New Law Office Hits Close To Home

After working his way up at Cannon & Dunphy for the past seven-plus years, Kevin Martin felt 2012 was the right time to branch out on his own.

So Martin, who lives in Oak Creek with his wife and two children, opened Martin Law Office in the multi-tenant building at 7071 S. 13th St. last month, leaving the Brookfield-based law firm where he was a partner and shareholder.

"I was nervous in the sense that owning a business is something I hadn't done before, but at the same time, feeling the assurance that I had done so many things in my legal career that this is something that I can succeed at," Martin said.

In his first three weeks, it was certainly a challenge.

Many of his clients at Cannon & Dunphy followed him to his practice. But while he attended to their affairs, he also had plenty of other issues competing for his attention.

"In addition to being an attorney, I am the IT manager, the bookkeeper, the accountant, the housekeeper, maintenance man," he said.

"Last week I was writing a brief to file in court, and at the exact same time, working with my modem to get that functioning."

But it was a transition he knew was coming, and the bulk of his time is now properly shifted to attending to his clients' legal needs.

Prior to obtaining a license to practice law, Martin worked as a registered nurse for three-and-a-half years. He is still involved in the field, teaching as an adjunct professor at Concordia University.

That background gives him a unique perspective while representing people who have been injured, which remains his focus. Martin specializes in areas including car accidents, medical malpractice, product liabilities and unsafe properties.

"Clients find that very comforting, that they can sit down and tell me what their injuries are and I will understand what those injuries are," he said.

His office location right off the freeway at the corner of Rawson Avenue and 13th Street can also be comforting.

Though the five-minute commute from home to work is a bonus, Martin said he picked Oak Creek because of its location between Milwaukee and Racine counties, from which he draws a large amount of business.

"If clients come and meet me, I find that they much prefer going to a place where there's a parking lot they can park for free," as opposed to paying to use a parking ramp in downtown Milwaukee, he said.

Martin said he's looking forward to making his business part of the community. He plans for his office to be an active community participant, joining organizations including the South Suburban Chamber of Commerce, and joining in community celebrations like the July 4 parade.

Martin's family is already active in their church, , giving both time and resources.

"First and foremost is to help the people in Oak Creek," he said when asked about his goals. "We've already begun exploring doing that beyond just representing them in personal injury matters.

"The business that Oak Creek provides is absolutely terrific, but in being a good corporate citizen for Oak Creek ... that (means) giving back to the community, which my wife and I have believed in for years."