Professor Lance McMillian, acclaimed author of the best-selling Atlanta Murder Squad crime series, recently addressed the Columbus Bar Association during its monthly meeting at the Chattahoochee River Club in Columbus, Georgia. He was introduced by Superior Court Judge Carolyn Burch of the Chattahoochee Judicial Circuit.
Speaking to an audience of judges, attorneys, and AJMLS alumni, Professor McMillian began by sharing exciting updates from Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School. Highlights included the start of Marty Ellin’s tenure as Dean, record-setting ultimate bar passage rates among recent graduates, and the launch of the new Criminal and Civil Justice Institute.
Professor McMillian then turned to his passion for legal fiction, reflecting on what inspired him to become a novelist. In a world dominated by fleeting forms of communication such as texts, emails, social media posts, legal briefs, and law review articles, he emphasized that books offer a unique and enduring medium to speak not only to the present but also to future generations.
The conversation continued with an engaging Q&A session, during which Professor McMillian discussed his creative process, the balance between fiction and reality, and the deeper truths that great storytelling can reveal about law and justice.
Columbus, the third-largest city in Georgia and the heart of the seven-county Chattahoochee Judicial Circuit, is home to one of the state’s most active local bar associations. The Columbus Bar Association regularly hosts thought-provoking speakers who contribute to the legal community’s professional and cultural enrichment.
Since 2020, Professor McMillian has published seven novels: The Murder of Sara Barton, Death to the Chief, To Kill a Lawyer, A Hard Way to Die, The Just and the Unjust, Street Girls, and, most recently, A Town on Trial. BookLife, a branch of Publishers Weekly, praised A Town on Trial as “polished, plainspoken … with a unique framing device … that reads like a memoir, examining the impact of a killing in a small community, including the racial prejudice lurking beneath the surface of a post-Jim Crow South.”
Professor McMillian’s novels have achieved best-seller status across major platforms including Kindle, Audible Plus, Apple Books, and Nook. His work has even held the position of #1 Best-Selling Legal Thriller in the World. Beyond fiction, his scholarly writing has appeared in leading law journals such as the North Carolina Law Review, Wisconsin Law Review, Washington and Lee Law Review, Alabama Law Review, and many others.