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Jimmie “Tic Tac” McMillian received the Indiana Lawyer’s 2009 Diversity in Practice Award at the Conrad in downtown Indianapolis on November 20. He also served as a panelist at a breakout session at that meeting entitled “Retaining and Promoting Your Investment: Learn Ways to Engage Multicultural Lawyers and Develop a Multicultural Law Firm.”

McMillian, who recently became a partner at Barnes & Thornburg LLP, also received the Rabb Emison Award from the Racial Diversity in the Legal Profession Committee at the Indiana State Bar Association’s annual meeting in the Fall of 2009. McMillian currently serves as General Counsel for the ISBA.

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, McMillian served as a barrister on the Moot Court Team and was a member of the Trial Advocacy Team. 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.

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 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, 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.

McMillian currently serves as the Chairman of the Marion County Public Defender’s Agency Board of Directors. 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. McMillian is also a certified civil mediator in the state of Indiana.

He is a frequent motivational speaker at community and civic organizations focused on helping young people, particularly African Americans. The Indiana Lawyer reported that his nominator for the Diversity in Practice Award identified his “determination and passion for inspiring young people to set their goals high.”