Margaret Barrett

CEO and Founder

My life experiences, training, gifts and passions have all come together in my current career.

I have been in situations similar to my clients, and I know what will help them.

25 years ago, my former husband was tragically killed in a car accident. After the initial shock, I spent years supporting our young children as they grieved, navigating a 7 year long estate battle, and working with the trustee of their trust.
As a good parent, I want to ensure things go smoothly for my children if I become ill or when I die.
As a business owner I want to ensure my business continues to thrive as I gradually transition out of it.
For years, my seven siblings and I worked together to support my parents in my Dad’s advancing dementia.

Because of my personal experiences, I can relate to my clients’ concerns for their aging parents, for their own retirement planning, and for the best interests of their spouses and children.

Professionally, I have worked in accounting and finance, practiced litigation in a big law firm, served as director of women’s ministry, and pursued Medicaid reimbursement at a medical device company. I am currently active in the Minnesota State Bar Association Elder Law Sections, the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA), and Christian Legal Society of Minnesota. I graduated from the University of St. Thomas, summa cum laude, in 1981, and from William Mitchell College of Law, cum laude, in 1991. I am admitted to practice before Minnesota and Federal District courts. As CEO of Safe Harbor, I spend most of my time running the business, and managing an amazing team of attorneys and support staff.

My family includes two grown, married children, three grandchildren and a young adult daughter adopted from Korea. My newest grandson, Hugo, was born in September of 2021!

I was raised to value serving others. Currently, I serve as president of the board of Luminarias, a home in Guatemala where underpriveleged teen girls receive comprehensive education, character development, faith formation and community outreach to break the cycle of poverty. I am also involved in leadership at my church, serving others in various ways, including empowering them to walk in the freedom of all God designed them to be.

I love to entertain, travel and stay active outdoors hiking, biking, kayaking, and cross-country skiing. I recently joined the pickleball craze and can see why it is so addicting!

I enjoy helping families protect their assets and their loved ones – meeting their goals while minimizing expense, conflict and hassle. It’s important to me to add value to the lives of people I meet. I feel rewarded when my clients say they feel relieved to have their estate plan in place, and they enjoyed the process!

Reach out to my experienced estate planning & elder law team today to see how you can get the process started of protecting what matters most to you.

Some have anxiety, others procrastinate,

but you still need to do what needs to be done to protect your family…

They are who really matter!!

“You will see why when you work with them!”

Every person at Safe Harbor Estate and Elder Law is helpful and professional, while being friendly and putting you at ease. They know that this is not an every day event for people, and that clients may be uncomfortable. Everyone there does everything they can to make the process easy and smooth sailing. Margaret and her team genuinely want to protect

Sue Ginsburg

“I appreciated how easily and professionally they guided me!”

Safe Harbor Estate Law first worked with me in 2017 to complete my Living Will and Estate Plan. They were very thorough and everything went smoothly. What really impressed me about them was how they worked to iron out the issues when I was refinancing with Wells Fargo. Safe Harbor’s lawyers interceded on my behalf to clarify the issues with the title

Mary Turnberg

“Really solid organization their process is well thought out”

Absolutely experts at what they do. Really solid organization their process is well thought out and well practiced. I had very similar work done several years ago by another firm and Safe Harbor Estate Law fixed their work and provided a much better result in both less time and money. Everybody at this firm completes their role very efficiently and

Budd Rutter

“We were surprised at how easy it turned out to be.”

We were very pleased with the service from Safe Harbor. After years of procrastinating, we finally decided we needed to move forward and get our estate planning completed, which involved setting up a living trust. We were surprised at how easy it turned out to be. Safe Harbor tailored our will and trust documents to some unique need we had and all is now

Deb Hj

I am now 100% comfortable and confident, as are my children!

I had put off getting a will done for 6 years, even after being diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma 4 years ago. Then I watched Safe Harbor’s webinar just to learn some will/estate planning information. That webinar answered so many questions for me and made me realize the big mistake I was making by not finalizing a will. So I scheduled a consultation immediately

Marcia Richards

“I appreciate all they’ve done and would highly recommend them!”

Safe Harbor Estate Law was recommended by a lawyer friend. From the very beginning I was impressed with the respect and compassion with which we were treated. My goal was to come away with a plan that would protect our assets. I now have that plan which is very thorough, providing me with peace of mind. Working with the team at Safe Harbor Estate Law was a positive experience. All of the attorney I worked with were very professional. Michael Teeter, especially, is knowledgeable, explaining all the complexities. He was also patient and responsive in answering my follow-up questions, often more than once.

Shirley Shimota

“I highly recommend Safe Harbor Estate Law.”

The process of creating our Trust
was incredibly smooth. From the initial zoom informational meeting to the meeting with the well versed attorney and the final signing, we felt confident and informed.

Midge Mogck

“I highly recommend them!”

I hired Safe Harbor Estate Law to do my estate plan including a living trust, power of attorney, and health care directive. They made the process easy by explaining everything clearly, being organized, and answering my questions.

Christy Ehlert-Mackie

“Safe Harbor people were friendly, knowledgeable and thorough.”

They listened to our wants and needs and drafted the documents we needed to feel secure in having the best estate plan possible for us and our family.

Laure LaFond

See what other Safe Harbor Estate Law clients are saying about their experience.

Guiding You Through The Process Of Protecting Your Family And Assets

The Four Cs - Our Unique Approach to Estate Planning in Minnesota

Care

We care, and it shows. You’re not just a number to us. We listen, and we ask questions. We strive to improve our client’s lives every day.

Communicate

Our firm goes above and beyond to make you feel comfortable throughout the process so you feel informed and confident every step of the way.

Customized

We help you leave a legacy that is smoother, less expensive, and less hassle for your loved ones with a plan that is uniquely tailored to your goals.

Complete

Our team is motivated to help you experience smooth sailing from start to finish so everything is done thoroughly and properly.

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Estate Planning Tools & Asset Protection Strategies

for Residents of St. Paul, MN and Western Wisconsin

Estate Planning Elder Law Medicaid Planning Asset Protection

Estate And Trust Administration

Wills Probate Special Needs Planning Power Of Attorney Trust Incapacity Planning Guardianship

how can we help?

Estate Planning & Asset Protection Workshops

I attended a free seminar to learn about getting a Will. I learned so much more than I expected! I then hired Safe Harbor Estate Law to create a Will, POA and Trust. The process was very simple!

I highly recommend everyone to contact Safe Harbor to help you too!

— Cindy Olson

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