You can catch Legal Prep Charter Academy’s Founding Principal Joseph Williams in Indy each week, setting the foundation for the school, which will open in fall 2026. On Sundays, he returns home to his native Chicago to lead praise and worship where he sings, ministers and plays “a little bit of the keys, a little bit of the drums.”
Legal Prep started in Chicago and successfully won its bid to open in Indianapolis in June 2025. This fall, they will start with grades 6 and 9, with plans to add more grades to their middle and high schools in the coming years.
The school will focus on preparing students for careers in law, partnering with local law firms such as Ice Miller and Barnes & Thornburg. However, they will also support students entering other professions or trades.
Williams wants people to know he’s just a phone call away, prioritizing genuine connections with students and families to build a thriving school community.
He wasn’t always the best student, and he wants to be an example to young people that they can bounce back, too. Though he had “behavioral problems” in school, he went on to graduate from Northern Illinois University, later landing a job at Revlon. But he felt compelled to do something with meaning, which led him to pursue a career in education.
The Recorder say down with Williams to learn about his vision for Indy students.
This Q&A has been edited for length and clarity.
What helps this school stand apart from other charter schools operating in Indianapolis?
Williams: It’s our unique model. We do work with law, hand-in-hand. We hope students would want to become lawyers, but the biggest misconception is that it’s only for students who want to be lawyers and that’s the furthest from the truth.
Our students learn about law as it applies to them and their individuality, like how do they navigate life with these new skills that they’ve developed – critical thinking skills, analytical skills.
We’re teaching you how to be healthy adults who make healthy decisions. Once you cross that stage for high school, once you graduate college … it’s about making sure you understand how the law applies to you and your path.
Over the last several years, there have been numerous conversations about college not being for everyone. Why is this school committed to college prep?
Williams: College is where I grew a lot. I had a very structured upbringing and in college, I had that bit of freedom that still allowed me a little bit of a buffer before I got into the real world. And for me, college was more so about the networking and community that I built than it ever was about the grades.
Now, I will say you do want to get good grades and put yourself in a position to win, but the connections I made in college are invaluable. College is about the network you build, regardless of what you do. I think it’s important to build that network and to get that experience that is going to teach you about life and teach you about yourself, how to be independent as well as how to be codependent on the right people.
There are still people who feel some opposition toward charter schools in general. What’s your take?
Williams: I try not to get into the argument, but I do understand why they feel the way they feel. For me, it’s more about the education of the child. At the end of the day, it’s really just about the students. And I just hope that one day we’ll get to a place where we can work together regardless and provide whatever experience the student needs.
I just want us to get to a space where that is the focus. That’s how I move in Chicago and I plan on moving like that in Indy.
What is your dream for students who come through Legal Prep?
Number one, I want them to feel like who they are is good enough, in the sense that who I am, what I come from, there can be excellence from that, (to know) ‘I am a picture of excellence. I’m also a picture of growth.’
I want them to be able to stand in front of people and say, ‘My background does not dictate my future. I’m able to overcome certain things. I’m able to make healthy, informed decisions because Legal Prep poured into me. Legal Prep showed me certain things – how to navigate healthy conflicts, how to put in the time to get great grades and meet the goal that I want to achieve.’
My ultimate goal is for the things we pour into our students to be able to pour into others. They’re going to become leaders of their community because we push them to be leaders while it’s uncomfortable.
I want them to be great adults, to break some of the generational curses that we know are plaguing some of our communities.
Is there anything else you want to share?
Williams: I place an emphasis on being there for the students. I’m not just willing to show up; I’m going to show up. I think it’s important to have that genuine connection with the students, with the community (and) with families. I think that matters a lot to people here.
For more information on Legal Prep Charter Academy, visit legalprep.org.
Contact Editor-in-Chief Camike Jones at 317-762-7850 or camikej@indyrecorder.com
Camike Jones is the Editor-in-Chief of the Indianapolis Recorder. Born and raised in Indianapolis, Jones has a lifelong commitment to advocacy and telling stories that represent the community.
