MICHELLE M. WATSON

Ms. Watson was born in Anchorage, Alaska, and received a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminology from Florida State University in 1994.  She graduated cum laude from Washburn University School of Law in 1997, where she was Comments Editor of Washburn Law Journal.  She was admitted to practice in 1997.  She is admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of Kansas, the United States District Court for Kansas, and the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Ms. Watson practiced in the appeals division of the Sedgwick County District Attorney’s office before joining the former Boyer, Donaldson & Stewart firm in 1999, which merged with Gilliland & Hayes in 2002.

She is an owner in the firm, where she has been involved in several medical malpractice defense and hospital law cases, including Donnell v. HCA Health Services of Kansas, Inc., 29 Kan App 2d 426 (2001) and Nold v. Binyon et al, 272 Kan. 87 (Kan 2001) in which significant rulings were made in hospital law and medical malpractice litigation.  She has lectured on the topic of HIPAA for many local and national organizations and on consent and guest services issues for Wesley Medical Center. 

She is a member of the Wichita Bar Association and the Kansas Bar Association, the Kansas Association of Hospital Attorneys, the Kansas Association of Defense Counsel, and the Defense Research Institute.  She also is a member of the Civil Practice Committee and the Medical-Legal Committee (chair 2003-2005) of the Wichita Bar Association. 

Significant Cases: Donnell v. HCA Health Services, Inc., 29 Kan. App. 2d 426; Nold v. Binyon et al., 272 Kan. 87; Ely v. Hitchcock, 30 Kan. App. 2d 1226; Holt v. Wesley, 277 Kan. 536; State v. Lumley, 267 Kan. 4; State v. Lee, 266 Kan. 1044; State v. Giles, 27 Kan. App. 2d 340