Sometimes, Kalaheo attorney Ladye Martin finds herself on the receiving end of questions in court, instead of the giving end. Besides being an attorney licensed to practice in Hawai’i, she is also one of only a few expert witnesses in
Sometimes, Kalaheo attorney Ladye Martin finds herself on the receiving end of questions in court, instead of the giving end.
Besides being an attorney licensed to practice in Hawai’i, she is also one of only a few expert witnesses in the state where equine (horse) issues are concerned.
In her native Tennessee, she owned an equestrian business, was a show manager for American Quarter Horse Association shows, and remains a member of the American Association of Horsemanship Safety.
She lives in ‘Ele’ele with husband Troy Martin (of Martin Steel) and lots of horses, and when the chance came for her to work closer to home than Lihu’e, at the end of last year she jumped at the opportunity.
Now in the former Kaumuali’i Highway offices once occupied by fellow attorney Aaron Kakinami near the Kalaheo fire station, Martin has not only changed locations from Dynasty Court near Kukui Grove Center, but changed areas of emphasis as well.
Where her general practice used to focus (attorneys aren’t allowed to use the word “specialize” to describe areas of practice) on domestic cases like divorce, child custody and the like, now her emphasis is on real estate law, including condominium associations, CPRs (condominium property regimes, or a way of cutting up a piece of property without formally subdividing it), and similar land matters, she said. She still considers herself a general-practice attorney.
Practicing law in Hawai’i since 1986, she was away from the state for awhile, returning to Kaua’i in 1994.
Martin holds a law degree from the University of Tennessee College of Law, and a bachelor’s degree in political science from Middle Tennessee State University, with minors in history and English.
Formerly a per-diem judge in the city of Hendersonville, Tenn., Martin got her first name for being the first-born female in her family, wherein the tradition of naming the first-born female “Ladye” dates back many generations in her family.
The number-one skill required to be a good lawyer, she feels, is the ability to analyze things. Throughout her analysis, for example, she has discovered many differences between Hawai’i and Tennessee law. Her office is open 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. weekdays except Wednesday, and is also closed Saturday and Sunday. Avis Shimada is office manager. For more information, please call 332-5239.
