Discovery with Anna N. Martinez
Anna Martinez talks trial law, cooks blueberry pancakes, and abides like The Dude
Published in 2018 Colorado Super Lawyers magazine
By Anna N. Martinez on March 26, 2018
My nickname is … Banana (per all of my older sisters).
If you were in my office, you’d … be very warm sitting next to my not-so-legal space heater.
My colleagues would be surprised to know that … I studied Arabic in college.
The lawyer I most admire is … George G. Ross, 1879-1964. He was an advocate for integration and civil rights in Colorado in the early 1900s.
When I started, I wish I knew … more women trial lawyers.
If I weren’t a lawyer, I’d be … an auctioneer at Sotheby’s or Christie’s.
When I win a case, I celebrate by … playing pinball and eating burgers at the Cherry Cricket with my husband and my son.
The SCOTUS decision I’d overturn is … Shelby County v. Holder, which overturned two provisions of the Voting Rights Act. A fair election process, and access to the voting booth, is essential to a representative democracy.
My favorite Twitter feed is … @podsaveamerica
I can’t believe more people haven’t read … Cien Anos de Soledad (100 Years of Solitude).
My fictional hero is … Velma from Scooby Doo—she was smart and always right.
My real-life hero is … Frida Kahlo.
On weekends I … cook blueberry pancakes with my son. The recipe is from an old Mennonite cookbook my Aunt Lilly gave me before she passed, which I slightly modified: 1/3 cup melted butter; 1 tsp vanilla; 2 eggs; 1 tbsp sugar; 1 cup whole milk. Stir wet ingredients with a fork until just incorporated. Sift 1¼ cup flour and 1 tbsp of baking powder into wet ingredients, and then mix with a fork (batter should be slightly lumpy). Cook on hot griddle, and add blueberries after you pour each pancake.
My most bizarre talent is … free-hand drawing candid portraits of lawyers.
My motto is … “Un dia a la vez”—one day at a time.
The movie line I quote most often is … “Nothing is #%$&ed, Dude,” from The Big Lebowski.
I wish I had invented … Sriracha.
If I had a time machine, I would … go back to spend more time with my sister, who passed away from cancer while I was in college.
My favorite word is … a phrase: “Plaintiff’s verdict.”
My least-favorite word is … also a phrase: “Defense verdict.”
The most annoying thing about my job is … hearsay! But I do love its many, many exceptions.
My courtroom walk-up song would be … “Rabiosa” by Shakira.
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