Cathryn Schmidt is an experienced and highly regarded family law attorney who draws on more than 20 years of legal experience when representing her clients in domestic relations litigation.  She has been named a “Rising Star” by Minnesota Law and Politics and was recently recognized for her excellence in matrimonial law by selection to the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers. While she is well-versed in settlement negotiation and mediation (she is a qualified mediator), Ms. Schmidt is also an experienced trial attorney and has successfully litigated scores of contested family law matters.

Before joining Collins, Buckley, Sauntry & Haugh, Ms. Schmidt was a partner at Edina’s Swaden Law Offices, where she spent 14 years devoting her practice exclusively to family law.  Her prior experience includes clerking for the Honorable Gordon W. Schumaker and the Honorable John S. Connolly in Ramsey County District Court. Ms. Schmidt assisted Judge Schumaker (now retired from the Minnesota Court of Appeals) in the determination of complex litigation matters, including Minnesota’s landmark silicone breast implant insurance coverage declaratory judgment action.  Following her clerkships, she developed a reputation for excellent trial advocacy as a Ramsey County Public Defender while maintaining a private practice devoted primarily to family law.

Ms. Schmidt is a long-standing member of the Warren E. Burger Inn of Court, a membership of attorneys and judges that promotes excellence in advocacy at the trial and appellate levels of Minnesota’s court system. She volunteers as a mentor and negotiations coach at the University of St. Thomas School of Law.