Tisha Lea Martin

I grew up all over Central Arkansas but now call Nashville my home. I was raised in a single-parent household that struggled to make ends meet. My mother worked two jobs and did her best, but our family (like many others) fell prey to the extreme difficulties of poverty. I know the battle that lower income households face every single day, and witnessed firsthand how poverty coupled with addiction can tear families apart.

Because of my childhood experiences, I knew from an early age that I wanted to escape the system holding my family down. I had a strong desire to serve my community and felt a need to help others. So, at the age of seventeen, I enlisted in the military and continue to serve to this day. During my first enlistment, I was deployed to Baghdad, Iraq, as a Combat Medic, and it was in this capacity that I truly learned how to work under extreme pressure. Continuing my career in the military has allowed me the opportunity to gain exceptional leadership experience, discipline, and the resiliency needed to be successful in life.

After Iraq, I wanted to get back to a “normal” life and focus on going back to school. In December of 2011, I earned a Bachelor of Science in Sociology, with an emphasis in Criminology, and a minor in Addiction Studies. From there, I worked in social services with the Arkansas Dept. of Human Services. After three years of grueling work, I felt unfulfilled and knew that I could be doing more. It was at that point I decided to apply for law school.

I have been practicing law since 2018 and, prior to opening my firm, I was a Deputy Prosecutor in Garland County. As a prosecutor, I handled felony and misdemeanor cases involving a variety of charges such as drugs (possession, paraphernalia, intent to deliver, etc.), DWI/BWI, theft of property, and violent crimes—just to name a few. I left the prosecutor’s office because I realized I had a greater calling to help families in my local area and assist those accused of crimes, not prosecute them.

My greatest calling in life, however, is being a mother and spouse. My family is my bedrock and the foundation that supports all that I do. I am truly blessed beyond measure.