The Council on Legal Education Honors American University Washington College of Law’s Diversity Initiatives

Professor Angela J. Davis and the Hon. Gerald Bruce Lee Receive CLEO Education Awards

November 2, 2018

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Professor Angela J. Davis.

The Council on Legal Education Opportunity (CLEO), a national organization founded in 1968 to expand opportunities for minority and low-income students to attend law school, is celebrating its 50th Anniversary this year through the CLEO EDGE Awards. The EDGE Awards celebrate individuals, law schools, and legal organizations that have championed Education, Diversity, and Greater Equality in the legal profession.

Professor Angela J. Davis is one of 50 honorees in CLEO’s EDUCATION category. Davis is an expert in criminal law and procedure with a specific focus on prosecutorial power and racism in the criminal justice system. She previously served as director of the D.C. Public Defender Service, where she began as a staff attorney representing indigent juveniles and adults. Davis is the author of Arbitrary Justice: The Power of the American Prosecutor (Oxford University Press, 2007). She is also the editor of Policing the Black Man: Arrest, Prosecution and Imprisonment (Penguin Random House, 2017).

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Judge Gerald Bruce Lee.

Among other outstanding CLEO EDUCATION awardees is the Honorable Gerald Bruce Lee SOC/BA ’73, WCL/JD ’76, longtime friend of the law school, and member of the AUWCL Dean’s Advisory Council and American University Board of Trustees. Lee served for nineteen years on the bench of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. Prior to his appointment to the federal judiciary, Lee served for over six years as a judge for the Fairfax Circuit Court. Lee currently assists the mediation, arbitration, special master, and judge pro tempore needs of lawyers and litigants throughout Virginia, D.C. and beyond at The McCammon Group.

In addition, American University Washington College of Law was one of 50 law schools selected to join the inaugural class of CLEO EDGE honorees for our outstanding contributions in the field of DIVERSITY

"Diversity and inclusion are essential components of our law school community and remain integral to the tapestry of our programs," said Dean Camille Nelson. "For many years we have been one of the most diverse law schools along many  trajectories and we pride ourselves on having a law school community that reflects our country, and the world. AUWCL is committed to inclusivity, student well-being, and professional development."

The CLEO EDGE Awards will be presented during the 50th Anniversary Gala on Thursday, November 15, 2018, in Washington, D.C.

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Founded in 1968 when the number of lawyers of color was less than one percent, the Council on Legal Education Opportunity (CLEO) has worked to increase the number of lawyers from diverse backgrounds for the last half century. Although best known for its Pre-Law Summer Institute “boot camp,” CLEO provides services to high school, pre-law, and law school students which include mentoring, placement assistance, academic counseling and support, scholarships, and bar prep orientation. CLEO has produced more than 10,000 alumni who have excelled in every area of the legal profession to include judges, corporate attorneys, law school deans and professors, practitioners, politicians, and more.