Council on Legal Education Opportunity Sticks With Remote Work | Inside Higher Ed

A Maryland-based nonprofit organization that aims to diversify the legal profession announced yesterday that it will permanently work remotely, a notable decision as colleges, universities and the various organizations in their orbit navigate changing expectations about health, convenience, technology, productivity and the workplace.

The Council on Legal Education Opportunity Inc., or CLEO, announced the decision on remote work after it said it was able to administer its programs and services without interruption since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in March of last year. Although remote work began because of health considerations, the organization found it to be a “more convenient and streamlined” way to do business, according to a news release.

“Being able to take the ‘arduousness’ of the daily commute out of the equation has not only helped to significantly improve work/life balance for our dedicated team members, but it has also led to increased productivity and output,” Leigh Allen II, CLEO’s interim chief executive officer, said in a statement.

CLEO is closing its dedicated office space in Largo, Md. It will maintain a mailing address in Alexandria, Va.  

The organization, founded in 1968, touts more than 26,000 individuals as having attended on of its programs or used one of its services. Its mission is to motivate and prepare students from underrepresented communities to succeed in law school and after law school.