Jake McMillian is Dickinson Wright’s Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and is located in the firm’s Chicago office. In this role, he works alongside senior firm leadership and the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee to address issues related to diverse attorney recruitment, retention, and promotion; organizational culture and equity; diversity program development; and community engagement. As a licensed attorney admitted to the bar in the state of Missouri, Jake has spent his entire career engaged in diversity, equity, and inclusion work.
Prior to joining Dickinson Wright, Jake served in similar roles at two multinational law firms, and also spent almost three years in higher education at UIC John Marshall Law School.
Education & Credentials
Education
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Ed.D., Diversity & Equity in Education, Projected 2023University of Kansas School of Law
J.D., 2015- Walter Hiersteiner Award for Outstanding Service
Ottawa University
B.A., English, Business Administration, Ethnic Studies (minor), 2012- summa cum laude
- Presidential Scholar (full-tuition scholarship)
Bar Admission
Acknowledgements
- Outstanding Alumni Award, University of Kansas Student Involvement & Leadership Center, May 2016
- Walter Hiersteiner Award for Outstanding Service, University of Kansas School of Law, May 2015
- Martin Luther King, Jr. "Keep the Dream Alive" Award for Diversity, City of Ottawa, Kansas, January 2011
Publications/Presentations
- Author, “After ‘I Do’: The Next Frontiers of LGBTQ Liberation,” The Federal Lawyer, June 2015
- Co-Author, “Electronic Cigarettes: A Toolkit to Address Policy Needs of Communities and Public Health in Kansas,” The University of Kansas School of Medicine, The University of Kansas School of Law, and The University of Kansas Cancer Center, April 2015
- Author, “Believing in the Magic,” Journal of the Kansas Bar Association, April 2014