CLEO announces call for nominations for 52nd anniversary celebration

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, beginning at 6 p.m. 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. Information and photos from past Honors Awards can be found online at https://cleoinc.org/edgeawards or https://cleoinc.org/edgeawards/honorees.

The CLEO EDGE Vernon E. Jordan Jr. Heritage Award will also be given to a person who has demonstrated outstanding leadership in Education, Diversity, and/or Greater Equality in the legal profession and society. Vernon E. Jordan, Jr. received the inaugural CLEO EDGE Heritage Award during the organization's 50th Anniversary Gala in 2018.

"We want to encourage everyone to honor the contributions and achievements of individuals, law schools, law firms, and leaders who help make our world more equitable by submitting nominations online," said Cassandra Sneed Ogden, chief executive officer. "For more than 52 years our mission has been to increase the numbers of lawyers from diverse backgrounds who are actively contributing to the legal profession. We have made significant inroads, but we have much more to do. These awards help us acknowledge our partners and others who have notably contributed to the legal profession."

The CLEO EDGE Awards were created in 2018 during CLEO's 50th Anniversary to shine a spotlight on individuals, law schools, and other legal entities in the following categories: Education, Diversity, or Greater Equality. To be considered for an award, the nominator (or nominee) must complete the online application, which can be found at https://cleoinc.org/edgeawards/nominations. Additional application materials, such as: letter(s) of support explaining how the nominee fulfills the various criteria, resumes, listing of previous awards/certificates, may be uploaded, but are not required. Nominations will be accepted until October 2.

Published: Tue, Sep 29, 2020