Benjamin J. McMichael

Benjamin J. McMichael is an Associate Professor of Law and Director of the Interdisciplinary Legal Studies Initiative at the University of Alabama School of Law. He joined the law faculty in 2018 after completing a postdoctoral fellowship at Vanderbilt's Owen Graduate School of Management, where he taught healthcare law and economics.

Professor McMichael's educational background includes:

• BS in Mathematical Economics from Wake Forest University
• JD and PhD in law and economics from Vanderbilt University, where he was a University Graduate Fellow and served as an articles editor for the Vanderbilt Law Review

Prior to joining Alabama, McMichael served as a law clerk to Judge Carolyn Dineen King on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. His scholarly work has been published in top-tier law reviews including the Stanford Law Review, University of Illinois Law Review, Lewis & Clark Law Review, Journal of Empirical Legal Studies, and Southern Economic Journal.

McMichael's research employs empirical methods from economics to examine critical issues at the intersection of law and healthcare. His work demonstrates consistent engagement with pressing healthcare policy issues, from the opioid crisis to reproductive rights and organ allocation systems. His scholarship on apology laws, scope of practice regulations, and punitive damages has provided valuable evidence for policymakers seeking to improve healthcare outcomes through legal interventions.

As Director of the Interdisciplinary Legal Studies Initiative, McMichael fosters collaboration between legal scholars and researchers from other disciplines, particularly economics and healthcare fields. His leadership in this role demonstrates his commitment to advancing legal scholarship through interdisciplinary approaches that bridge theoretical analysis with practical healthcare implications.