The Council on Legal Education Opportunity Inc. (CLEO) has opened its call for nominations for the 2019 CLEO EDGE Awards. The CLEO EDGE Honors Reception will take place on Thursday, Nov. 7, in Washington, D.C. The awards will honor a total of nine individuals, law schools, and legal organizations that have made significant accomplishments to Education, Diversity, and Greater Equality in the legal profession. Additionally, the second CLEO EDGE Vernon E. Jordan Jr. Heritage Award will be presented to former two-term Massachusetts Governor and current Bain Capital Managing Director Deval L. Patrick by Mr. Jordan himself.
"For more than 50 years, CLEO has embraced diversity, equity, and inclusion in legal education and the profession," stated Casandra Sneed Ogden, chief executive officer of CLEO. "Our work and our mission have been to ensure that we expand opportunities for underrepresented communities. But we couldn't have done this work without the support of the individuals, law schools, and organizations who stand with us. We want to again honor and recognize a few of these important individuals and institutions this year."
The CLEO EDGE Awards were created in celebration of the organization's historic 50th Anniversary to shine a spotlight on individuals, law schools, and other legal entities in the following categories: Education; Diversity; and Greater Equality. Nominees will be announced on Monday, July 8. Awardees will be announced on Tuesday, Sept. 3, and recognized at the CLEO EDGE Honors Reception in November.
To be considered for a CLEO EDGE award, the nominator (or nominee) must complete the online application, which can be found at www.cleoinc.org/edgeawards. Additional application materials, such as: letter(s) of support explaining how the nominee fulfills the various criteria, résumés, listing of previous awards/certificates, may be uploaded but are not required. Nominations will be accepted until Thursday, June 27. The CLEO EDGE Vernon E. Jordan, Jr. Heritage Award is bestowed on an individual who has demonstrated outstanding leadership in Education, Diversity, and Greater Equality in the legal profession and society.
Published: Mon, May 27, 2019
