Attorney Meredith E. Chehardy earned her MBA to better speak her clients’ language
As a third-generation attorney whose father, Lawrence Chehardy, is a founding partner of the law firm Chehardy, Sherman, Williams, Recile & Hayes, Meredith Chehardy knows the bar is set high. “I have big shoes to fill,” said Chehardy, whose family has a rich history as attorneys, litigators, legal advocates and judges. “It’s constant law talk at home. You just don’t want to let anybody down.”
Chehardy, who received her Juris Doctorate in Civil Law from Loyola University New Orleans College of Law, decided to add another layer to her education in the fall of 2020, enrolling in LSU – Shreveport to earn her Master of Business Administration degree online.
As of March 15, 2022, she reached her goal and is officially Meredith E. Chehardy, JD, MBA.
“I pursued my MBA because we have so many business litigation clients, and business litigation is one of my favorite areas of practice…”
Chehardy, who handles civil and business litigation for the firm as well as working in healthcare, personal injury, and corporate law, set out with a specific agenda. “I pursued my MBA because we have so many business litigation clients, and business litigation is one of my favorite areas of practice,” she said. “Because it’s so important to be educated about our clients’ businesses and to truly understand their challenges, I wanted to really hone my skills and be better able to speak their language, and understand their needs.”
Chehardy is driven, always pushing herself to deliver above her client’s expectations. Listed among New Orleans CityBusiness “Ones to Watch” in 2018, she was selected as a Top Lawyer in Corporate Law in 2020. Before joining the firm in April 2018, she served as a Law Clerk/Research Attorney with the Louisiana Supreme Court.
Chehardy graduated from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with a minor in Sport Management. While earning her law degree, she also served as a research assistant in the Loyola University New Orleans College of Law. During law school, she was an extern for Federal Magistrate Judge Daniel E. Knowles, III; she served as a Rule XX clinic student; and was a law clerk in the Jefferson Parish District Attorney’s Office. Ms. Chehardy also spent summers throughout high school and college as a law clerk at Chehardy, Sherman, Williams.
Outside of her law practice, Chehardy volunteers with the New Orleans Chapter of Susan G. Komen and is on the Board of Directors for the Krewe of Argus. She is a board member for the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation, a volunteer for the non-profit organization What You Give Will Grow, and the vice president of the Southern Methodist University New Orleans Alumni Club.