MEET THE PINK ATTORNEY

My name is Tracey Martin, and I am an attorney in Joplin, Missouri and I LOVE PINK!  If it comes in pink, that is the one I order – phones, legal pads, glasses, kayak, golf clubs, fishing poles – all pink.  My love of pink started as a child and has grown as I have become older.  Maybe it is my hard charging red personality mixing with the peaceful white personality of my husband.  

While some may see pink as a weak color, to me it is just a softer side of red.  I may be the traditional Type A personality in many ways, but I also have a heart of empathy and compassion for people facing adversity, as my life has not always been fair or easy.  I believe that empathetic nature helps soften up my red to pink.

MY JOURNEY TO AN ATTORNEY

I did not take the traditional route to law school.  During my high school debate days, I really wanted to be an attorney – a prosecutor specifically.  My mother asked me then, ”Why don’t you want to be something people like?” I guess I had not considered that people don’t like attorneys.  We liked our family attorney and considered him a friend.   In my experience attorneys were honest, compassionate and operated with integrity.   I guess we were lucky, and I wanted to be that attorney for people.  However, it took some time to find my path.

After two years of college, I chose to get married and later start my family.   I started in food service which moved into food distribution and later transportation.  I had a great job that I earned through experience and climbing the ladder at J.B Hunt Transport, with many opportunities for further advancement.  However, I still wanted to finish my bachelor’s degree even if it did not mean a career change.

Two months shy of 30 years old, as a single mother, I chose to go back and finish my bachelor’s degree at John Brown University earning a B.S. in Business Information Systems, and that experience led me to once again dream of law school.

By all accounts this should have been an insurmountable task.  I was alone in a state where I had no family and two young children.  However, God moved mountains and made a way.  Without Him it would have been impossible.   There is much to that story that I hope to address in future blog posts, but I will say I truly learned what they mean by “God doesn’t call the qualified, he qualifies the called.”  I truly believe it was my calling.

At 32 years old, I began law school at the University of Arkansas, and boy did my aspirations change throughout law school.  When I started law school I anticipated being a prosecutor or corporate attorney.  Upon learning much more about the law and how it is applied, I discovered that what I wanted was to help ordinary people facing adversity.  I realized that ordinary people face tremendous challenges both civil and criminal.  It was then my path changed.

I decided that I wanted to be a family attorney that could address the issues that most often impact ordinary people facing extraordinary adversity.  Just like you would see a family doctor for an initial diagnosis, and if it requires a more specialized doctor the family doctor helps you find that specialist and stays involved in subsequent diagnosis and testing.

A family attorney is one that you call when you are facing legal issues, and if the attorney doesn’t have the required knowledge, they find you an attorney specializing in the issue and keeping watch to make sure your rights are defended.  I wanted to develop relationships with my clients that made them feel that they had a true friend in their corner that would operate with honesty and integrity, even under the most difficult circumstances.

PURPOSE OF MY BLOG

My goal in beginning The Pink Attorney is to provide general advice about common legal issues and life experiences facing many families.  I will also provide legal news and opinions that will be educational about the law and law changes.  I promise to address those issues with honesty, integrity and a dash of humor.   I hope you will enjoy following my blog journey, and maybe you will get a few laughs and a bit of legal education along the way.

DISCLAIMER

This blog is meant to be informative and educational but does not create or imply an attorney/client relationship between followers and the attorney. The advice provided in this blog should not be taken as formal legal advice, and the specifics of any legal matter should be discussed with an attorney who can evaluate the specifics of your case.