Patrick 'Leh' Meriwether

Patrick "Leh" Meriwether co-founded Meriwether & Tharp, LLC with Robert "Bob" Tharp in 1998. In the beginning, the firm was just two young lawyers who thought that they could make a difference by teaming up together. At present, it is the largest family law firm in the state of Georgia. The firm has over 20 lawyers dedicated to helping clients get through difficult times.

Early on, Leh focused on business litigation and transactional cases. As his practice grew, his business clients found themselves needing help with family law matters. While this was not his first choice in legal practice areas, he found it rewarding to help people at such an intimate level. In 2004, Leh and Bob decided to expand Meriwether & Tharp to handle family law cases on a larger, full time basis. From 2004 to 2009, the firm had an even split of family and business cases.

In 2009, Leh and Bob decided to focus the entire practice on family law. This was a difficult decision, because half of the firm revenue came from its business law cases. At that time, the firm had five lawyers, but they believed that they could best serve their clients by focusing only on family law. They did not like the current family law landscape and wanted to make a change. They began to develop a vision of a better way to practice family law. As their vision became a reality, the firm grew. At present, it employs nearly 50 people focused on family law and helping people through difficult times.

Over the years, Leh learned how to zealously advocate for a client in the courtroom. But, more importantly, he learned that lawyers should work to resolve most family law cases. In some respects, working to resolve cases is much more challenging than litigating the cases. It requires digging in to find out where the problems are and looking for solutions.

To improve his resolution skills, he sought out training as a mediator and arbitrator. He is currently registered as a Certified Mediator and Arbitrator with the State of Georgia. He loves to apply his experience and training to clients to help them work towards the best settlement possible.

When approaching cases, Leh offers clients a cost-benefit analysis. This involves a three step process. First, he assesses the legal strengths and weaknesses of a client's case. Next, he reviews the financial repercussions and costs of pursuing a specific litigation plan. And finally, he explores the long term 'emotional' price of any particular plan. The emotional price can include the value of ending a case earlier so that the client can move on with their life. The emotional price can also include the toll protracted litigation can have on children. The advantage of being in a large family law firm is that there is a large pool of experience from which to pull from. Using this experience, he can share the possible futures that a client's choices can have so that they make wise decisions.

When Leh is not helping people get through their divorce, he and his wife work together to save marriages. They lead a marriage group twice a year called Thrive. It is an 11 week course designed to help couples make their marriage thrive. This marriage group is through their Church, Woodstock City Church, which is part of Andy Stanley's Northpoint Ministries. For a time, they also hosted a podcast together called Healthy Married Life. It is still available for download on iTunes and Stitcher radio. You can find their website at www.healthymarriedlife.com. He loves the work that he and his Wife do together to keep couples out of his office.

On a personal level, Leh holds a Black Belt in Judo and was the State Champion in his division while in law school. When not practicing law, Leh has also been active in his sons' Cub Scouts and Boy Scout activities. He was the den leader for both his sons and ran the Pack's Cub Mobile Race (with 99 scouts) for five years in a row.

When Leh is not in the Courtroom, loving on his wife, spending time with his kids, or trying to save a marriage, you will find him in his woodworking shop. He is usually either making something or podcasting. He has built his children's bedroom furniture; his kitchen table; end tables; an entire suite of furniture on his back porch including a swing bed; and even his office desk out of Ambrosia Maple. In his spare time, Leh also uses his woodworking skills to craft individualized and unique pens. Click here to see Leh's pen selection! If that weren't enough, he hosts a podcast called The Avid Woodworker (www.avidwoodworker.com).

Leh also hosts a radio show, Divorce Team Radio, with Todd Orston. Listen Sundays at 7AM on 106.7 FM.

Awards

Super Lawyer, Super Lawyers Magazine, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022

Legal Elite, Georgia Trend Magazine - 2016, 2018

Client's Choice, Avvo.com 2015, 2016

"Best of" Award, Kudzu.com 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 for Law Firm

Top 100 Lawyer, The National Advocates - 2014, 2015

Superb Rating 10 out of 10, Avvo.com

Certifications and Qualifications

Neutral Civil Mediator, Registered with the Georgia Office of Dispute Resolution (2010 through present)

Arbitrator, Registered with the Georgia Office of Dispute Resolution (2007 through present)

Publications & Speaking Engagements

Publications

"Reading and Interpreting Financial Documents," Oddities and Challenges of Family Law CLE Materials for National Business Institute (2014)

"Effect of Supersedeas in a Hotly Contested Divorce Case ," Family Law Review, State Bar of Georgia (2012)

"Court Appearance Justifies Positive First Impression" Cherokee Tribune (October 7, 2012)

"Holiday Stress and the Courts," Cherokee Tribune (December 4, 2011)

"Reducing the Conflict in Divorce Cases," Cherokee Tribune (October 2, 2011)

"Avoiding the Conflict of a Divorce," Cherokee Tribune (June 5, 2011)

"Top 10 iPhone/iPad Apps for a Family Law Attorney," Atlanta Bar Association Family Law Section (2011)

"Ask the Expert: Divorce and COBRA," The Peaceful Co-Parent (2010)

Contributor to the Meriwether & Tharp, LLC Divorce Blog

Speaking Engagements

Regular appearances on Trust Dale Radio Show on 640 WGST (2016), including appearances on the third Monday of every month. His show is syndicated in several metropolitan markets around the country. (2016)

How to be Productive . . . Like a BOSS, 4 Simple Concepts to Move Your Day from Busy to Productive. Presenter/Lecturer (2016) A whole day seminar presented to lawyers and paralegals, teaching them how to move from busy to productive so that they can better serve their clients.

How to Handle an Intake . . . Like a BOSS Presenter/Lecturer (2015) - A whole day seminar to attorneys and paralegals on how to handle that very first phone call with a potential client. He taught how to recognize when the potential client is not ready for a divorce and how to steer them towards resources to save their marriage. He also taught how to project empathy to the client while giving them realistic, ethical advice.

Continuing Legal Education - The Four Core Areas of Family Law (2015)

The Oddities and Challenges of Family Law. Spoke on Reading and Interpreting Financial Documents, Ethical Dilemmas in Family Law, and Trust Assets in a Divorce. National Business Institute. (2014)

Family Law Practice Management for the 2011 Family Law Conference (2011)

Drafting Contracts and Transactional Documents for The Paralegal's Guide to Contracts and Transactional Documents. The Institute for Paralegal Education (2009)

Recent Trends and Developments with LLCs for LLC Trends and Development. National Business Institute (2009)

Pro Bono/Community Service

Thrive Group Leader - Woodstock City Church Campus for North Point Community Church. Thrive is an 11 week short term course done in a group setting. It is designed to help their marriages grow and thrive. Every marriage has room to grow. Everyone can benefit from a deeper relationship with their spouses. Too often, couples don't seem to have the time to just work on their marriages. The material that couples work through during these 11 weeks gives them that opportunity. Twice a year, Leh and his wife have 6 to 8 couples come to their house to work through the material and grow their relationships. (2013 - Present)

Story Teller in Upstreet at Woodstock City Church Location for North Point Community Church. Storyteller is part of an overall production team that communicates the Bible story and Bottom Line in such a way that it becomes unforgettable to a child. February 2016 - Present

Den Leader & Cub Mobile Director - Atlanta Area Council; Boy Scouts of America. Den Leader for two dens at Pack 37 in Cherokee County, GA. Also was in charge of Cub Mobile, which included building the cub mobile kits for all the scouts every year. Even produced videos on how to assemble the Cubmobiles for all the other Den Leaders. 2010 - 2015

Financial Peace University Facilitator for Ramsey Solutions, A Dave Ramsey Company. Time Permitting, my wife and I would volunteer to facilitate Dave Ramsey's Course, Financial Peace University. We did not do it every single year date range. We facilitated it for several Churches during the period. 2008 - 2014

Associations

Forsyth County Bar Association

Member of Legislative Committee (2009 through present)

Blue Ridge Bar Association

Member (2009 through present)