Kathleen Martinez was told she wouldn’t make it as a lawyer, and was judged for her bold fashion sense and style – she got payback by opening her own all-pink law firm and living like ‘the real life Elle Woods’
Meet the ‘real life Elle Woods’ who owns an all-pink law firm and says “what like it’s hard” to passing law school.
Immigration lawyer Kathleen Martinez, 33, is always underestimated in her job thanks to the pink sports car she drives to court in, while doting a glamorous outfit. The mum-of-two, from Oregon in the US, says her number one inspiration is the character Elle Woods from the hit movie Legally Blonde, starring Reece Witherspoon.
“Elle Woods is my religion and you can’t convince me otherwise,” she told her 1.6million TikTok followers. With her perfectly manicured nails, bright blonde hair, and collection of stilettos, she has been dubbed ‘the real life’ version of the iconic film character.
When Kathleen first began practising law in 2017, male bosses told her to dress more “conservatively” and she was told to make them coffee, she told People. Now the Dallas resident owns her own successful international law firm, has an all-pink office, and has thousands of women wanting to join her strong team of female lawyers.
“In a law firm where I previously worked, my boss constantly commented on my appearance,” Kathleen said. She added: “Once I wore a green dress and was told by the same person that they wouldn’t be accompanying me to court until I changed into a more ‘modest’-coloured dress. I wore the green dress anyway and the judge loved it!
“Law can be stressful, so having fun with my personal style helps me enjoy my job a little more.”
Kathleen’s unique approach to her job has lead to the mum becoming a viral sensation as she shares videos into her fascinating life, as well as advice on immigration law questions. Taking to her TikTok page @attorneymartinez, where 52.2million people have liked her videos, Kathleen said: “My boss fired me from my first lawyer job for not ‘fitting in’ with the conservative culture and refusing to make him coffee.
“So I started my own firm, where we wear whatever we want and [I] ran my old boss out of business. Best part? He recently applied for a job at my firm. I told him we need some help making the girls coffee.”
Kathleen said she was told she would not pass her exams, and that no one would want to work for an all pink law firm, she said on social media. But she opened her own company, and employed 25 people within the first year.
The successful woman now encourages her staff to embrace whatever look they like – from wearing glamorous makeup to court, a pink suit in the office, or carrying their laptops in jazzy handbags or cases. Plus Katheleen was told lawyers with a big social media following “aren’t taken seriously”, but now she teaches tech marketing to law school students.
The mum to two sons is also starring in a reality show “soon”. Her husband, whom she describes as “supportive” of her career, built her an all-pink office with an light pink coloured filing system, neon lights with quotes from Legally Blonde, a pink desk, pink chairs, and more.
Kathleen often shares a typical ‘day in the life’ as the ‘real life Elle Woods’ – one of her videos was viewed 11.3million times. She said: “Get ready with me to sue to government for delaying my client’s case.” The glamorous legal professional can be seen taking her rollers out of her hair while doting false eyelashes and glamorous makeup in a light pink dressing gown.
Next she heads to her walk-in wardrobe where she picks out neon pink heels, a designer pink bag, and a Valentino sparkly pink belt. Once dressed she heads into her colourful office to grab everything she needs, before heading out to make some important legal decisions in her pink Maserati car.
Commenting on the video, one individual said: “This might just be Elle Woods.” “You’re the only thing keeping me in law school right now,” one inspired individual added.
One other wrote: “Thanks for standing out instead of fitting in.” “I aspire to be you,” wrote another. “This is what I mean when I say I want to be a lawyer,” added one other.
Although known for being the Barbie of law, Kathleen’s passion is helping people and takes her role seriously. Inspired by Legally Blonde character Elle Woods, she told People: “I loved that she could embrace both, that I didn’t have to grow up to fit in some kind of stereotype.”
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