Milton O. Thompson is counsel with the law firm of Bleeke Dillon Crandall. Milt is most recognized for sports and entertainment law, but he also focuses in business law and consulting for entrepreneurs and non-profits, small business financing, and MBE and WBE certification. He graduated from Wittenberg University with a B.A. and from Indiana University Maurer School of Law - Bloomington.
Milton served as the president and CEO of Grand Slam – a sports, entertainment, and recreation management consulting firm. He was also co-founder of Play Ball Indiana which is now called Indy RBI (Program of Major League Baseball), a former certified Contract Advisor with the NFL and NBA Players Association, and a Board Member of the Indianapolis Indians Baseball Club. He hosted the weekly radio show "Playing for Keeps" which is now a television show where he interviews the nation’s top sports celebrities.
Well-known for his work in community development, sports and recreation planning, and in building community collaborations through effective partnerships, Milt served as President and Interim Director of Big Brothers while merging with Big Sisters to create Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Central Indiana. He also played a key role in negotiating the merger between the Legacy Fund and the Indianapolis Foundation in 1997 to develop the Central Indiana Community Foundation of which he was the inaugural chair. That organization now has accumulated assets of more than one billion dollars. Now, Milt serves as the Indianapolis Foundation’s appointment to the Impact Board of Directors as well as the Women’s Fund Advisory Board. Thompson has served on the Indianapolis Bond Bank and then on to the Capital Improvement Board. Thompson served as a board member of Visit Indy and it’s Tourism of Tomorrow Board of Directors.
Milt Thompson is currently the Chairman of Board for the Indianapolis English Foundation and has also been named as Chairman for the Crown Hill Board of Managers. Furthermore, Milt is currently Chairman of the Board for the Indiana State Gaming Commission. In addition, he serves on the faculty for the National Business Institute.
His commitment to the community is attested by his many civic involvements including serving as Chair of the Indianapolis Foundation and as the Chairman of the Indiana University Maurer School of Law Board of Visitors as well as President of its Alumni Association. In addition, he was the former General Counsel and Vice President of Corporate Development for the Pan American Games. Thompson also held the position of Vice President of Indiana Sports Corporation where he led the effort for an Olympic training center. A former First Team All-American baseball player at his college alma mater, Milt has been a member of the college's Wittenberg Board of Trustees and is now an Emeritus Director. A former Marion County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney, his honors include the 2004 Business & Philanthropy Award from the National Center for Black Philanthropy in Washington, D.C. and was included on the "Indiana Super Lawyers" list in the Indianapolis Monthly Magazine. In 1997, he received his law school’s distinguished service award. Milt was inducted in 2007 to the most prestigious honor the law school offers as a member of the Academy of Law Alumni Fellows. Thompson was also given the Phi Kappa Psi National Service Award for his unparalleled leadership to our nation. Most recently, Thompson was awarded the prestigious Whistler Award and a national service award for his outstanding civic achievements for the city of Indianapolis in 2020.
Areas of Practice
Bar Admissions
Education
Honors and Awards
Professional Associations and Memberships
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