A recent candidate for Minnesota Supreme Court justice, Michelle MacDonald has more than 30 years of experience working as an attorney, Conciliation court judge, and adjunct referee in Minnesota. Since 2007, Michelle MacDonald has operated her own law firm in West St. Paul, Minnesota, where she specializes in estate planning, family law, and appeals. She previously served as partner with Kallas & MacDonald, which was established in 1994.

Michelle MacDonald also served as a small claims court Judge of the Hennepin County District Court from 1999 to 2014, during which time she presided over hundreds of small claims court matters and earned a Years of Service Award. She also held the role of adjunct referee of the Hennepin County Family Court from 1992 to 2012. Supplementing her varied pursuits in the legal sector, she is the author of Sandra Grazzini-Rucki & The World's Last Custody Trial and has held editor and publisher roles on two other books relating to family law. She founded Family Innocence, a nonprofit dedicated to keeping families out of court, and holds membership in the National Association of Community & Restorative Justice, among other professional organizations. She earned her juris doctor from Suffolk University Law School, and she also holds a bachelor's degree in communications and English from Boston College.