Blake Mishler found his first passion early on in life, basketball, and worked endlessly to master the ins and outs of the game before accepting a full ride athletic scholarship to East Tennessee State University. After competing at East Tennessee State University, Blake transferred to Illinois State University where he was awarded the Milt Weisbecker Endowed Scholarship to compete on the Men’s Basketball Team. Blake graduated summa cum laude from Illinois State University in 2011. While at Illinois State University, Blake was awarded the Tom Eimermann Outstanding Pre-Law Student Award, the Field Award in Public Law and the President’s Academic Excellence Award and was named to a 2011 Missouri Valley Conference Scholar-Athlete Team.

Blake left the state of Illinois to accept a spot in the Drake University School of Law’s Opperman Scholar Program; a scholarship program offering three to five merit based, full-tuition, scholarships each year. While at Drake, Blake competed in the National Mock-Trial Competition, was a student representative on the Student Bar Association, and an Associate Editor on the Journal of Agricultural Law. He was able to diversify his experience through trial practicum courses and various intern opportunities, working, not only, for the Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board but also for Professor James Albert assisting in complex litigation matters. Blake’s experience at Drake translated into summer positions at various central Illinois law firms, as he knew he wanted to bring his newly found legal skills back to his home community. Blake graduated with honors from Drake University School of Law in 2014. He passed the bar that year and returned to central Illinois after accepting a job at Black, Black, and Brown.