The Indiana Supreme Court has announced this year’s Indiana Conference for Legal Education Opportunity Fellows, who are currently preparing for the start of the fall semester.

The high court posted the names and biographies of the 31 participants on its website July 12. Many of the students either are originally from Indiana or currently reside here. This year’s fellows also include students originally from Afghanistan, China, India, Nigeria, and Puerto Rico.

The 2011 fellows are attending the six-week Summer Institute at Notre Dame, which began in June and is scheduled to wrap up July 22. The location of the institute rotates among the four law schools in Indiana. The Summer Institute helps these students get ready for the rigors of law school with tips for professional development and a challenging curriculum.

The ICLEO program began in 1997 to encourage more minority, low income, or educationally disadvantaged college graduates to attend Indiana law schools and ultimately enter the legal profession. After completing the program, the students are eligible for an annual stipend of $6,500 - $9,000 for each year of law school.

Since the program began, the ICLEO website reports that around 300 students have successfully completed the Summer Institute and just under 300 have graduated law school.

The ICLEO program also has a new coordinator, Phyllisia Gant, who started at the end of May.