Attorney at Law Magazine had the opportunity to sit down with Ann Peldo Cargile, a partner at Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP and recently named one of Nashville Business Journal’s 2020 Women of Influence.
AALM: Why did you choose the area of real estate law?
Cargile: When I was in college my summer job was doing pre-wire work for the telephone company. I went to a lot of constructions sites and loved seeing projects coming out of the ground. When I clerked for my firm in the summer before I graduated from law school, I worked on closing a sale and financing of a project. I really enjoyed working on something tangible, and even drove out to the project to see in person what I had been reviewing on a survey.
AALM: Tell us about one of the most important lessons you learned from a personal or professional mentor.
Cargile: Your reputation is your most valuable asset. I can’t tell you how many times I have gotten deals done because the people I am working with know that they can count on me to do what I promised.
AALM: What is the most important lesson your parents taught you?
Cargile: My parents taught me that there is no barrier to what I can do just because I am female. My dad taught me to work on cars and how to build things. I remember receiving a kit to build an electronic metronome for Christmas one year, and I had a ton of fun soldering the components on the board and putting it together.
AALM: What are you most proud of professionally or personally?
Cargile: Professionally I am most proud of all of the relationships I have built over the years, not just with my clients, but also with my partners, who are a wonderful group with whom I have practiced with for 34 years. I have also developed a lot of friends across the nation with my involvement in the American College of Real Estate Lawyers and the International Council of Shopping Centers. In fact, I have a women’s wine group formed from the ICSC and we are having our 17th annual wine trip this year.
AALM: Tell us about a book, movie or event that changed your perspective on the practice of law.
Cargile: “To Kill a Mockingbird,” the book, the movie and the play (which we saw in New York last summer). Atticus Finch is the bellwether for what attorneys ought to do. One should always do the right thing even if it is unpopular.
AALM: Tell us about your life outside the law.
Cargile: I have a bunch of eclectic interests. I do a lot of fermentation based cooking (e.g., sourdough bread, homemade yoghurt and pickling). I like to hike and fly fish. I love Broadway shows and going to great restaurants. We have season tickets to the opera and the symphony. I raised two college soccer players, and now that they are out of the house and there are no local games, my husband and I got season tickets to the new MLS team in Nashville. I also do the New York times crossword in ink every Sunday.
