Gerald Michaud è nato nel 1929 e si è laureato in Legge  all'Università di Washburn ed è stato un notissimo avvocato specializzato nel perseguire la malasanità.

  Jerry fece parte del team direttivo dell'Università nel quale si laureò e di cui divenne munifico benefattore.

 Sposato con Shannon ebbe quattro figli e fu membro delle principali Associazioni Civilistiche del suo Paese.

 Jerry fu un valente bridgista capace di vincere tre NABC's tra cui il Jacoby del 1990 e di far parte di una delle nazionali USA che parteciparono alla Rosenblum Cup del 1978.

  Morì nella sua casa il 18 luglio del 2005.

Gerald Michaud, 1951, attended Washburn University where he earned his bachelor's degree in 1949 and his law degree in 1951. He graduated cum laude from law school and was on the Board of the Law Review. Michaud is known as a world-class medical malpractice lawyer whose career includes numerous ground breaking cases. Some of those cases include: proving benzene caused cancer which won a $34 million verdict against Texaco; proving birth control pills caused strokes, kidney disease, heart disease, blood clots and hair loss, and forcing drug companies to reformulate the pills with less estrogen; and proving super-absorbent tampons caused toxic shock syndrome and winning an $11 million verdict from International Playtex in the 1983 death of a Wichita woman. The company voluntarily recalled the product two weeks after the trial and changed it to make it safer.

Michaud's illustrious career began in 1959, 8 years after graduating from law school, when he won a law suit on behalf of a woman who had become deaf as a result of an allergic reaction to a tetanus shot.

Michaud's law career consisted of representing the underdog and helping those who needed help but couldn't help themselves. Michaud retired in 1995. In 2002, he came out of retirement for a short time to help his daughter Cameron Michaud-Drumright in her law career after graduating from Washburn Law.

Michaud never forgot Washburn University. He and his law firm, Michaud, Cordry, Michaud, Hutton & Hutton, made a generous contribution of $1,000,000 to establish an endowed chair at Washburn – the Ahrens Chair in Tort Law in 1986. Michaud named the chair after Professor Emeritus James R. Ahrens, his former law school professor.

Michaud was a noted presenter at the school on numerous occasions and was a distinguished speaker at the Ahrens Tort Symposium in 1996. He served on the Washburn Law School Association Board of Governors from 1986 to 1989 and again from 1991 to 1994. He received the Distinguished Service Award from the Washburn Law School Association in 1997 and received an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Washburn University in 1986. He also received the Washburn University President's Award in 1997 for recognition of his work on behalf of higher education.

Michaud and his wife Shannon were generous to Washburn Law in other ways as well. In 1996, they gave Washburn Law the "Wings of Freedom" by Sandy Scott. The 4,000 pound bronze eagle sculpture has a 22 foot wing span and is located on the northwest lawn of the Law School. In 2000, he donated a bronze sculpture of Benjamin Franklin by George Lundeen, which sits on the south side of the Law School. In 2002, Michaud donated another sculpture, Thomas Jefferson drafting the Declaration of Independence, also by Lundeen. This piece was given to commemorate the graduation of Michaud's daughter and son-in-law, Cameron and Greg Dumright, both from Washburn Law.

Michaud was a member of the Inner Circle of Advocates, an invitation-only group limited to 100 lawyers nationwide. He was active in many organizations including: Wichita, Kansas and American Bar Associations; Wichita Trial Lawyers Association (president, 1971 to 1973); Kansas Trial Lawyers Association (Board of Governors 1964; vice-president 1968 to 1972; president 1975 to 1980; chairman Continuing Legal Education Committee 1979 to 1980); The Association of Trial Lawyers of America (Medical Professional Liability Committee 1971 to 1980, Board of Governors 1985); charter member, Kansas Chapter, American Board of Trial Advocates (president 1974 to 1975); founding member, American Board of Professional Liability Attorneys; diplomat, American Board of Trial Advocates; International Society of Barristers; and International Academy of Trial Lawyers. Michaud received the Kansas Trial Lawyers Association Distinguished Service Award in 1998.

Good bridge player, he won three NABC included 1990 Jacoby and was part of one of the USA Team at Rosenblum Cup of 1978.

Michaud spent his career working as an advocate and supporter of his clients, Washburn University and Washburn Law. Michaud died July 18, 2005, at the age of 76.