Holly Birnbaum Martin

Holly’s practice focuses on guardianship proceedings, contested estate and trust matters, and estate planning and administration.

Holly is particularly skilled at handling cases with complex family dynamics, including families in crisis—whether due to a loved one’s death, a family member who suffers from mental illness, dementia or age-related decline, or a guardianship or estate-related family dispute. Holly also helps parents of adult children with disabilities establish guardianship. She strives to serve her clients with compassion and integrity, helping them navigate life events that can be both legally and emotionally challenging.

Holly grew up in Chapel Hill and attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, earning her degree in 1998. She later entered law school at Tulane, graduating as a merit scholar in 2003. That same year, Holly was admitted to the North Carolina State Bar.  Holly began her legal career as an Assistant Public Defender in Orange County, working in the Community Resource Court assisting clients who had mental health diagnoses and in Drug Treatment Court helping clients with substance abuse issues. Holly later served as an attorney in the Gaston County Department of Social Services, where she handled child support enforcement, child abuse and neglect, and adult abuse and neglect matters, including adult guardianship hearings.  In 2014, Holly moved to Colorado and was admitted to the Colorado State Bar. While there she concentrated her practice on divorce and child custody actions, eventually starting her own solo law firm.

In 2018, Holly returned to North Carolina to be near family and joined the firm at that time. Holly has chosen to focus her career on estate litigation and guardianship matters, and is an effective advocate because of her wealth of experience working with families and the court. Holly also enjoys assisting families with their estate planning needs, as well as with the probate and estate administration process.

Holly has deep roots in the Chapel Hill and Durham communities and is active in the Judea Reform Congregation and her daughter’s school.