Minnesota Lawyer
Associate, Wilson Law Group
Associate, Wilson Law Group
Many a law firm likes to describe itself as a family, but for Cassondre Buteyn and the Wilson Law Group, that’s literally true: She works there alongside her husband, David Wilson.
But that doesn’t mean Buteyn hasn’t carved out an impressive niche of her own. In 11 years at Wilson, the William Mitchell grad has established herself as a top immigration lawyer, maintaining not only a busy practice, but also membership in a number of relevant professional groups and even a weekly radio show — “Conversaciones con Cassondre” — that answers legal questions for Latino listeners.
“She volunteers her legal services because she knows it’s part of her duty,” said Carver County Attorney Mark Metz of Buteyn. “She represents and advises people who face many barriers.”
While Buteyn did her undergrad work at Drake University, she acquired her passion for immigration issues while studying and living in Seville, Spain. That led to later work with foreign exchange students and to her current practice area.
“I was working as an assistant to the foreign student adviser in college, and there were always legal issues that came up,” said Buteyn. “I thought law was interesting, and I went to law school with the full intention of practicing immigration law.”
Buteyn went on to be the co-attorney of record in a pair of 8th Circuit Court immigration cases, Pavlovich v. Gonzales and Flores-Calderon v. Gonzales. But her most important legal work resulted in a very personal victory: custody of an adopted daughter, Paige Wilson. Abandoned at age 8, Paige had been living in the United States with a fake ID. Buteyn not only helped Paige establish citizenship (which was granted in August), but she also took Paige into her and Wilson’s home.
“She’s been with us five and a half years,” said a proud Buteyn. “That’s been a great personal and professional accomplishment.”
