03/06/2026
Congratulations, Ben McMichael, Class of 2005! We are so proud to call you !
🌟 Congratulations to the Tattnall Square Academy 2026 Joe Magnan Alumnus of the Year, Dr. Ben McMichael!
🟦 A 2005 Tattnall honor graduate, McMichael furthered his education at Wake Forest University, where he received a BS degree in Mathematical Economics and graduated summa cm laude. He was a University Graduate Fellow and an articles editor for the Vanderbilt Law Review. He went on to earn both a JD from Vanderbilt University School of Law and a PhD in Law and Economics in 2015. McMichael completed his postdoctoral fellowship at Vanderbilt’s Owen Graduate School of Management, where he taught healthcare law and economics. Prior to his fellowship, he worked as a law clerk for Judge Carolyn Dineen King on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.
🟨 Dr. McMichael’s research and areas of expertise include Healthcare Law, Law and Economics, and Torts. He has published over 30 articles in legal, economic, and medical journals, including the Georgetown Law Journal, Wake Forest Law Review, Stanford Law Review, and Yale Law Journal. In 2018, he accepted a position at the University of Alabama School of Law and currently serves as the Jere L. Beasley Professor of Law. He was named an Outstanding Faculty Member in 2021 and 2025 and has been selected every year since 2021 to the esteemed faculty hooding team chosen by the graduating class.
🟦 When asked what fostered his love for Tattnall, Ben points emphatically to “the people. The teachers were the best I’ve ever had, and that’s with ten years of post-secondary education. There simply is nothing like the teachers at Tattnall. They were always willing to go the extra mile, and the preparation for later life was second-to-none.”
🟨 The Tattnall tradition runs deep in the McMichael family, as he is the son of longtime Tattnall supporters, Gay and Debbie McMichael, and his sister, Gaylyn McMichael Vinson ‘07, and her husband, Caleb ‘07, are the parents of current Tattnall Trojans. Ben and his wife Paxton are raising two children, Quentin (11) and Alastor (8).
🌟 We are proud to celebrate Dr. McMichael’s achievements and the impact he continues to make. Once a Trojan, always a Trojan!