Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School’s (AJMLS) very own, Professor Lance McMillian, acclaimed legal scholar and bestselling crime novelist, was recently invited to speak at the Summer Conference for Georgia’s Superior Court Judges, held on Jekyll Island. The event marked another milestone in McMillian’s unique blending of legal insight and fictional storytelling.
During the Humanities session of the conference, Professor McMillian led a lively discussion centered on his gripping legal thriller, Death to the Chief, which imagines the high-stakes murder of the Chief Justice of the Georgia Supreme Court. Speaking to a captivated audience of forty Superior Court Judges, he explored how fiction can often illuminate truths that traditional legal scholarship cannot fully capture.
“Fiction allows us to explore the law’s deepest contradictions and social impacts in a way academic writing sometimes cannot,” McMillian shared.
The judges engaged enthusiastically, raising questions about his creative process, the blurred boundaries between fiction and reality, and the narrative power of the written word.
McMillian is no stranger to pushing boundaries. In the last five years, he has authored six additional novels: The Murder of Sara Barton, To Kill a Lawyer, A Hard Way to Die, The Just and the Unjust, Street Girls, and A Town on Trial, all of which tackle critical legal and social issues. From questioning the administration of the death penalty to exposing abuses in asset forfeiture, his work shines a stark light on the complexities of justice.
His novels have reached widespread acclaim, hitting best-seller lists across Kindle, Audible Plus, Apple Books, and Nook. Death to the Chief notably achieved the title of Number 1 Best-Selling Legal Thriller in the world.
In addition to his fiction writing, Professor McMillian maintains a robust academic presence. His scholarly work has appeared in prestigious journals such as the North Carolina Law Review, Wisconsin Law Review, Washington and Lee Law Review, and Alabama Law Review, among many others.
Georgia’s Superior Court Judges, who oversee a wide range of civil and criminal matters including jury trials and death penalty cases, found McMillian’s blend of legal scholarship and fiction especially resonant. His talk offered a fresh perspective on the stories that unfold daily in their courtrooms.
The Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School community congratulates Professor McMillian on this well-deserved recognition and applauds his continued efforts to inspire, challenge, and educate both inside and outside the courtroom.