CARSON - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Assistant
- Member of the Paralegals & Assistants Team
- Legal Assistant / Victim Witness Coordinator
- Prosecution Assistant
Becky Gaffer graduated from the University of Wisconsin - Madison in 2013 with a degree in Political Science and Legal Studies and a minor in Criminal Justice. While at UW, Becky obtained a summer internship with the Wisconsin Department of Justice in their Criminal Litigation Unit and was President of the Legal Studies Association on campus. She also clerked part-time at Van Wagner and Wood (later Tracey Wood & Associates), a criminal defense firm in downtown Madison. Following graduation, Becky was hired on full time at Van Wagner & Wood, gaining useful experience in helping clients understand and effectively navigate the criminal justice system.
Becky joined Carson, Clelland & Schreder in April 2014 and works in the firm's civil and criminal practices. She serves as the Victim/Witness Coordinator for the firm's prosecution clients, speaking with victims about their rights and input and providing information and resources to those affected by crime. Becky also supports the firm's civil municipal practice, providing assistance to John Thames and Jeffrey Carson as they work with City staff on various projects.
In her free time, Becky enjoys cross stitching, exploring microbreweries, spending time with family, traveling, and camping.
Becky serves as the firm's Victim/Witness Coordinator, speaking with victims about their rights and input and providing information and resources to those affected by crime. She also supports the firm's civil municipal practice.
David has handled numerous criminal jury trials and has argued at the Court of Appeals on multiple occasions. David also represents the firm's municipal clients in their civil DWI related forfeitures.
Dawn is a partner at Carson, Clelland & Schreder and focuses her practice in all areas of family law, including divorce, child custody, paternity, asset and debt division, spousal maintenance, and child support domestic abuse (including both Orders for Protection and Harassment Restraining Orders). In addition, Dawn is a qualified neutral and serves in a neutral capacity as a family law mediator, Parenting Consultant and early neutral evaluator. Dawn has over 15 years working in the firm's family practice area, initially as a law clerk and then as an attorney. Her approach to family law matters is practical and cost-effective, while still advocating aggressively and confidently for what is in her client's best interest. Frequently family law cases can be emotionally charged and high conflict, with both complex social (custody and parenting time) as well as financial issues. Dawn works to streamline and simplify the process for her clients, making sure that her clients fully understand all of their options while guiding them to a successful resolution.
Dawn works in all areas of family law, including divorce, child custody, paternity, asset division, child support and domestic abuse. She is also a qualified rule 114 neutral, providing a variety of ADR services including early neutral evaluation as well as parenting consultant services.
Job Titles:
- Managing Partner
- Member of the PICK Counties
Ellen graduated from the University of Minnesota with a Bachelor's Degree in 1984. She then graduated cum laude from William Mitchell College of Law in January of 1990.
Ellen worked for Hennepin County as the first female officer at the men's workhouse in Plymouth, Minnesota, both before and during law school. She worked as a law clerk for former Hennepin County District Court Judges Gary Larson and John Borg. Ellen worked as an Assistant Hennepin County Attorney before joining the law firm of Carson & Clelland in 1991.
Ellen started her practice at Carson, Clelland & Schreder doing criminal prosecution and family law. As her family law practice grew, her time as a prosecutor decreased. Ellen soon became a partner, and the law firm has since been known as Carson, Clelland & Schreder. Ellen now practices solely in the field of family law, and works with all types of family law cases, including but not limited to dissolution, custody and parenting time, post-Decree issues and modifications, third party custody, grandparent visitation, adoptions and step-parent adoptions.
Ellen has over 25 years of experience in family law litigation and works with all types of family law cases. In addition, she has been appointed "special master" on dissolution files and serves as an Early Neutral Evaluator, Parenting Consultant and Parenting Time Expeditor, as well as mediation services. She now spends approximately one-half of her time doing neutral work, including serving as a mediator in all aspects of family law.
Ellen has been a member of the PICK Counties (Pine, Isanti, Chisago and Kanabec) Early Neutral Evaluation Task Force Committee since 2011.
Ellen spends the majority of her time away from the office working on all aspects of the sewing program which she runs in Cap-Haitian, Haiti. She recently applied for and received a Rotary Global Grant to further this work in Haiti, where women from two different villages are employed sewing items needed by and purchased by the Haitian people. Ellen also enjoys bicycling and all things outdoors, including spending time at her cabin.
Ellen began her career by representing our firm's municipal clients, and has since built the firm's family law practice. She now spends approximately one-half of her time serving as a neutral in all types of family law matters, as a mediator, early neutral evaluator, parenting consultant and parenting time expediter.
Job Titles:
- Founder
- of Counsel
- Firm Founder
Jeffrey Carson received his Bachelor's Degree in Political Science from the University of Minnesota, and then proceeded to receive his Juris Doctorate from the University of Minnesota in 1972. Jeff began his legal career at the firm of Schieffer, Hadley, Bakke and Jensen, which was later known as Schieffer and Carson, where his practice focused on municipal law.
In 1979, Jeff and William Clelland formed the law firm of Carson & Clelland, now known as Carson, Clelland & Scherder. Since the mid-1970's, Jeff has focused his practice primarily in the field of municipal law and has served as City Attorney for several municipalities in Hennepin and Anoka Counties.
Jeff has worked extensively in the fields of eminent domain and special assessments, and has also served as a Commissioner in condemnation matters in the metropolitan area. He is a Qualified Rule 114 Neutral and serves as a mediator in the municipal field.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Paralegals & Assistants Team
- Warden
- Paralegal
Jenny has many years of experience in family law and has a thorough knowledge of the process. She is a valuable resources for clients, helping them to navigate through a very difficult period in their lives.
Jill works in all areas of family law, including divorce, child custody, paternity, asset division, child support and domestic abuse.
John has handled numerous trials and has argued at the Court of Appeals and the Minnesota Supreme Court. John serves as the City Attorney for the Cities of Spring Lake Park, Maple Plain, Corcoran, Long Lake and Greenfield.
Joe works with our firm's municipal clients in criminal and civil matters and assists private clients in criminal defense. He has extensive experience trying cases, litigating contested hearings, and arguing cases at the Minnesota Court of Appeals
Peggy graduated summa cum laude from Augsburg University with a degree in Psychology and earned her Juris Doctorate at Mitchell Hamline University School of Law. While in school, Peggy worked as a legal assistant in the criminal division of the Carver County Attorney's Office and then as a judicial court clerk in Hennepin County District Court, where she was part of an emerging leaders program. As a practicing student attorney, Peggy helped start up small business and non-profit organizations.
After law school, Peggy worked as a law clerk with Hennepin County District Court Judge Marta Chou. As a law clerk, Peggy gained experience in criminal trials, housing court, and acted as interim coordinator within the district's treatment and hybrid Courts. Peggy is a member of the DWI Taskforce and the Minnesota State Bar Association. In addition, she is an appointed member of the State Subcommittee on Children's Mental Health, the Hennepin County Children's Mental Health Collaborative, and is a Board Member for Minnesota Association for Children's Mental Health.
Peggy joined Carson, Clelland & Schreder in 2018 and provides legal services to our firm's municipal clients in criminal and civil matters and assists private clients in creditors' remedies cases, criminal defense, estate planning, special education law, and family law matters.
Peggy provides legal services to our firm's municipal clients in criminal and civil matters and assists private clients in creditors' remedies cases, criminal defense, estate planning, special education law, and family law.