Nationally Recognized Attorney and Managing Partner at Gordon & Rees By Jillian Chandler
Born in Seattle, Washington, Meredith L. Thielbahr was drawn to law at a young age. She attended Washington State University in Pullman, where she met her future husband, Jeremy, and graduated with a degree in business marketing and a minor in political science. She returned to Seattle to attend Seattle University School of Law. Upon graduation, she joined the private law firm Oles Morrison, a boutique construction and government contracts firm, as an associate. From 2013 to 2016, she practiced construction litigation and government contracting with Groff Murphy. In 2017, she would join her longtime mentor, Allen Estes, at Gordon & Rees’ Seattle office before relocating to Sandpoint, Jeremy’s hometown, in 2019. Gordon & Rees is an AmLaw top 100 firm and is historically ranked in the top 5 for construction litigation. Today, Meredith is the managing partner of Gordon & Rees’ Boise and Spokane offices, both of which she helped open. Earlier this year, she was recognized as one of the Top Five Attorneys Under 40 in Government Contracting in the country!
Q. What inspired you to pursue a career in the field of law? A. Since I could remember, I always wanted to go to law school. I don’t know if at that young of an age I actually knew the “why.” I think people innately are drawn to certain fields, and often follow a process of elimination. I did a lot of legal-related extracurricular activities in undergrad before ever making the investment and decision to attend law school. For example, I was on a mock trial team at Washington State. As just a junior in undergrad, I was fortunate enough to intern with Norm Maleng in the King County Prosecutor’s Office in Seattle. Then, in law school, I did a couple more internships, was a research assistant for a national bankruptcy law professor and scholar, and was a summer associate at a private law firm.
I encourage anyone considering a doctorate degree to explore the possible professions it could lead them to. A JD is a huge time and financial investment. Do the leg work before you jump in with both feet.
Q. What drew you to construction litigation? A. I love the clients. Coming out of law school, I really focused my search efforts on mid-size litigation firms because oftentimes, at large firms, you’re just going to research and write for four or five years coming out of law school before you perform significant litigation work; for example, depositions or arguing motions. I wanted to get experience quickly. I had the opportunity to join a boutique construction litigation firm, and I fell in love with contractors. They are hard working. Their goal is always to get the project built, and built quickly. They are not focusing necessarily on all the paperwork and, oftentimes, that’s where things can go south because they trust the project will be completed and paid on a “handshake.” I’ve really enjoyed working with my contractor clients.
Q. What does your role entail as managing partner of the Spokane and Boise offices of Gordon & Rees? A. I obviously have my own clients and manage my own caseload with litigation teams in multiple states. As a managing partner, I’m responsible for hiring at both offices and our caseload nationally that comes into those offices, obviously the fiscal production of the office, and just the camaraderie and functionality of the office as a team. Spokane opened October of 2021, it was basically just me, and now we have almost 20 attorneys.
Q. You were recently recognized as one of the Top Five Attorneys Under 40 in Government Contracting in the country. What does this honor mean to you? A. I just got the award in July. It is an award by Law360, which is kind of like Sports Illustrated for lawyers. The achievement is particularly special because most government contract lawyers are in coastal cities; you find a lot of them in DC, New York, LA, San Francisco, Seattle. It’s a very specialized, complex area of law, so the fact that I received this award and am able to bring the accolade to the state of Idaho is phenomenal. I’m probably a lot more affordable than an attorney in DC or New York, for example, but it doesn’t mean I don’t have the specialized knowledge to handle these complex cases. I think you are going to see this more and more post COVID: qualified attorneys who are choosing to live in different parts of the country, and it’s great to bring that caliber of legal expertise to their communities.
Q. What do you find most fulfilling about the work you do as an attorney? A. I would say, especially in the construction industry, it’s just helping contractors get back to what they love doing. Oftentimes, this is the first litigation or issue that they’ve dealt with in their business. If it’s an informal dispute and we can resolve it short of court or arbitration, it can get resolved quicker. But often, a contractor won’t come to me until a lawsuit has been filed, and they have no choice but to incur the expense to defend themselves. And I find, more often than not, they’re surprised at the amount of time they have to dedicate to formal litigation. It’s not surprising for a case to take 18 months to two-and-a-half years to be resolved. And that’s a lot of time and stress away from their business and their families.
Aside from formal litigation, I work with my clients to make sure their business documents are in order and their form contracts protect them. Win, lose or draw, the best lesson clients glean from litigation is that they need to protect themselves on the front end. A lawsuit cannot always be avoided. My clients find security knowing they are controlling what they can in an evolving atmosphere. Statutes change, new case opinions are published, both of which implicate contractors’ rights and remedies, and often their duties. I keep my clients apprised of these changes in the law so they can protect themselves and focus on their day-to-day business.
Q. For those young women looking to pursue their law degree, what words of advice would you share with them? A. Consider what you want your daily rhythm to be and what you enjoy about the law. Do you want to be a litigator? Do you prefer transactional work behind the scenes? And what type of work/life balance do you want? Start thinking about the answers to these questions when you go to law school, because certain areas of law offer different opportunities and demands.
And, within the legal profession, I always encourage women to make themselves invaluable. Learn your craft better than any man in the room. Become a subject matter expert in one or more areas, and there will always be a place for you. Knowledge is power.
Also, finally, find not just a mentor but a good sponsor (not necessarily in another female). My biggest advocate in my career has been a male. Find someone who supports you and presents your name when opportunities arise. And, pay it forward one day. Be that sponsor for someone or others as you advance in your career. I always make it a priority to hire people with different strengths and backgrounds than me, even if we have similar work ethics and values. That’s what makes a great team.
Q. When not consumed by a big case, how do you like to unwind? A. My sister-in-law, Kelly, is a co-owner of WE Yoga, so I go to yoga quite often and have met a lot of my local friends through WE Yoga here in town. The women in Sandpoint are truly amazing! I enjoy running. And I love interior design and building homes. Jeremy and I built a home here in Sandpoint, which we sold about a year ago. I worked with Bogadi Construction. Robert Bogadi was phenomenal. We would love the opportunity to build again. It’s my creative outlet for sure.
I have two young kids that keep me on my toes, and my husband is a high-energy football coach at the high school. Go Bulldogs!
Meredith L. Thielbahr | Partner/Attorney, Gordon & Rees | MThielbahr@grsm.com | 206.695.5109
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