Monday Profile: Peggy MacDougall

Peggy MacDougall attended the University of Aberdeen in Aberdeen, Scotland, and reluctantly returned to the states to graduate from Alma College in 1981 and Thomas M. Cooley Law School in 1984. She worked as a litigation attorney for 25 years, handling a wide range of civil cases in the mid-Michigan area. MacDougall is now the program manager for mediation at Resolution Services Center of Central Michigan (RSCCM), a non-profit conflict resolution organization that helps individuals, families, businesses, youth and organizations resolve conflict through mediation, facilitation and restorative practices. She is a trained civil, domestic, special education and elder law mediator and also trains civil mediators through training programs conducted at RSCCM and Thomas M. Cooley Law School. She serves as adjunct faculty at Cooley, where she teaches Interviewing and Counseling. What is your most treasured material possession? My cat, Sampson. What advice do you have for someone considering law school? Remember, it's not like what you see on TV! Favorite local hangouts: Bookstores. Favorite websites: dailymail.com. Favorite CD: Motown and anything by Jimmy Buffet or Bob Seger. What is your happiest childhood memory? Traveling around the country with my parents. What would surprise people about your job? What a great feeling you get when you help people in conflict situations find solutions to their disputes. What do you wish someone would invent? A robot to do my laundry. Why did you become a lawyer? I loved the idea of being in a courtroom and helping people solve problems â?¦ and I was in love with Perry Mason! If you could trade places with someone for a day, who would that be? Adele. What's the most awe-inspiring place you've ever been? The Isle of Iona, in Scotland. What did you do last weekend? Met with Cooley students from my Interviewing and Counseling class. If you could have one super power, what would it be? The power to make time stand still. What would you say to your 16-year-old self? Don't sweat the small stuff. What is your proudest moment as a lawyer? Helping families in turmoil who were seeking guardianships and conservatorships over elderly parents. What do you do to relax? Travel, read, play the guitar and scrapbook. How would you describe your home? Eclectic. Any regrets? I regret working a little too much in my early years as a lawyer, and not taking a little more time for myself. What is one thing you would like to learn to do? Play the bagpipes. What is something most people don't know about you? I collect Amelia Earhart memorabilia. If you could have dinner with three people, living or dead, who would they be? Winston Churchill, Amelia Earhart, and J.K. Rowling What is the best advice you ever received? You can do anything if you put your mind to it. What do you drive? A cross-over What would you drive if money were no object? A 1955 two-seater Thunderbird. Favorite place to spend money: Antique and craft stores. What is your motto? Keep calm and carry on. What would you like carved onto your tombstone? You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough. Published: Mon, Dec 08, 2014