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Jimmie "Tic Tac" McMillian, '02 received the "Up & Coming" Award from the Center for Leadership Development during the organization’s 29th Annual Minority Business & Professional Achievers Recognition Dinner on March 23. The “Up & Coming” award category recognizes “talented individuals with promising futures of achievement who are 35 years of age or less.” Mr. McMillian is an associate in Barnes & Thornburg LLP’s Indianapolis office and a member of the Litigation Department.

Mr. McMillian received his B.A. in political science in 1998 from Indiana University–Bloomington, and his J.D. in 2002 from the Indiana University School of Law–Indianapolis. As a law student, Mr. McMillian served as a barrister on the Moot Court Team and was a member of the Trial Advocacy Team. He was awarded the 2001 F. Emerson Boyd Trial Advocacy Scholarship, the 2001-2002 Student Bar Association Student Speaker Award, and the 2002 John Morton Finney Award for Promoting Diversity. He currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors for the Indiana University School of Law–Indianapolis Alumni Association and serves as the Vice-President of the Neal Marshall Alumni Association. From 2002 to 2004, he served as law clerk to the Honorable Justice Frank Sullivan, Jr., of the Indiana Supreme Court.

Mr. McMillian is a member of the Indiana Bar Association, the Indianapolis Bar Association (IBA), and Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. He serves as an instructor for the IBA Bar Review Course and has taught Criminal Law and the Multistate Performance Test to aspiring attorneys. A Lifetime Member of the Marion County Bar Association, he has served as the organization’s President. In 2007, National Bar Association President Vanita Banks appointed Mr. McMillian to be her Deputy Chief of Staff. He also serves as a member of the Board of Directors for Reach for Youth, Inc. and participates in their Teen Court Program, a juvenile diversion program for first-time offenders. In 2005, he received Barnes & Thornburg’s Pro Bono Attorney of the Year Award and the Honorable Carr L. Darden Leadership Award. In 2006, he was recognized by The Indiana Lawyer as one of 10 “Up and Coming Lawyers” and received the publication’s Leadership in Law Award.

In 2007, Mr. McMillian received the Indianapolis Urban League’s NEXT Award, was honored with the Mayor’s Community Service Award from former Indianapolis Mayor Bart Peterson, and graduated from the IBA’s Bar Leader Series. In 2008, he was named to the Indianapolis Business Journal’s “Forty under 40” list and was included in the Fifth Edition of Who’s Who in Black Indianapolis. Mr. McMillian was also accepted into the Stanley K. Lacy Executive Leadership Series Class XXXIII, named the recipient of the United Way Minority Volunteer Recognition Award, and awarded the Indiana University Charlie Nelms Alumni Award for his commitment to diversity and advocacy on behalf of the disenfranchised.
In addition to fulfilling responsibilities for a variety of clients at Barnes & Thornburg, Mr. McMillian has remained active in serving youth in the community. In 2006, he was invited to serve as a member of Mayor Peterson and City County Councilman Monroe Gray’s Blue Ribbon Community Crime Prevention Task Force, and Co-Chaired the Youth Engagement Committee. As Co-Chair, Mr. McMillian assisted in drafting a committee report that suggested methods for deterring and preventing youth from committing violent crimes. Mr. McMillian currently serves as the Chairman of the Marion County Public Defender’s Agency Board of Directors.

Since 2004, Mr. McMillian has been a featured speaker and annual participant with the 100 Black Men/Jack and Jill Beautillion Millitaire Program, where he has addressed issues such as domestic violence, date rape and drunk driving. During the interactive presentations, he has encouraged over 400 young African-American males to make the right decisions.
Since 2005, Mr. McMillian has been a featured speaker and annual participant with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department’s O.K. Program at Arlington High School. His inspirational lectures have captured the attention of the at-risk African American males who participate in the program and inspired them to improve their lives.

In 2005, Mr. McMillian developed the MCBA’s College Application Drive Program, which provides one-on-one assistance for any high school student attempting to complete an application for college. In 2005 and 2006, the program was held at Arsenal Tech High School. Mr. McMillian speaks to junior and senior students, solicits participation in the program, and solicits volunteers from the community to participate as mentors.

He is admitted to practice law in the state of Indiana and the United States District Courts for the Northern and Southern Districts of Indiana. Mr. McMillian is also a certified civil mediator in the state of Indiana.