Martinson & Beason, P.C. attorneys recently uncovered an old Huntsville Times “Courthouse Commentary” feature from August 1, 1965, remarking on the slight confusion surrounding names at Martinson & Beason.
Douglas Carroll Martinson, who founded the firm in 1937 out of the back of his grandfather’s store, named his son Douglas Claude Martinson (the father of current partner Doug Martinson). When the younger Martinson joined his father’s law practice in 1964 after graduating from the University of Alabama School of Law, minor chaos ensued.
The Huntsville Times article, written by Jerry Hornsby, shrewdly points out: “Douglas Carroll Martinson and his son, Douglas Claude Martinson, practice law in the same offices in the Uptown Building. There is hardly a correct way for the telephone caller to ask for the proper Martinson, since they are not, as many people believe, “junior” and “senior.” The article suggests the caller say something like, “Mr. Martinson, please—you know, the older one.” Eventually, secretaries steered clients into using “junior” or “senior.”
The name game took on a new dimension when Douglas Claude Martinson, II, began practicing with the firm in 1990. To avoid confusion, Doug is commonly referred to as simply “D” or “DII” around the office. Name mix-ups may end with D, however, whose eldest son is named Clay and currently attends the University of Alabama.