John D. Cartier

John D. Cartier is a seasoned attorney with a diverse background in civil matters, government relations, and election law. He has provided his legal services through Cartier Law in Lincoln, NE, where he represented clients in discrimination claims and advised nonprofits on employment and compliance matters.

“John joined our team as legal counsel amidst the complex 2020 summer in which protest rallies focused our local and national lives. During that episode and ever since, John has walked unflinchingly alongside our grassroots-developing non-profit organization and offered invaluable guidance and advocacy. It is no exaggeration to say our integrity was protected and infrastructure made increasingly robust toward non-profit maturity because of John Cartier.”

SARAH

“John was compassionate, responsive, culturally sensitive, and knowledgeable about the exact ways to assist me with my challenges. His patience and personability allowed me to feel comfortable, safe, and fully represented as a woman, woman of color, and a survivor. Thank you, John, for all the work you do for Nebraskans!”

DENISHA

John began his career as Voting Rights Director for Civic Nebraska. While in this position, he led Nebraska’s largest nonpartisan election observation program in partnership with the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. During his tenure he also oversaw Nebraska Counts, Nebraska’s only Complete Count Committee who worked in tandem with the Census Bureau. This program was such a success to where Nebraska consistently ranked in the top 5 states for self-response rates and the city of Lincoln finished number one compared to every other city in America of more than 250,000 in population.

Since 2020, John has served clients under Cartier Law, LLC. His first batch of clients were protestors who were arrested during the George Floyd protests in Lincoln for curfew violations. Everyone he represented would go on to have their charges ultimately dropped. His current docket consists primarily of employment discrimination cases against high-profile employers and advising nonprofits and elections on compliance matters.

Before transitioning to Cartier Law full time, John was General Counsel of For Our Future Action Fund’s, the nation’s largest standing fulltime progressive field operation supporting pro-union candidates across 5 battleground states. At the peak of the 2022 election, he oversaw campaign finance compliance and employment-related issues for over 5,000 employees. Currently, John is an attorney for Omnus Law, where he continues to serve his own clients while working with an employer who uniquely combines the expertise of leading industry attorneys with innovative, client-focused practices, redefining the standard for legal services.

• S., University of Findlay, 1995
• D., Western Michigan University Cooley Law School, 1999

• Nebraska
• S. District Court of Nebraska

• Juris Doctor concentration Constitutional Law, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2017
• S. in Business Marketing and minor in journalism, Concordia University, Nebraska, 2014

• Nominated for Lincoln Young Professionals Group 2020 Young Lincoln Leader Award

• Board of Advisors, Students Learn Students Vote Coalition
• Superintendent’s Facility Advisory Committee Member, Lincoln Public Schools
• Executive Committee Member, Nebraska Bar Association Public Interest Law Section