- Phone:
- (812) 855-3312
- Email:
- prather@iu.edu
Anthony (“Tony”) Prather became Indiana University’s Vice President and General Counsel on February 22, 2022. He serves as the University’s Chief Legal Officer, leading and directing representation of IU in all legal matters. He is legal advisor to the President, The Board of Trustees, and senior university administrators, as well as primary resource person on legal matters of institutional procedure and governance.
He directs the University’s in-house counsels and outside counsel retained to represent the university’s interests. He also oversees the offices of Institutional Equity, University Compliance, Internal Audit, and has joint oversight of the University Chief Privacy Officer in coordination with the Vice President for IT & CIO.
Prior to coming to Indiana University, he was a partner at Barnes & Thornburg LLP and advised clients across the nation and was often called on for his knowledge of federal and state employment and affirmative action laws. He has significant trial experience representing employers in both individual and class action litigation. Additionally, while at Barnes & Thornburg, he was appointed twice by Indiana Supreme Court to serve five-year terms as a Member of the Indiana Supreme Court Disciplinary Commission.
Before joining Barnes & Thornburg, he served as Division General Counsel for Firestone Building Products Company, Firestone Industrial Products Company and Firestone Polymers. Prior to his tenure with Bridgestone/Firestone, he served as in-house counsel for Indiana Bell and Ameritech Corporation.
He is a member of the Black Law Students Association (BLSA) Alumni Advisory Board, Indiana University Maurer School of Law, of which he is a founding member. He is a civically engaged attorney and has provided decades of Pro Bono services to several Indiana-based not-for-profit organizations.
His most recent honors include induction into the IU Maurer School of Law Academy of Law Alumni Fellows, recipient of an IU Bicentennial Medal, recipient of the Indiana Lawyer Leadership in Law Distinguished Barristers Award, Best Lawyers in America distinction annually since 2016 and recipient of the IU Maurer School of Law Distinguished Service and BLSA Samuel S. Dargan awards.
He received his law degree from the IU Maurer School of Law and his undergraduate degree from IU.