Boss Women: L.A.-Based Attorney Areva Martin: A Voice For Social Justice
Passionate, outspoken and wise, Areva Martin is an award-winning attorney, best-selling author, legal commentator, talk show host and television producer who has positioned herself as a critical voice for social justice and used her razor-sharp point of view to become America’s go-to advocate.
Born and raised in North St. Louis, Missouri, Martin’s grandmother stressed the importance of education at an early age. Upon graduating from the all girls Catholic college preparatory institution Rosati-Kain, Martin went on to attend the University of Chicago, where she graduated with honors before earning a law degree from the prestigious Harvard Law School.
Soon after finishing her education, Martin had relocated to California and married longtime love Ernest Martin. The pair would start a family, and together, founded the Los Angeles based civil rights firm, Martin & Martin, LLP, where Martin gained a large clientele and following for her no-holds-bar brand of advocacy and her approach to blending her skillful legal expertise with basic common sense.
As an attorney, Martin has been involved in a number of high-profile cases, and for the past five years, has been identified as a Southern California Super Lawyer, a designation reserved for the top 5 percent of attorneys in the state. Since starting her career, Martin has garnered a myriad of awards and honors, including L’Oreal Paris’ Women of Worth, the Los Angeles County Women of the Year Award, Ford’s Living Legend Award, the James Irvine Foundation Leadership Award and Union Bank’s Neighborhood
Hero Award.
Television executives soon took notice, and as an advocate for social justice, children’s and women’s issues, as well as the underserved, Martin began booking appearances on various programs and talk shows.
Her candid commentary on a range of topics from celebrity news, pop culture, race, politics, the law and breaking news, brought a spotlight to Martin’s ability to captivate audiences through her active and intentional mission of raising awareness around critical matters and being a champion for the less fortunate, while inspiring and educating viewers on how to wake up.
Recognized as one of the nation’s leading advocates for autism, Martin is the author of an Amazon bestselling book, “The Everyday Advocate: Standing Up for Your Child with Autism and Other Special Needs.” (Penguin 2010). After her son’s diagnosis with autism, Martin created Special Needs Network, Inc., California’s premier autism advocacy organization. Having raised millions of dollars for autism and isability-related causes, Martin has played a leadership role in advocating for state and federal laws to eliminate disparities in state funding for individuals with disabilities.
Martin’s third book, “Make It Rain: How to Use the Media to Revolutionize Your Business and Brand” (Hachette) was released and instantly soared to the top of Amazon, Nielsen, Publishers’ Weekly and Barnes & Noble bestsellers’ lists. In “Make It Rain,” Martin shares insider’s tips on how to find your authentic voice, amplify it and use it to grow your influence and power.
A quotable authority on workplace, disability rights, education, custody issues, Martin has also been featured in a number of publications, including RedBook, The Huffington Post and Essence. As a syndicated columnist, Martin writes regularly for CNN.com, Daily Beast, Thrive Global and Time.Motto, where you can find her monthly column, Sexist Laws Explained.
A mother, wife, attorney, advocate, educator, and television personality Martin redefines success by personifying the notion that women can have it all. An audience favorite on a long list of television’s most illustrious and judicious programs, including Dr. Phil, The Doctors, and ABC’s World News Tonight, recently, Martin co-hosted Face The Truth, the celebrated syndicated daytime talk show for CBS. As an influential voice for the country, Martin is also a CNN Legal Analyst with discerning expertise and insight.
