W. Gregory Merritt grew up in New Orleans, Louisiana and attended Loyola University, where he received his Bachelors of Music in 1984, with a minor in Business Administration. He thereafter attended Loyola University Law School in New Orleans, Louisiana, where he volunteered at the Loyola Law Clinic, providing needy members of the community with free legal services. Upon his graduation from Loyola Law School in 1987, he was admitted to practice in all state and federal courts in Louisiana. He began his professional career with Lombard & Silbert (predecessor to Silbert & Garon, LLP) where he has represented a variety of clients ranging from defense clients to injured workers, victims of nursing home abuse, automobile accident victims, medical malpractice victims, victims of hazardous conditions resulting in injury or death, and maritime workers. In 1999, Greg spoke at a trial lawyer seminar on combating unreasonable defense tactics, and he has been at the forefront of litigation on the application and interpretation of Louisiana’s recently-enacted “No Pay, No Play” statute.
Greg is married to Leslie Ruiz Merritt, a local math educator. They have four boys. Greg has remained active in his community as a leader with the Boy Scouts of America, as a choir director for St. Andrew the Apostle Parish in Algiers, as president of his neighborhood swim and tennis club, and as musical director of the New Leviathan Oriental Fox-Trot Orchestra, a world-renowned jazz preservationist ensemble that has traveled throughout the United States and Europe, an annual favorite at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival since the 1970’s.
Birth Date: May 26, 1962 ; Fort Eustis, Virginia
Education:
- Loyola University School of Law, Juris Doctorate, 1987
- Loyola University, B.M., 1984
- Jesuit High School, summa cum laude, 1980
Practice Areas:
- Personal Injury
- Auto & Trucking Collisions
- Workplace Accidents
- Wrongful Death
- Bad Faith Insurance Claims
- Medical Malpractice
- Legal Malpractice
- Nursing Home Neglect
- Premises Liability
Court Admissions:
- Louisiana State Courts, 1987
- Louisiana Federal District Courts (Eastern – 1988) (Middle – 1989) (Western – 1992)
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, 1988
Professional Memberships:
- Louisiana Association for Justice (Automobile Torts Section) (Medical Malpractice Section)
- Louisiana Bar Association
