PRESS

The Council on Legal Education Opportunity, Inc. (CLEO), a pioneer and known leader in the legal diversity pipeline movement, is pleased to announce that, after careful deliberation, the organization is transitioning to working remotely on a permanent basis.

The Council on Legal Education Opportunity, Inc. (CLEO) is pleased to announce the appointment of a new Board member, Brandy Smith with Lincoln Financial Group and a new Advisory Council member, Rachel Okolski with the Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC).

The Council on Legal Education Opportunity, Inc. (CLEO) is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2020 CLEO EDGE Awards in Education, Diversity, and Greater Equality. CLEO, widely renowned for its mission to increase the number of lawyers from diverse backgrounds, created these recognition awards to promote its focus on the three pillars or characteristics which undergird the organization’s purpose and in recognition of its 50th anniversary.

Political leader Stacey Abrams will be recognized for her lifetime achievements during the CLEO EDGE Virtual Honors reception on November 12, 2020. Candidate for Governor of Georgia, Minority Leader of the Georgia House of Representatives, and Founder of the Fair Fight Action, a national voting rights organization, Abrams will receive the CLEO EDGE Vernon E. Jordan, Jr. Heritage Award. The Award honors a person who has demonstrated outstanding leadership in Education, Diversity, and Greater Equality in the legal profession and society.

The National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE) and the Council on Legal Education Opportunity, Inc. (CLEO) announced today that the two organizations will renew and extend their partnership to increase diversity and inclusion in the legal profession.

Twenty-one persons will receive the Council on Legal Education Opportunity, Inc.’s EDGE Pre-Law Scholarship Award to help students attend the 2020 Pre-Law Summer Institute. The awards were made possible by generous grants from the Walmart Legal Department; the law firms McCarter & English and Phelps Dunbar, LLP; a philanthropic organization, the Charles E. Griffin, Jr. Memorial Scholarship Fund of the Community Foundation for Mississippi; and CLEO Board member Malcolm Morris.

The Council on Legal Education Opportunity, Inc. (CLEO) is pleased to announce it has received a $50,000 grant from Inspire Change, the NFL’s social justice initiative. CLEO is one of only two new recipients this year. This award will allow CLEO to expand its virtual programming to more than 500 college, pre-law, and current law school students.

CLEO, like our law school partners, academic institutions, and legal education organizations, is concerned about the coronavirus outbreak and what it means for our students, our colleagues, and our team. We are monitoring the rapidly-evolving situation to stay abreast of the latest developments.

Elizabeth A. Campbell, Director, Inclusion & Diversity, for the Snacks Division of Campbell Soup Company, has been elected the Chair of the Council on Legal Education Opportunity, Inc. (CLEO) Board of Directors. CLEO is the longest-serving national organization committed to diversity in legal education. An employment attorney, HR professional, and diversity and inclusion (D & I) leader, Campbell is also an author, speaker, and training facilitator on D&I and employment law-related topics.