HERE’S TO DADS!

Michael Martin grew up in Naperville and attended Benet Academy before getting his undergrad at DePauw University and having a brief career as a computer scientist. Then he attended law school at Chicago Kent-College of Law, and ten years ago, he and his Ohio-native wife moved to Hinsdale where they love living and raising their two girls.

It was the closeness of the community that caused him to move his family to Hinsdale, having grown up in the region and attending Benet. He already had a lot of friends in the area, and once they moved, they made more. The school district and other opportunities for his children didn’t hurt.

Martin focuses his practice on litigation but also contracts and land acquisition, particularly for the Illinois Department of Transportation. He’s also sat on the District 181 School Board for four years and has been President for the last two, though his term is coming to an end.

“I have a certificate in Intellectual Property Law because of my computer background. I did a clerkship and found it extremely boring.” Martin says. “So, I kind of pivoted and went to work with my dad out of law school instead of some other opportunities.”

Martin has two daughters, Emerson, a sixth grader at Clarendon Hills Middle School and Leighton, a fourth grader at Monroe Elementary School in Hinsdale. Fatherhood suits him.

“It’s been great, obviously, but being the only male presents its challenges,” Martin says. “I think I’ve fully embraced being the girl dad, I guess learning to enjoy taking my girls [and I] to get mani-pedis.”

Both of his daughters are into cheer, and Martin says he had a considerable learning curve about the stunts. He played basketball and golf growing up, and the kids don’t really like the sports he likes. Though, he doesn’t mind all that much.

“Staying with our kids is our favorite moment of the day. We’re big on trying to plan excursions down to the city,” he says. “We want to make sure we get down there and enjoy all the benefits the city offers. My sixth grader would say we probably hang out too much.”

Martin says people often ask him if he wants to try for a boy, but he and his wife always knew they would stop at two. There’s plenty to keep him busy.

“Emerson is the social butterfly. She’s friends with kids all over town, at all different schools,” he says. “She thinks her life revolves me being her Uber driver taking her to places. She’s trying Lacrosse for the first time and playing volleyball because her mom played it.”

While Emerson has the dominant personality, Martin says the younger daughter, Leighton, is the quiet one. Leighton only does cheer and tumbling but is on a travel cheer team now, which takes up a lot of time but at heart she’s a homebody.

“She likes to hang around at home and hang out with us. She’d much rather lay around at home than make plans,” says Martin. “Emerson has something scheduled every minute of every day with some friend somewhere.”

When his two girls were younger Martin coached both of their soccer and basketball teams, but like most kids they’ve gravitated to other activities that have grabbed their interest.

“I always joke I ran for the school board so I could quit coaching. Emerson has dabbled in softball and quite to play lacrosse,” he says. “I said, ‘We don’t care as long as you’re doing something’. I kind of believe in letting them try whatever they want. They’ll find something.”