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Prior to attending law school, I served in the United States Army as an Infantry Officer. I served as a Rifle Platoon Leader, Mortar Platoon Leader, Instructor, Battalion Staff Officer and an Infantry Rifle Company Commander.

I began practicing law in Canton, Georgia in 1993. After obtaining a Master of Laws concentrating in litigation, I logged several thousand hours in the courtroom developing a practice in domestic relations, criminal law and commercial litigation. In 2007 I was certified as a mediator, using my years of courtroom experience coupled with alternative dispute resolution training to help people resolve complex issues without excessive unnecessary costs of litigation. Conversely, I am able to apply the tactics and techniques I learn as a mediator as a tool to more effectively advocate for my clients.

My firm is a modern law practice built to take on large corporations and insurance companies who refuse to acknowledge their wrongful acts. I began my career defending those companies with the aspiration of learning how they defended serious personal injuries so I could one day start my own practice to oppose them. All too often I witnessed corporations and insurance companies fight in cases where they were squarely in the wrong. My desire to obtain justice for the injured led me to establish my own law practice. I now dedicate 100% of my practice to representing people hurt by the negligence of others.

I only accept a small number of cases each year. I put my entire focus and all my resources behind those cases. I investigate and diligently prepare each case as if it is going to trial from day one. While statistics show most cases settle before trial, preparing a case for trial is the only way to maximize the value of your case. Many personal injury lawyers, especially those that advertise heavily, handle many more cases than I do and use generic forms to do the bare minimum to get a case to settlement negotiations. Their business model is to take as many cases as possible. This will not only affect the value of your case, but also the quality of your attorney-client relationship.

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.

Welcome to Jones Law, LLC. We are a full-service law firm located in Dawson County, Georgia. We specialize in civil & criminal litigation. Clients from the greater Atlanta and North Georgia areas are welcome! Please feel free to contact us with any questions. You may reach us by telephone at (678) 947-4687 or by e-mail at info@JonesLawLLC.com.

The following is a listing of the firm's typical areas of practice and may not necessarily include every type of law we handle. Please contact us with any inquiries or for additional information.

Personal Injury Claims: Automobile Accidents; Premise Liability; Product Liability; Medical Malpractice; Wrongful Death

Family Law / Domestic Matters: Prenuptial Agreements; Separation Agreements; Divorce Actions; Child Custody & Support Actions; Temporary Protective Orders; Modifications of Prior Decrees

Criminal Defense: Misdemeanor and Felony Charges; Probation/Parole/Pretrial Bond Violations; State, Superior, and Federal Court Cases

Probate & Estate Matters: Probate Litigation; Trust & Estate Planning; Powers of Attorney & Living Wills

Corporate Formation & Joint Ventures, Corporate Counsel

Commercial Collections

Business Litigation & Contractual Disputes

Employment-Related Litigation

Real Estate Litigation

Beverly has been practicing divorce and family law in Cobb and the surrounding counties since 1992. Although she represents clients in all situations, a significant portion of her practice involves representing victims of domestic abuse in divorce actions. Beverly understands the dynamics of domestic abuse and that the primary concern of victims is ending the abuse. With her knowledge, experience, and creativity, Beverly has successfully reduced and, in many instances, eliminated the opportunities for further abuse.

Since 1992, Beverly has also taught a popular pre-divorce seminar that she designed, "What You Need to Know Before You File for Divorce"TM. This comprehensive seminar is designed for anyone who is contemplating divorce but does not know what to expect. In one 2-1/2 hour seminar, Beverly covers over 20 topics related to divorce including alimony, child support, custody, property division, contempt, and modification. She also covers both legal and practical ways to protect yourself, your children, and your property. Nowhere else can anyone obtain so much information all in one place. For more information, email GaDivorceSeminar@aol.com or to register for the seminar jtucker@marietta-city.k12.ga.us

Next seminar Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Exclusively business law and business litigation. I hold Bachelors and Masters Degrees in Business from the University of Georgia as well as a JD from the University of Georgia.