Web Exclusive: Meet the Judges: Crawford Circuit Judge Justin Mills

IL file photo

Crawford Circuit Judge Justin Mills didn’t initially start his career in the legal field.

“Being an attorney wasn’t exactly on the radar when I was in high school or whenever I was going through undergrad,” Mills said.

So, after graduating from Indiana State University with a bachelor’s degree in business administration, he worked at an insurance company in the litigation department.

That’s where the spark ignited.

Mills went on to earn his J.D. from Southern University Law Center in Louisiana, graduating in 2011.

After working in private practice and as a deputy prosecutor, he was appointed to the Crawford Circuit Court bench in September 2022, replacing former judge Sabrina Bell.

He was officially elected to the bench in the November 2022 general election.

Now serving as the only judge in the county of about 10,500, Mills is the latest Indiana trial court judge to be featured in Indiana Lawyer’s Spotlight series that profiles judges in more rural communities. Here is what he had to say about life on and off the bench.

What led you to law school?
I ended up going to law school after I worked in the insurance field and in the litigation department for an insurance company. I did that for a few years and just kind of got familiar with the court system and trials and depositions, the attorneys I was working with, and so eventually that piqued my interest and that’s what led me to kind of get the ball rolling to go to law school.

What was your first job out of law school?
I worked for Dillman Chastain Byrd in Corydon, Indiana, right out of law school. That was in 2011. I started working for them just as an associate.

What is something you’ve learned about yourself since becoming a judge?
I was a criminal defense attorney prior to being a judge. I traveled around quite a bit across the state to different courthouses every day. That’s pretty active and pretty busy. And then now what I’m doing is the complete opposite. I’m sitting in one place all day, every day. I think having a lot more patience and not bouncing around every day, all day, is a quality that I’ve learned that I had that I didn’t exactly know that I have. Just the level of patience is something I guess I discovered.

What is something you would change about the legal profession, if you could?
In Crawford County, there’s a lot of individuals that can’t afford an attorney or don’t have the means or the ability to pay for representation, so we get a lot of pro se people or a lot of people that represent themselves in litigation. If there was easier access or an easier way to gain or obtain representation, because a lot of people are being wronged or need to pursue litigation. They just don’t have the financial means to do it.

What is something you wished people knew about the legal profession?
A lot of people don’t understand the negotiating and correspondence that goes on between attorneys or prosecutors and attorneys every day or throughout the weeks leading up to a court date. A lot of people just come to court for their court date and they’re here for a minute and that’s all that they see; they don’t understand the happenings that’s behind the scenes or the things that go on in jury trials outside of the presence of the jury. A lot of people don’t understand those things or what goes on. And so there’s just a level of, I don’t want to say confusion, but there’s just a level of the process that the general public doesn’t get to see and doesn’t understand.

What is some advice you would give to a young attorney?
I think as a young attorney or coming out of law school, finding a mentor or an individual or a group of individuals that can guide you or you can ask questions to is probably the most important thing you can do. Being able to ask a lot of questions to someone who will give you the honest answers is very valuable. You don’t want to go at it alone right out of the gate, so I would say find someone you can ask questions to, and I would say be willing to get into the courtroom as soon as possible. Courtrooms are not for everybody. A lot of attorneys don’t go to trial or go into the courtroom often, but I would say to get in the trenches and have trials and get in the courtroom and get as much experience as you can.

Given that you are still fairly new to your court, are there some things you’re looking to change?
We’ve been implementing some things since last September when I came in. No major changes right now. We’ve got the court schedule where we’re having specific types of cases on specific days of the week to try and get everything organized. We’ve worked through — still are working through — but worked through a backlog of cases that needed to be closed out in the state database. So nothing crazy, but just basically making updates and improvements. Right now, literally they’re implementing a new recording and sound system in the entire courtroom because it’s outdated, needs to be updated. So nothing Earth-shattering, but basically just kind of bringing everything up to speed.

What are some of the things you do when you’re not on the bench?
Well, I’ve got a wife and four kids that keep me really busy, so I’m usually doing something with my family. We travel a lot. I have a 120-acre farm, so I’ve got sheep and chickens and we grow crops, so there’s always something to do every day.

Is there anything you’ve found surprising about being a judge?
Well, I mean, I’d always heard about when you’re a one-person judge, a one-court county, just it’s a secluded job. I went from seeing all of my attorney friends every day and in three or four counties across Indiana and really networking and socializing every day, to now I’m here in one place every day, all day. So it’s a situation where you’re kind of working with your staff, but for the most part you’re by yourself working. I’d always heard about it, but it’s a different environment. It is very different than actually practicing out in the field.•