About Us

Martin L. Pierce is a native of Memphis, Tennessee, and received his undergraduate degree, summa cum laude, from Tennessee Technological University in 1978. He received that institution's Outstanding Young Alumnus Award in 1988.  Martin received his law degree, with very high honors, from the University of Memphis in 1981, where he was a published member of the University of Memphis Law Review. He is licensed to practice law in Tennessee and Georgia, as well as before the U.S. Tax Court and the U.S. Supreme Court.

Martin works primarily in the areas of (1) Estate Planning, Wills, Trusts, Elder Law, Probate, Medicaid & VA Planning, Special Needs Trusts, Conservatorships, Guardianships and Charitable Planning, (2) Business Entity Law, including Corporations, LLCs and Partnerships, Nonprofits, Tax-exempt/501(c)(3) Organizations, Contracts, Leases and Agreements, (3) Employee Benefits, Retirement Plans, Cafeteria Plans, Health Savings Accounts, COBRA and ERISA, and (4) various other Tax law matters.

He is a Certified Estate Planning Law Specialist through the ABA-accredited National Association of Estate Planners & Councils.  He is also a member of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, and he is a Department of Veterans Affairs-Accredited Attorney. Among other professional organizations, he is a member of the Chattanooga Estate Planning Council (Past President, 2006-07), the Chattanooga Tax Practitioners (President, 2007-08), and was a Charter Member of the Chattanooga Planned Giving Council. He is also a member of the  Georgia, Tennessee and Chattanooga Bar Associations. He was chosen as a Mid-South Super Lawyer for 2016 through 2019, an honor awarded to only 5% of attorneys, and has been selected for Best Lawyers in America for 2018 through 2021.  He is rated "Pre-Eminent" (AV-rated) by the Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review, the highest rating available.   Martin is the co-founder of several local nonprofit organizations, including First Things First and the IMPACT School at Silverdale Baptist Academy. He has served on the Boards of many nonprofits, including the Chattanooga Christian School, Bethel Bible Village, Lighthouse Counseling Center, Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Chattanooga, the Chattanooga Optimist Club, Paraclyte Counseling Resources, Relevant Hope, Choices Pregnancy Resource Center (formerly AAA Women's Services),  and LifeLine.  He has extensive experience in establishing, counseling, operating, representing, teaching, and speaking about nonprofits and 501(c)(3)s as well as various legal, business and tax aspects concerning them.

Martin is in his 41st year of law practice in Chattanooga, where he began with Stophel, Caldwell & Heggie, P.C., in 1981. He moved to Chambliss & Bahner, PLLC, in 1984 (where he became a Partner in 1987 and was the Head of the Firm’s Tax & Estates Section). In 2002, Martin joined the national law firm of Husch & Eppenberger, LLC (where he was Head of the Estate Planning and Employee Benefits practice areas for the Firm’s three offices in the State of Tennessee). On January 1, 2005, Martin opened his own practice in order to more personally and cost effectively serve his clients.

Martin and his wife, Debbie, live on Big Ridge in Hixson and have one son, Drew. They previously attended Red Bank Baptist Church for many years and are now members of Gospel Community Church, where he and Debbie are the Financial Deacons.

John Huisman  is a native of Lookout Mountain, Georgia, and received his Bachelor of Arts in English and History, cum laude, from Covenant College in 1998. John earned his law degree from the University of Tennessee, cum laude, in 2004, graduating with a concentration in business transactions and winning the Best Brief award in the 2004 ABA Section of Taxation competition. Mr. Huisman is licensed to practice law in Tennessee and Georgia and is admitted to practice in the Federal Courts of the Eastern District of Tennessee, the Northern District of Georgia, and the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals.

John works primarily in the areas of (1) Business and Corporate transactions, Formations, Governance, Business Succession Planning, Entrepreneur law, and Start-ups; (2) Estate Planning, Wills, Trusts, Elder Law, Probate, Medicaid & VA Planning, Special Needs Trusts, Conservatorships, Guardianships and Charitable Planning; and (3) Nonprofits, Tax-exempt/501(c)(3) Organizations, Contracts, Leases and Agreements.

​Mr. Huisman is a member of the Chattanooga Estate Planning Council, Chattanooga Tax Practitioners, and the Christian Legal Society. He has been involved in serving the Greater Chattanooga community in a number of capacities, and currently serves on the board of directors for Choices Pregnancy Resource Center, and has also served as volunteer with CO.LAB, UTC Veterans Entrepreneurship Program, Covenant College Seed Project, and on the Troop Committee of BSA local Troop 80. He has also served as a Ruling Elder of Grace Presbyterian Church of Lookout Mountain.

John lives on Lookout Mountain, Georgia, with his wife and four children. His oldest child is a sophomore in college, and his other children attend Chattanooga Christian School. They attend Grace Community Trenton, PCA.

CHERIE A. KUHNS
Paralegal

Cherie A. Kuhns, a native of Cleveland, Tennessee, attended Cleveland State Community College and the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.  She began her work career at HPI Hospital Services, where she was first a Pharmacy Technician and then transitioned to work as an Accounts Specialist.  She later worked as the Office Manager for Dr. James Drake.  She also worked as a part-time insurance claims clerk at Dayspring Counseling Center.  She was a homeschool mom (or “Individual Education Specialist,” as she puts it) for her three children. She began working for Pierce Law Firm, PLLC, in 2009, receiving training from Anita Cook, one of the most knowledgeable paralegals in Chattanooga, who came out of retirement to work temporarily at the Pierce Law Firm.  

Cherie has been married to Tim Kuhns for more than 35 years. They have 3 children and 3 grandchildren.

Cherie and Tim are members of Silverdale Baptist Church.

ALEISHA BELCHER
Legal Administrative Assistant

Aleisha Belcher grew up in Ooltewah, Tennessee, and attended Lee Highway Christian Academy.  She has worked in legal firms for more than 20 years and joined Pierce Law Firm in February of 2018.  Her husband, Chris, has worked at Heatec, Inc., in Chattanooga for his entire career.  Aleisha and Chris have been married for more than 25 years, and they have two grown daughters, Ciera and Makayla, and one grandson, Kingston, and two granddaughters, Zeplynn and Ember.  They live in the Harrison area.

CHRISTINE SARAH HESTER
Paralegal/Administrative Assistant

Christine Sarah Hester came to Chattanooga and to Pierce and Huisman after relocating from the Denver area in the summer of 2021. She was a co-owner of a real estate appraisal practice in the Flathead Valley of Montana for 20 years, where she was involved in the local community of Whitefish, in her children's schools, and in her church. 

She attended DeVry University and graduated magna cum laude with a degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in Human Resources. After graduation, she worked at FirstBank of Colorado in Lakewood, Colorado, where she prepared legal documentation for a variety of loan products. While in Denver, Christine Sarah was involved with volunteer work at the Denver Botanical Gardens, Habitat for Humanity, Muscular Dystrophy, Westernairs (a non-profit for youth to teach horsemanship), food banks and schools. 

She has four adult children who are leading productive lives in Colorado and Montana. In Chattanooga, she attends Gospel Community Church, in her spare time she likes to cycle, sew and play the trumpet, and she is currently studying French.

DEBBIE PIERCE
Financial/Office Manager

Debbie Douglas Pierce (Martin's wife) is a native of Portland, Tennessee (north of Nashville).  She attended Tennessee Technological University in Cookeville, Tennessee, as a National Merit Scholar, and obtained a Bachelor of Science degree, summa cum laude, in Accounting in 1978.  After graduation, she worked at Peat, Marwick, and Mitchell in Nashville and became a Certified Public Accountant.  When she and Martin moved to Chattanooga after his graduation from law school in 1981, she worked for Kayo Oil Company and also had a successful home business for a time.  She was a stay-at-home mom during their son's childhood, and she was  very active in the PTO at Chattanooga Christian School, serving as the treasurer for several years; she also served in the same capacity at the IMPACT School at Silverdale Baptist Academy.  She volunteered with AAA Women's Center (now Choices of Chattanooga) during that time as well.  When Martin started his own practice in 2005, he asked her to get his office up and running; they found that they enjoyed working together, and she has been handling the financial side of the practice ever since.  She was a member of and served on the Board of Directors of the Optimist Club of Chattanooga and is also a member of the Judge David Campbell chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) and Scenic City Women's Network.  She was the Treasurer at Gospel Community Church for several years and currently  handles the financial matters for Hixson Commons Professional Office Park Association.