Justia Legal Services & Lawyers Directory

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.

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

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

Amanda has Fought for the Best Interest of Children Involved in Hall County Juvenile Court and also as a Guardian ad Litem through out Georgia and Gainesville.

Gainesville, Georgia lawyer Amanda Dean has devoted much of her time to the practice of law for and on behalf of children. Attorney Dean has been selected by the Georgia Attorney General to be a Special Assistant Attorney General and represents the Hall County Department of Family and Children Services in Hall County Juvenile Court. Attorney Dean handles deprivation cases arising from allegations of abuse or neglect of children. As a lawyer, Attorney Dean is actively involved in all aspects of the court process from the initial removal of the child from a parentsâ home until either reunification of the child with the parent or termination of pa rental rights and adoption. Attorney Dean assists our clients in evaluating what is in the best interest of the child and then works to achieve the desired outcome, whether it is placement of the child with a relative or in the custody of the parents pursuant to a protective order.

Likewise, Attorney Dean in is a trained Guardian ad Litem charged with conducting an independent investigation in the Superior Courts of Georgia including divorce and child custody cases and then presenting a report and recommendation to the Judge regarding what is in the childâs best interest.

Additionally, Amanda assists our law firm clients in various areas including, but not limitedto Business Formation, Contracts, Collections, drafting of Wills and Estates, and assisting clients in Probate.

Please visit our website to learn more: www.GainesvilleGeorgiaLawyers.com

Professionally involved in immigration since 1981, as a consular officer with the U.S. State Department, law clerk, and private attorney. Experienced in all aspects of immigration law, but with special expertise in treaty investors and traders, consular practice with U.S. visa units abroad, and citizenship law.

Candace Williams was born and raised in Gainesville, Georgia. She is the daughter of Paulette Cain. Ms. Williams is a graduate of North Hall High School Class of 1993. She then attended Brenau Women's College and earned her degree in Political Science in 1997, cum laude. Ms. Williams was very active while attending Brenau. She served as her sorority Vice President, Alpha Chi Omega, for two years, Vice President of the Student Body, the college Senate Board, and many other groups. Ms. Williams graduated from Brenau with distinction from the Political Science/History Department. Ms. Williams then moved to Washington D.C. and worked for Congressman Bob Barr, then was offered a position as a lobbyist for a civil liberties organization. She left D.C. after four years to attend law school with her brother, Adam Cain. Ms. Williams attended law school at Mississippi College School of Law and earned her degree in only two years. She competed in the school wide Moot Court competition and became the honored overall Winner after being selected following oral argument before the Mississippi Supreme Court and Court of Appeals. She later was selected to compete nationally at the American Bar Association National Moot Court Competition against the best law schools in the Country. Ms. Williams was named a semi-finalist after arguing before the Supreme Court of Texas. After early graduation from law school, Ms. Williams returned to her hometown to practice law. She was blessed to find Coleman & Chambers, LLP and immediately began clerking after taking the State Bar Exam. After successfully passing the Georgia Bar Exam, Ms. Williams became an Associate Attorney for Coleman & Chambers, LLP. She is now a law firm Partner, the first female partner of her esteemed group. Ms. Williams practices solely in the area of Family Law. This involves complex divorce cases, contempts, modifications, adoptions, legitimations, paternity actions, and reviewing various legal documents for domestic clients. Ms. Williams is extremely hands on with her clients, and is supported by a wonderful team in the Family Law Department.

Regina I. Edwards is the Owner and Managing Attorney of Edwards & Associates. Ms. Edwards has been practicing law in Georgia since 2001. She graduated magna cum laude from North Carolina Central University after three years of study in Political Science, Spanish and French. Ms. Edwards received departmental awards in Spanish, Pre-Law, English and Mathematics. Ms. Edwards attended Tulane University School of Law where she concentrated in family law courses. While in law school, Ms. Edwards clerked for several prestigious law firms in a variety of areas, including defense litigation, fair housing litigation, and public interest.

Following her admission to the bar, Ms. Edwards expanded her experience to encompass many areas of civil litigation, to include divorces, custody, legitimation, public housing, Social Security, disability, domestic violence, education, consumer advocacy and unemployment. Ms. Edwards found her passion to be family law and domestic litigation cases, and began to focus her practice exclusively in those areas. Ms. Edwards has several years of complex family law litigation experience. She has tried contested matters involving issues such as domestic violence, child custody, child support, alimony, equitable division of marital property, and contempt actions before both judges and juries in Georgia's Superior and Juvenile courts.

Potential clients can be assured that Ms. Edwards possesses the necessary experience and dedication to family law, and will give each and every client the personal attention that their case requires. Ms. Edwards takes pride in handling each client and case personally, and will return all client phone calls the same day. The law firm is dedicated to using cutting-edge technology in order to process your case and file more efficiently and more cost-effectively for her clients. Ms. Edwards and her staff attend educational seminars and programs to ensure that the most current law and updates and available for use in your case.

When Ms. Edwards is not passionately representing her clients, Ms. Edwards enjoys travelling to different countries. She has travelled to more than 30 countries and speaks four languages. She also enjoys reading, racquetball, dance, running and spending time with family and friends.

Partner, Burns, Speights & Grisham, P.C.
Serving North Georgia and Metro Atlanta
Criminal Defense
Trial Attorney

Kristal Alise Holmes is an attorney licensed in the State of Georgia. Kristal began her legal career as a staff attorney for the late Honorable Judge Lenwood A. Jackson of the City Court of Atlanta. After serving as Judge Jackson's staff attorney, she became a prosecuting attorney for the City of Atlanta, followed by DeKalb County and finally with Gwinnett County. In October 2006, after working for attorney Jeffrey Sliz, Kristal started her own law practice. Her practice areas primarily include criminal defense, probate and family law.
Kristal is a member of the Gwinnett County Bar Association, Gwinnett County Minority Bar Association where she formally served as president, the Georgia Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, the Georgia Association of Black Women Attorneys and the Gate City Bar Association.
Kristal is featured in the 2007, 2008 and 2009 editions of Who's Who in Black Atlanta and has been a guest speaker on A.M. 1380's "Court Talk." She has appeared as an attorney expert/guest guest on the television show "Week on the Street" and she serves as a Public Defender for the City of Pine Lake, Georgia and the City of Stone Mountain, Georgia.
Kristal received a bachelor of arts degree from Spelman College, magna cum laude, and her juris doctorate from Emory University School of Law. While in law school, she studied international environmental law and comparative health law at the International Law Institute at MaQuarie University in Sydney, Australia.

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.