All applicants are notified whether they are accepted to the program by April 15. ICLEO has a wide range of programs designed to assist students while in law school including various networking opportunities, summer internships, bar exam preparation and post-graduation job search assistance.
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.
Participants receive support and assistance from faculty as well as teaching assistants who are typically ICLEO Fellows themselves and have successfully completed the Summer Institute experience. Although each Summer Institute experience varies depending on the host institution and faculty, participants in the Summer Institute can expect to receive the following academic instruction:
- Legal Foundations - Gain a basic understanding of legal systems and branches of government, the differences in civil and criminal law, and a foundational knowledge of common law and general legal terminology.
- Case Analysis - Learn how to break a case down and analyze it in accordance with standard legal principles.
- Statutory Analysis - Learn how to find, break down elements, and interpret statutes.
- Research & Legal Methods - Learn basic legal research techniques and platforms and understand analogical, syllogistic, and rule-based reasoning.
- Legal Reasoning & Writing - Introduction to various types of legal writing including legal memoranda, briefs, and letters. Students will also experience the Socratic Method as an analytical tool, learn how to present arguments using the IRAC formula, learn skills for exam writing, and client problem-solving methods.
- Study Skills & Academic Success - Develop an individualized action plan to address areas of strength and challenge in study skills and academic preparation.
- Individualized Assessment & Evaluation - Intended to go beyond the first-year law school experience, Summer Institute faculty provide participants with regular and ongoing opportunities to evaluate and improve their work beyond. Participants are exposed to a variety of methods for assessment and evaluation including, but not limited to, in-class assignments, group assignments, essay exams, and multiple choice exams.
- Relationship Building & Mentoring - Special events, field visits, and informal opportunities to build meaningful networks and relationships in the legal community.
- Community Service, Leadership, & Professional Development - Opportunities for service and leadership development, opportunities for group projects, and participating in Self-Service Center Volunteer Ethics Training which prepares participants for volunteer service at a Self-Service Center assisting unrepresented litigants in an Indiana court.
In-Residence Requirement
In order to maintain the rigor of the program, participants are not permitted to work during the Summer Institute and must reside in provided housing. This includes weekends. Failure to abide by the in-residence requirement may result in dismissal from the program.
Room & Board
Housing is provided on campus and some meals may be provided. Specific details about housing and meals will be sent to invited students by the host institution.
Fellowship Award
Participants who successfully complete the ICLEO Summer Institute and enroll in an ABA-accredited Indiana law school in the fall semester immediately following the Institute are certified as ICLEO Fellows and receive a $4,800 Fellowship award each semester of enrollment for up to three years, to a maximum of $28,800 to offset the cost of tuition.
The Fellowship award is distributed as aid to student accounts through each law school's scholarship and financial aid office. Certified ICLEO Fellows who fail to enroll, defer enrollment, or withdraw from law school may forfeit award eligibility.
Consult a tax professional to understand your tax obligations related to the award.