist the new business entity with its operations. He also assists clients with the buying and selling of businesses (including the due diligence associated with this process).

Mr. Meriwether views business formations involving a group of friends or acquaintances as marriages, albeit financial ones, and he excels in spotting potential pitfalls when parties are entering into a business relationship. He works hard to ensure that his clients enter into their business ventures well-informed and protected from whatever business complications they may encounter.

Membership

State Bar of Georgia (Member of the Family Law and Business Law Sections)
The Florida Bar
American Bar Association (Member of the Family Law and Business Law Sections)

Admissions
1996, Georgia
1996, Florida

Speaking Engagements
LLC Trends and Developments by National Business Institute. Continuing Legal Education for fellow attorneys.

Arbitration
In 2007, Mr. Meriwether obtained his certification for arbitration. He is ready to arbitrate any Family Law issues and most Business Law matters.

Professional Experience - Mr. Meriwether was admitted to practice law in Florida and Georgia in 1996. In 1998, Patrick L. Meriwether left the Atlanta office of Arthur Anderson and joined Robert Tharp to establish Meriwether & Tharp. His position at Arthur Anderson involved providing tax advice to a variety of large corporations. Mr. Meriwether; however, missed the personal satisfaction that comes with running his own practice and assisting small businesses and individuals with their legal needs. This is where he felt that he could really make the biggest difference.

Community Experience - Mr. Meriwether volunteers time to teach Judo to both children and adults. He holds a Black Belt in Judo and, when he competed in law school, he was the Florida State Champion in his weight division two years in a row. At the 2007 Georgia State Games, he won the gold in his division.

Robert Speer, The Magic Lawyer®, was born in Atlanta GA, and has been a resident of Georgia all of his life. He has been a trial lawyer for almost 22 years. He handles cases in the areas of DUI/DWI, Criminal Law, Juvenile Law, Divorce, and Injury cases. His office is in Woodstock GA, but he also handles cases in Canton GA, Atlanta GA, Marietta GA, Cumming GA, Lawrenceviille GA, Decatur GA, Sandy Springs GA, Roswell GA, Alpharetta GA, and all over Georgia. Call (770) 517-0017 today for fantastic legal representation!

Harvard trained advocate providing dedicated, experienced and aggresive representation. Call today for free initial evaluation 770-753-9995.

Divorce and Family Law: The Gunn Firm works with divorce, adoption, child custody, child support, modifications of child custody and support and when necessary the pursuit of protective orders and contempt actions.

Because our practice is devoted solely to family law we thoroughly understand the impact these issues can have on our clients. We are committed to providing every client with the resources, attention, and dedication they need to successfully resolve their case. You can feel secure in knowing that you will have an attorney that will make you a top priority. We are dedicated to providing families throughout Cobb, Cherokee, Paulding, Fulton and Bartow Counties with the superior representation they need. We are located on the historic Marietta Square. Evening appointments are available.

I am a graduate of the University of Georgia School of Law and am admitted to practice in the State of Georgia. I'm a native Atlantan and a strong advocate for the people of the Metro area.

Beverly has been practicing divorce and family law in Cobb and the surrounding counties since 1992. She represents clients in all situations including victims of domestic abuse.

Since 1992, Beverly has also taught a popular pre-divorce seminar she created, "What You Need to Know Before You File for Divorce"TM. The seminar is designed for anyone who is contemplating divorce but does not know what to expect. In one 3 hour seminar, Beverly covers over 20 topics related to divorce. The seminar also includes both legal and practical ways to protect yourself, your children, and your property.

Seminar Schedule

Date: Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Time: 6:30 - 9:30 p.m.
Location: Marietta Community School
Cost: $49

To register, contact Annette Kouba at 770-429-3170, extension 3306 or Akouba@marietta-city.k12.ga.us. For more information, email GaDivorceSeminar@aol.com

This seminar is offered on an ongoing basis. If unable to attend, call or email for other available dates.