News
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 Council on Legal Education Opportunity, Inc. (CLEO) has selected their 2020 Vernon E. Jordan, Jr. Civil Rights Scholars. Five outstanding first-year law students who are passionate about protecting the civil rights of all Americans have been awarded a $500 scholarship. The scholarship is named to honor Vernon E. Jordan, Jr., attorney, noted civil rights leader/activist, an advisor to presidents, businessman, and a board member to several Fortune 500 companies.
The Council on Legal Education Opportunity, Inc. (CLEO) has opened its call for nominations for the CLEO EDGE Awards for its 52nd Anniversary. The CLEO EDGE Honors Reception will be held virtually on Thursday, November 12, 2020, beginning at 6:00pm ET. The reception will recognize and honor a total of three individuals, law schools, and/or legal organizations that have made significant accomplishments or demonstrated commitments to Education, Diversity, or Greater Equality in the legal profession.
NBC News/MSNBC Legal Analyst and University of Michigan Law Professor Barbara McQuade will be the keynote speaker for the Council on Legal Education Opportunity, Inc. (CLEO) Virtual Class Reunion and Open House which takes place from 1-3pm ET on Thursday, August 20, 2020.
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. was born in turbulent times much like these, in 1968. The Vietnam War. The assassination of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Riots in major American cities. International student protests. John Carlos and Tommy Smith displaying the black power salute on the Olympic Stage in Mexico City. The election of Richard Nixon, the “law and order” president. And, it too was a leap year.
A message from Elizabeth A. Campbell, the Council on Legal Education Opportunity, Inc. Board Chair
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.
For the first time in its 52-year history, the Council on Legal Education Opportunity, Inc. (CLEO) will host its major programs online to reach its diverse audiences during 2020 in response to the novel coronavirus.
“Like numerous nonprofit and for-profit organizations globally, the Council on Legal Education Opportunity, Inc. has been seriously impacted by recent events related to the coronavirus pandemic,” said Cassandra Sneed Ogden, CLEO’s Chief Executive Officer. “Our summer programs going virtual is in response to this unparalleled phenomenon.”
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.