High Quality

Students who traditionally would not attend law school but show great promise to become successful attorneys are participating in the Indiana Conference for Legal Education Opportunity (ICLEO) Summer Institute.  ICLEO is designed to assist Indiana minority, low income or educationally disadvantaged college graduates in pursuing a law degree.  Biographical information on each of the following 2011 ICLEO Fellows can be found at courts.in.gov/cleo.

Indiana CLEO was established in 1997 by the Indiana General Assembly and Governor Frank O’Bannon at the urging of Chief Justice Randall T. Shepard.  Chief Justice Shepard explained, “Indiana CLEO encourages young adults with promise to enter the legal field.  The program provides training and mentoring to help the students succeed.  The end result is an Indiana legal community enriched with the talents and enthusiasm of these young people.” 

Each year, approximately 30 college graduates attend a six-week Summer Institute at one of Indiana’s law schools.  This year, the program is at University of Notre Dame Law School.  The Summer Institute prepares the students for the rigors of law school with a challenging curriculum and tips for professional development. 

After successful completion of the Summer Institute, the students are eligible for an annual stipend ranging from $6,500 - $9,000 for each year of law school.  After graduation, ICLEO Fellows have a supportive network of legal mentors. The Indiana Supreme Court’s Division of State Court Administration provides staff support and financial management of the program. 

Media interested in speaking to an ICLEO Fellow should contact Indiana Supreme Court Public Information Officer, Kathryn Dolan at kdolan@courts.state.in.us.  For information about the application process, contact the Indiana CLEO office at (317) 232-2542. More information is also available at courts.in.gov/cleo.