Brad A. Meryhew, Attorney

Brad Meryhew is a passionate and highly regarded advocate for individuals accused in Washington of any form of sexual misconduct. Brad has practiced in most of the courts in western Washington, and his track record of trial success, successful negotiations and case dismissals has earned him a reputation as one of the strongest advocates in the state for those charged with sex offenses. His experience includes federal court as well as Superior, District and Municipal courts around the state.

Brad has handled many high profile cases over the years, and is experienced in media relations and protecting his client's in those cases. Brad has represented teachers, coaches, school bus drivers, day care operators, group home counselors and clients whose cases garnered a great deal of public attention.

Brad has achieved a strong track record of trial successes, successful negotiations and dismissals (See Actual Case Results). He has extensive experience trying all kinds of sexual offense cases, including rape, rape of a child, child molestation, voyeurism, and kidnapping. He has extensive trial experience that also includes murder, robbery, armed assault, and domestic violence assault.

Brad is recognized as a leader among the defense bar on sex offender issues and policy. He has testified before the Washington Legislature and worked to advocate for sound and reasonable policies regarding sex offenders. In 2007 he participated in the Governor's Workgroup examining the review a high profile case of rape and murder for systemic improvements and to make recommendations to the Governor for legislation. Brad was recently appointed to the newly created Sex Offender Policy Board as a representative of the Washington Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. This Board is comprised of prosecutors, police officials, victim's advocates, correction officials and other stakeholders, with the responsibility to keep apprised of the research and best practices in the management of sex offenders, and to make recommendations and reports to the Washington State Legislature regarding those issues. Brad was a recipient of WACDL's Certificate of Appreciation in 2008 for his work on sex offender legislation and policy.

Defending those accused of sex offenses requires a great deal of knowledge and experience with complex issues, expert witnesses and a large body of research on the investigation of sexual assault allegations. Brad has taken the time to read the research and is familiar with the way these cases should be investigated and with how to attack the often inadequate investigations that lead to charges being filed. Defending against false allegations, or mitigating the effects of true allegations, requires an attorney with experience, an understanding of the research and literature in these areas, and a track record that makes a trial risky for the government. Brad brings that combination of experience, skills and reputation to the table to insure his client's get the best results possible.

Brad's work on public policy issues and in the courtroom has convinced him that the best lawyers are those who walk softly and carry a big stick, to coin a phrase. Brad's philosophy is to play well with others, and if that doesn't work then politely fight them hard at trial. He believes very strongly in building professional relationships with his adversaries and the many people who work in the criminal justice system, and in treating them with the respect they deserve. In turn he works to insure he and his client are also treated fairly and with respect.

Brad's passion for his work and his client's, common sense and sense of humor leave a lasting impression on those who meet him. He has been speaking and arguing in public since high school, when he was the Washington state champion in impromptu speaking and second in state in extemporaneous speaking. In college he was a very successful intercollegiate debater, taking Western Washington University to the national tournament in 1978. After transferring to the University of Utah to study International Relations, Brad continued to debate and was a nationally ranked intercollegiate debater, eventually placing in the top ten debaters in the nation in 1980.

Brad attended the University of Puget Sound School of Law. His legal career included time as a public defender, where he gained extensive felony trial experience. Brad worked as a supervisor and a member of the agency's management team for three years. While with the public defender's office Brad participated in the founding of Domestic Violence Court, Mental Health Court and the Driver's License Relicensing program. During this time he lectured extensively on the criminalization of mental illness and the importance of a humane response to the mentally ill within the criminal justice system.

Prior to his legal career Brad enjoyed careers in both governmental affairs and business. He attended graduate school at the University of Maryland, College Park outside on Washington, D.C. studying political communications and teaching public speaking and communication theory at the University. He worked in Washington D.C. for political advocacy groups as a communications professional, including the National Association of Manufacturers and Business Executives for National Security. After that he worked in the private sector as a manager for a large national warehouse outlet before attending law school. This breadth of real world experience allows Brad to bring a great deal of perspective and common sense to his work in the law, where perspective and common sense are often sorely lacking.

Brad Meryhew is a Seattle native who was raised in what is now Tukwila. He has a passion for gardening and the great outdoors. (See Fine Gardening link to container article). Brad keeps himself busy outside the office with a large garden in the city, complete with chickens. He has traveled extensively all over the world, including recent trips to China, Tibet, Costa Rica and Croatia.