Cari O'Brien

Choosing an attorney to work with you is a highly personal decision. This is especially true when it comes to the highly personal topics involved in crafting your estate plan or helping you through the probate process after the loss of a loved one.  

As you consider which attorney you want by your side, compare the characteristics shaping the service you’ll receive. For my part, I aim to bring the following to each client relationship I build:  

• Clear communication: The best relationships are built on a strong foundation of open, honest and clear communication. As a lifelong writer and seasoned speaker, I can’t help but emphasize the importance of this for both what you deserve to receive from, and what you offer to, me. 

• Creativity: As a big-picture thinker and detailed process creator, you’ll find I bring a great deal of creativity to the table. This combination packs a big punch, as it’ll help us brainstorm strategies, find the right one for your situation, and then identify the steps we need to take to get you where you want to go. 

• Empathy: I bring my whole personable, caring self to every encounter. So, if you’re looking for a lawyer who’ll listen to you, stand alongside and support you, and offer genuine care, look no further.  
• Authenticity: Alongside empathy, you’ll find I’ve got a big personality. I love a good laugh. I don’t know how to sneeze quietly. I’ll geek out over aspects of the law as much as I do over books and movies, Disney and tabletop gaming and traveling, and…well, a lot. You’ll likely learn all this and more, as I can’t help but be myself at all times. I certainly hope you’ll be the same.

For those curious about my journey, here’s my not-so-short story about how I got my start, where life’s many paths have taken me, and why I chose to land here at Lucēre.  

I started my post-secondary education at Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota. In my mind’s eye, my future involved performing on stages and bringing joy to people’s lives through performing arts.  

As my world continued to expand, so did my professional interests. I switched to a double major in Sociology and Political Science, unearthing a passion for human and civil rights along the way. This led me to law school, first at Seattle University School of Law and then at William Mitchell College of Law (now Mitchell Hamline). I focused my studies and activities on civil and human rights locally and internationally.  

I started my legal career at the Council on Crime and Justice in Minneapolis in a role dedicated to a greater understanding of the collateral consequences of criminal convictions. My position ended due to funding issues, which occurred at the outset of the 2008 crash. So, I found my way to an attorney editor role with FindLaw (once a Thomson Reuters business). At FindLaw, I found a new love: marketing. I stayed there for many years, honing my digital marketing and web content creation skills. 

While with FindLaw, I co-founded a small estate planning and family law firm. After a few years, however, this role had to go by the wayside when another was ready to take its place: motherhood. I stayed in marketing, moving from FindLaw to a small startup. That position lasted less than a year, and the startup closed soon after I was laid off.  

Instead of taking on another role elsewhere, I again decided to exercise my entrepreneurial chops. I started a content marketing agency, Custom Content Solutions, which I led for 11 years. I built it from a bootstrapped beginning to a small but mighty team with multiple six-figure revenue streams.  

I loved that role with my whole being, as I was able to create a company built on values that meant something to me, my team and my clients. It was there where my world again expanded outward. I joined several communities and volunteered with and led nonprofits. I eventually found my way back to the stage, becoming a sought-after speaker on marketing, ethics, branding, leadership and the practical implications of generative AI.  

The widespread adoption of genAI caused me to pause and consider where I truly wanted to spend my professional energy and hours. When I realized my time with content creation was ending, I pivoted to marketing coaching and business consulting, specifically for solopreneurs and nonprofits seeking to grow their companies.  

As I helped my clients identify their next steps to build their brands and businesses, I realized I needed to perform deeper soul-searching to help me build mine. That was when I rediscovered my drive to get back into legal work. 

I knew that if I were to reenter the practice of law, I would need to do so with a firm founded on the same core principles from which I came. I would need to be part of a team that cares as much about client service as it does team collaboration and community engagement. I would need to work with the types of clients I’m best built to serve, to allow me to shine in my own light while helping my clients step into theirs. I’ve thankfully found all this and more here at Lucēre Legal.

If you’re reading this part of the page, then you’ve read through a fair amount of my story and have learned about the type of professional I am. I’d love to now hear your story and discover how we can work together to take you on the next leg of your journey.

Reach out to me today via the contact form provided here or call me at (612) 206-3701. I look forward to meeting you!