Meighan N Lafata

Meighan came through for me so hard. I was dealing with an ex who took my order of protection as a personal offense, and appealed immediately. That process necessitates a hearing where both parties are present. I knew I would have to re-testify, and be examined on the stand by my ex. The thought of b...eing trapped in a courtroom with them sounded like hell on earth. I wasn't sure what to do for representation or case building. I contacted Meighan for advice, but instead got urgent and superb representation. She navigated the hearing with total competence, and was organized from start to finish. She understands court process in a way that defines expertise. I would never have been able to finagle my evidence into exhibits or present them properly, or know what was grounds for objection. It provided me with so much peace of mind to have her there, not only because of her "bedside manner" (benchside manner?) but also because she spared me incalculable stress and humiliation. She got a read on the judge quickly, and proved her knowledgeability as well as her good-faith approach immediately in the hearing. Her examinations of me, my ex, and my ex's witnesses was efficient for my cause without being harsh or aggressive. She only belabored evidence that was relevant to the instance at hand, which saved time and strain for everyone. She blocked my ex's line of sight to me during the entire hearing, which was the difference between situational stress and a nightmare. Meighan advocated for me simply by asking the right questions and emphasizing the right information. Her argument was rooted in evidence, not extrapolations or creative character assassination. To be frank, Meighan cuts through bullsh*t like warm butter, graciously and without vulgarity. I think it stands to mention that even the opposition's witnesses in this case were treated so well by Meighan that they fell out with my ex shortly after. Meighan recognized that they were good, honest people, and they were just trying to help a friend. Participating in the trial was immensely stressful for them. I live in a small town; my ex was using their relationship with the two witnesses to force their way into the spaces that I had to be in for work. That change in allegiances directly improved my safety and peace in my life. The witnesses and I have had the opportunity to trauma bond over our mutual experiences with that lunatic and come out of it with a stronger acquaintanceship than we had before the fact. Meighan was so potent that the opposition's witnesses are now friends of mine. I don't live in Pima county, but by chance I spoke with a prosecutor from Pima who was visiting a mutual friend. When I was telling her about my case circumstances, she asked who my attorney was. I said it was Meighan LaFata. She smiled (a little mischievously I thought), and said she really likes Meighan. She called her honorable, reasonable, and responsible. I'll remind you that this person was a prosecuting attorney, and Meighan was previously in public defense, meaning that their professional relationship would have been adversarial as a baseline by nature of an "adversarial justice system". I can't sing Meighan's praises enough. She is more humane as a person and in her role than you can fully imagine before you experience it. A friend of mine in PA who's a contract lawyer always told me that the best lawyers don't just know law. The dually important role of a lawyer is peace of mind. Meighan provides that in spades. In my case, comparatively small as it may have been, she brought it to the entire courtroom. She demonstrates a sincerity, humility, and heart of service in her work that makes it easy for decent people to respect her. Having Meighan with me was the beginning of healing from all of this. I'll always be grateful.

I hired Meighan to help me decide what kind of business structure would work best for my new business. Meighan reviewed my options with me and I decided on an LLC. She then filed all the paperwork through the ACC to make it official and gave me some next steps for getting my business license. For the... consultation, filing, and follow up I was charged a very fair flat fee. She made the logistics of starting my own business go so much easier. Thanks Meighan!