Michelle M. Watson

Michelle M. Watson is a founding member of Gibson Watson Marino LLC and focuses her practice on litigation defense, health care law, insurance defense, and business law. She represents hospitals, clinics, hospices, physicians, and other healthcare professionals in medical malpractice defense, while also advising business clients on contract disputes, compliance issues, and commercial litigation. Her experience extends to defending high-value cases in both trial and appellate courts.

Michelle earned her J.D., cum laude, from Washburn University School of Law in 1997, where she served as Comments Editor of the Washburn Law Journal. She received her B.S. in Criminology from Florida State University in 1994. She is admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of Kansas, the U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit. Earlier in her career, Michelle worked in the appeals division of the Sedgwick County District Attorney’s office and later joined Boyer, Donaldson & Stewart, which merged with Gilliland & Hayes.

In her health care practice, Michelle regularly advises hospitals and physician groups on compliance matters, including HIPAA, HITECH, Stark, fraud, and abuse laws. She has developed compliance manuals, guided data breach responses, and advised on Office of Civil Rights investigations. She also assists with patient security, ethics committee training, and policy development. Her work is recognized for combining technical knowledge with practical, effective solutions tailored to healthcare providers.

Michelle M. Watson is active in professional and community organizations, including serving on the Wichita Bar Association’s Civil Practice and Medical-Legal Committees, chairing the latter from 2003 to 2005. She is a member of the Kansas Association of Defense Counsel, Defense Research Institute, and the American Health Lawyers Association. She has also served as vice president of legal affairs for Kansas Health Ethics and authored the Kansas chapter for the State Healthcare Privacy Laws Survey.

Law Office Affiliations

• Founding Member, Gibson Watson Marino LLC
• Member, Kansas Bar Association
• Member, Kansas Association of Defense Counsel
• Member, Wichita Bar Association, Civil Practice Committee
• Member, Defense Research Institute
• Member, American Health Lawyers Association
• Chair, Wichita Bar Association, Medical-Legal Committee (2003-2005)

Licensed State

• Kansas

Education

• Washburn University School of Law
  Juris Doctor (JD)
• Florida State University
  Bachelor of Science (BS)

Awards & Badges