Disciplinary difficulties prompt suspension of Michelle MacDonald's law license

Attorney and former state Supreme Court candidate Michelle MacDonald has had her license to practice law in Minnesota suspended for 60 days, state regulators announced Wednesday.

The suspension by the same court MacDonald wished to join includes a two-year probationary period.

The Office of Lawyers Professional Responsibility, which oversees attorney licensing in the state, had sought to have the 56-year-old MacDonald, of Rosemount, undergo a mental health evaluation, but the court denied that request.

The Supreme Court's suspension pointed to many instances of professional misconduct by MacDonald, including in 2013 when she interrupted a Dakota County judge in open court dozens of times, questioned the judge's ability to be objective, failed to properly prepare for a court appearance, took photographs in court and other disruptive behavior that led to her arrest.

Once MacDonald's probation kicks in, conditions include abiding by the rules of professional conduct, practice law only as part of a group and under direct supervision of another attorney in Minnesota and receive continuing education coursework that includes instruction on trial preparation and courtroom decorum.

MacDonald's failed candidacy for the state Supreme Court also came with discipline. In late 2016, she was fined $500 for violating state campaign-finance law when she claimed that she was endorsed by a state Republican Party convention committee in 2014.

Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482