{"id":874,"date":"2026-04-06T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-06T06:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.butler.edu\/lacybusiness\/?p=874"},"modified":"2026-04-15T18:14:59","modified_gmt":"2026-04-15T18:14:59","slug":"from-the-tennis-court-to-the-courtroom-christina-fugates-04-journey-from-student-athlete-to-law-firm-partner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.butler.edu\/lacybusiness\/2026\/04\/06\/from-the-tennis-court-to-the-courtroom-christina-fugates-04-journey-from-student-athlete-to-law-firm-partner\/","title":{"rendered":"From the Tennis Court to the Courtroom: Christina Fugate\u2019s \u201804 Journey From Student Athlete to Law Firm Partner"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Written by<\/strong> Brad Seehausen<\/strong>
Marketing and Communications Intern, Lacy School of Business \u201926<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For some, the path from student-athlete finance major to Juris Doctor to law firm partner may not seem obvious. But for Christina Fugate ’04, the connection between her education and legal career was always there. Now, a few decades into her career, she continues to give back to the Lacy School of Business while serving as partner at Ice Miller.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI grew up in a small town in Wisconsin, and when I was being recruited for tennis, I knew I wanted to be in the city, and Indianapolis was the perfect fit for something bigger than where I grew up,\u201d Christina says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Christina with by her tennis teammates.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

When she wasn\u2019t rallying on the tennis courts, Christina was completing her undergraduate finance degree at the Lacy School of Business, subsequently interning at two separate law firms. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat really was helpful is the hands-on experience education that you get at Lacy. It’s not just sitting in a lecture all day. You’re doing real life work in real life scenarios, which forces you out of your comfort zone,\u201d Christina says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After completing a role in which she assisted in preparing evidence for court cases, Christina knew she wanted to pursue a legal degree. She did just that, completing her Juris Doctor at the IU McKinney School of Law in 2007. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After graduating, Christina\u2019s passion for law culminated into her starting position as a clerk for IceMiller. From this, Christina launched into franchise law, her area of expertise. Despite her practice, she acknowledges that her status at the firm means much more than just her title. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI wear a lot of different hats at the firm. I lead our franchise and distribution practice at the firm, whether it\u2019s helping companies become franchised or avoid being franchised. I also am involved with commercial litigation, representing our large clients,\u201d Christina mentions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Apart from her technical aspects of her position, Christina also wears the \u201cmentor hat\u201d for upcoming members in her firm. She understands the importance of having a pipeline of well-trained, young lawyers for the firm, and aims to foster growth among them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her contributions to young professionals do not stop at her firm. Outside of her practice, Christina can be found reinvesting her resources and knowledge back into the Lacy School of Business as the Chair of the Dean\u2019s Advisory Council. Here, she and other business professionals, in both the Lacy School of Business and the greater Indianapolis area, work to develop ideas that will elevate LSB\u2019s offerings to enhance the current student experience. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe are the eyes and the ears of the community, and it’s on us to help develop Lacy around such values.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her reasoning to give back? It has to do with the foundation that Lacy has made in Indianapolis. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cButler is an important institution in the Indianapolis community. It’s been around for a really long time, and has helped shape the city. We\u2019ve got a great alumni base in all different industries, and I think it’s important to continue to be involved,\u201d she says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through her career, Christina has accumulated numerous titles, awards, and accolades, including IBJ\u2019s 40 under 40<\/a>, a certified Legal Eagle<\/a>, and a Super Lawyer<\/a>, among many others. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When asked what these awards were a result of, Christina\u2019s insights surpassed superlatives. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhile these accolades are flattering, I have never really thought about them. I simply think about what I\u2019m doing at the moment. I\u2019ve always worked hard, for my family, for my clients, and it has all been enjoyable, just being in the moment.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Christina\u2019s advice to others who seek success? Be adaptable, be in the moment, have what she calls at her firm an \u201centrepreneurial spirit,\u201d and most importantly, enjoy what you do. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think you\u2019re off track in life when you wake up, unhappy with what you have to do for work, with your circumstances. It\u2019s important to reflect on what makes you happy. Reflect on where you’ve been, and think about what your goals are and what you want to do in the future, and use your support system to help you get back to where you want to be,\u201d she offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Outside of her practice, Christina maintains an active lifestyle, and is still an avid tennis player. She cites exercise as a key hobby in her day-to-day life, alongside being a self-descript \u201cUber Driver\u201d for her two children. Christina\u2019s love for driving doesn\u2019t just stop at carpooling to school. Growing up, she fostered a love for motorsports and racing through her father and grandfather, and currently serves on the Board of Directors for Road America<\/a>, a motorsports circuit in Wisconsin, which hosts various races, including the locally based IndyCar series. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe have a unique board, being that it has 3 women on it. It\u2019s very unusual for the motorsports field, and it is something that I\u2019m very proud of,\u201d she mentions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s clear that the Indy-Wisconsin connection is strong for Christina, showcasing her love for her origins as well as where she\u2019s decided to plant her roots. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beginning at and shaped by Lacy, through law school, and now as an established professional, Christina continues to prove that success is in store for those who work hard, regardless of how the path may look. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For some, the path from student-athlete and finance major to Juris Doctor to law firm partner may not seem obvious. But for Christina Fugate ’04, the connection between her education and legal career was always there. Now, a few decades into her career, she continues to give back to the Lacy School of Business while serving as partner at Ice Miller.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9198528,"featured_media":883,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[],"coauthors":[40],"class_list":["post-874","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-careers-connections"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.butler.edu\/lacybusiness\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/874","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.butler.edu\/lacybusiness\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.butler.edu\/lacybusiness\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.butler.edu\/lacybusiness\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9198528"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.butler.edu\/lacybusiness\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=874"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.butler.edu\/lacybusiness\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/874\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":905,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.butler.edu\/lacybusiness\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/874\/revisions\/905"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.butler.edu\/lacybusiness\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/883"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.butler.edu\/lacybusiness\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=874"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.butler.edu\/lacybusiness\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=874"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.butler.edu\/lacybusiness\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=874"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.butler.edu\/lacybusiness\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=874"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}