The ICLEO program was established to assist Indiana minority, low-income, and the educationally disadvantaged in pursuing a law degree and a career in the Indiana legal community.
Summer Institute
The ICLEO Summer Institute is an intense, residential preparatory experience designed to help underrepresented students excel at law school and increase diversity in the Indiana legal community. Participants are immersed in first-year law school curriculum and skills courses designed to closely simulate the law school experience.
Moreover, one immeasurable benefit of the summer institute is that participants begin law school with more confidence and develop bonds with their ICLEO classmates that often evolve into lasting friendships. The support and encouragement they are able to offer one another during law school and beyond is invaluable.
Learn more about the Summer Institute and what to expect from an ICLEO Fellowship
Eligibility
In addition to the eligibility requirements by statute (IC-33-24-13), The ICLEO Fellowship is only available to students who plan to attend an ABA-accredited law school in Indiana. Applicants should be Indiana residents, graduates from an Indiana college, or graduates (in the last five years) from an Indiana high school attending college out of state. Out-of-state applicants may apply, but preference is given to applicants with strong Indiana roots.
History
The Indiana Conference for Legal Education Opportunity (ICLEO) was established at the urging of former Chief Justice Randall T. Shepard by the Indiana General Assembly. In 1997, Governor Frank O’Bannon signed the law giving funding to ICLEO. ICLEO’s purpose then and now is to help college students in need pursue a law degree in Indiana.
The ICLEO Summer Institute is held annually to introduce new ICLEO Fellows to the program. The first Summer Institute was held in the summer of 1997 at Indiana University’s Bloomington Law School. In 1997, 30 students enrolled in the first ICLEO Summer Institute and 25 students went on to graduate from law school, representing all of Indiana’s law schools.
Governing Statutes
ICLEO is governed by Indiana Code 33-24-13