The Indiana Supreme Court posted a reminder on its website today that applications for the Indiana Conference for Legal Education Opportunity are due March 1 for the 2011 ICLEO summer institute that will take place at Notre Dame Law School from June 13 through July 22.

The program was started in 1997 as a way to encourage more minority, low-income, and disadvantaged students to attend Indiana law schools and ultimately enter the legal profession.

A total of about 30 students from all four Indiana law schools will be accepted to the program. The six-week summer conference, which takes place before the participants’ first year of law school, helps law students get a head start on their legal educations.

Law school admissions officers at law schools in Indiana highly encourage those who are eligible to apply. They said that many eligible students are unaware of the opportunity or they are unaware the deadline for ICLEO is in line with, if not earlier than, law school application deadlines.

Past participants have also said it offers a good networking opportunity for students because they are able to connect with current and past ICLEO participants for help while they are in law school. It also improves students’ chances of completing law school.

By completing the summer program, students will also qualify to receive an annual stipend to help offset the costs of their legal educations.

Information about the requirements for applicants and the application is available on the court’s website. For more information, contact Camille T. Wiggins, interim ICLEO program manager, at cwiggins@courts.state.in.us or (317) 232-2542.

Past participants, biographies and a five-minute documentary about the class of 2009 and their experiences at the summer institute is on the court’s website.