Michael J. Hannan, III
Biography
Michael J. Hannan, III is Of Counsel in our office in Atlanta, and he is a seasoned litigator who specializes defending clients in an extensive array of medical malpractice, health care, insurance coverage, business litigation, and appellate matters.
With three decades of experience, Michael brings extensive knowledge and trial expertise to his clients in the health care industry and beyond. He has tried more than 20 medical malpractice and insurance cases to verdict, and he has litigated numerous products liability lawsuits, matters under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), and other commercial actions including class action cases.
Before joining Hall Booth Smith in 2019, Michael was a partner at other firms in the metropolitan Atlanta area. Michael has been named a Georgia Super Lawyer by Super Lawyers® for multiple years, and he is AV Preeminent® Peer Review Rated™ among peers through Martindale-Hubbell.
Michael earned a Juris Doctor, cum laude, at the University of Georgia, where he served on the Managerial and Editorial Board of the Georgia Law Review. He also completed a Bachelor of Arts, cum laude, in Political Science at the University of Georgia.
Experience
Appeals court is the last chance to preserve a hard-won victory or reverse an unfavorable outcome, and Michael has helped numerous clients navigate this complex and costly process to achieve their strategic objectives and protect their interests.
Michael works with clients across numerous industries on legal matters that protect their interests and meet their strategic financial and operational goals. He defends clients in complex business and commercial disputes before federal and state courts as well as administrative agencies and alternative dispute resolution forums such as arbitration and mediation.
Michael has tried numerous medical malpractice cases to verdict. He has defended every known boarded specialty. He aggressively defends physicians and other health care workers as well as hospitals, physician groups, clinics, and other providers against a wide range of claims.
Michael represents clients on a variety of claims in both state and federal court, including misrepresentation and fraud, and he handles cases through investigation all the way through claim resolution. In 2001 he prevailed on behalf of a life insurer in the Georgia Court of Appeals on a question of first impression in Georgia regarding the insurer’s duty to investigate.
Credentials
Admitted
State Courts:
- Georgia
- Court of Appeals, Supreme Court
U.S. District Courts:
- U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia
- U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Georgia
U.S. Courts of Appeals:
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
Education
- J.D., cum laude, University of Georgia
- B.A., cum laude, Political Science, University of Georgia
Recognition
- AV Preeminent® Peer Review Rated™, Martindale-Hubbell
- Georgia Super Lawyer, Super Lawyers®; 2009, 2020
- Georgia Rising Star, Super Lawyers®, 2005
Presentations
- Offsets and Recovery of Overpayments
American Conference Institute Annual Conference on Litigating Disability Insurance Claims; January 2012, January 2013 - ERISA Litigation – An Overview of the Basics
2nd Annual State Bar of Georgia Employee Benefits Seminar, March 2011 - New Concerns, Legislation and Emerging Trends in the Punitive Damages Area
American Conference Institute National Advanced Forum on Bad Faith Litigation; November 2010, November 2011 - What Is ERISA?
ICLE Handling Disability Insurance Claims, March 2009
- What Is ERISA?
ICLE Disability Claims for the Employee/Claimant’s Attorney, March 2007 - Determining the Standards of Review in ERISA Long Term Disability Claims
ICLE Handling Long Term Disability Claims Seminars, 2001-2005 - Documentation Issues and Charting for the Future in Georgia
Lorman Education Services Seminar, 2001 - Examination of Defendant’s Expert
ICLE Medical Malpractice at Trial Seminar, 1999
Publications
- What Does ERISA Have to Do With Insurance?
Georgia Bar Journal, June 2009 - The Forensic Neuropsyhological IME
The Journal of the Section of Litigation, Spring 2009 - The Effect of Cipollone: Has the Tobacco Industry Lost Its Impenetrable Shield?
Georgia Law Review, 1989