MAILING ADDRESS 1, 2 Wolf Law Building 401 UCB, Boulder, Colorado WEBSITE

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1 RANK 43 University of Colorado School of Law MAILING ADDRESS 1, 2 Wolf Law Building 401 UCB, Boulder, Colorado MAIN PHONE WEBSITE REGISTRAR S PHONE ADMISSIONS PHONE CAREER SERVICES PHONE Overview 3-6 The University of Colorado Law School is one of the top public law schools in the United States, with a diverse student body from over 100 undergraduate institutions, a highly-published faculty, a stateof-the-art (LEED Gold certified) Wolf Law Building, and the largest collection of legal information resources in the state of Colorado. On top of that, the school offers a thriving academic community, low faculty to student ratio, and all the splendor of Colorado. Colorado Law s curriculum provides students one of the best comprehensive legal educations in the nation, employing a solid foundation in the fundamentals of law, robust theoretical inquiry, doctrinal and policy analysis, real world experience, legal reasoning tools, and professional skills. Faculty members are passionate about teaching and committed to providing a well-rounded learning experience that prepares students to serve wisely and with professionalism. Student-Faculty Ratio 7 9.2:1 Admission Criteria 8 LSAT GPA 25th 75th Percentile Median* The above LSAT and GPA data pertain to the 2013 entering class. *Medians have been calculated by averaging the 25th- and 75th-percentile values released by the law schools and have been rounded up to the nearest whole number for LSAT scores and to the nearest one-hundredth for GPAs. 1

2 Admission Statistics 9 Approximate number of applications 2313 Number accepted 882 Percentage accepted 38.1% The above admission details are based on 2013 data. Class Ranking and Grades 10 Only letter grades are assigned for J.D. and LL.M. students who matriculated in the Fall 2010 semester or later. Numerical grades, when given, are reported to the Law School Registrar for recording and are related to the University s plus/minus grading system as shown in the following table: University Plus/ Minus Grade Credit Point Value Law School Numerical Grade A and above A B B B C C C D D D F or below Instructors may raise or lower grades on the basis of classroom performance of any student. In certain cases, students can receive a grade of Incomplete, but if the student fails to complete the requirements of the course by the assigned date the I grade will be converted to an F. Additionally, in limited circumstances students can be graded on a Pass/Fail basis. Grade Normalization (Curve) 11 The median grades for students who matriculated in the Fall 2010 semester or later is B+. Honors 12 Order of the Coif and Dean s List Students in the top 10% of each graduating class may be invited to join the Order of the Coif and the top 10% in each semester are placed on the Dean s List. 2

3 13, 14 Awards Austin W. Scott Award Colorado Int l Envir. Journal Award Don W. Sears Award ALI-ABA Scholarship & Leadership Edward C. King Award Reilly Pozner Award Legal Clinic Awards Irving P. Andrews Award James N. Corbridge Initiative Award Jim R. Carrigan Cup Joel H. Greenstein Award Courtland H. Peterson Awards Legal Aid & Defender Award Meritorius Student Award Natural Resources Award Outstanding Asian Pac. Amer. Grad Outstanding Latino/a Graduate Sutcliffe Disting. Service Award West Publishing Book Award Women s Law Caucus Award Outstanding Student Mentor Award Outstanding Service Award Gary C. Bryner Award George Bermant Corporate Law Award George Bermant Securities Law Award Outstanding LGBT Award Appellate advocacy oral argument Outstanding writing contributions Greatest contribution to class learning Scholarship and leadership Outstanding leadership & achievement Outstanding oral argument & trial skills Outstanding commitment and service Outstanding achievement by a black graduate Leadership & writing Trial advocacy Outstanding students-advanced trial advocacy Outstanding writing/leadership & contribution Outstanding commitment & service Contributed most to Law School community Outstanding scholarship & service Outstanding dedication & service Outstanding graduating Latino/a student Outstanding dedication & service Highest scholastic average for year Contributed most to women s issues Outstanding mentorship, advice & support Outstanding commitment & service in military Distinguished service to natural resources Best academic performance in corporate law Best academic performance in securities law Dedication & service to LGBT community Journals 15 The University of Colorado Law Review is the school s oldest journal of legal scholarship (published as the Rocky Mountain Law Review from ). It publishes four times per year on all topics of legal importance. The Colorado Natural Resources, Energy, and Environmental Law Review is a biannual publication, which was founded in and was formerly the Colorado Journal of International Environmental Law and Policy. It publishes articles related to natural resources, energy, and environmental law and 3

4 policy, as well as a feature article discussing environmental issues with international implications in each issue. The Colorado Technology Law Journal is the school s newest journal, founded in JTHTL has since established a position among the elite national technology, intellectual property, and telecommunications law journals. Moot Court 16 Students compete in moot court competitions to develop skills in appellate brief writing and oral argument, and gain valuable trial practice experience. The Dean s Fund and endowments provide financial assistance to support student participation in these competitions. Colorado Law teams have consistently been extremely competitive in their competitions. Selection of teams varies by competition and from year to year, depending on student interest. The competition program is managed by a select group of students comprising the Barristers Council. Some of the moot court competitions include: Child Welfare & Adoption Law Moot Court Competition Constance Baker Motley National Moot Court Competition Edward L. Bryant, Jr. National Health Law Transactional Moot Court Competition Hispanic National Bar Association s Annual Moot Court Competition Inter-American Sustainable Development Moot Court Competition Mardi Gras Invitational Sports Law Competition National Moot Court Competition in Child Welfare and Adoption Law National Telecommunications Moot Court Competition Native American Law Students Association Moot Court Competition National Environmental Law Moot Court Competition Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition Saul Lefkowitz Moot Court Competition SIU National Health Law Moot Court Competition 17, 18 Clinical Programs The American Indian Law Clinic is one of the first American Indian Law clinics in the nation. Students provide legal assistance in a variety of matters, including tribal sovereignty, child welfare, preservation of tribal identity, employment discrimination, public benefits, preservation of Native lands, and more. The Civil Practice Clinic provides students with the opportunity to represent low-income clients in family law, social security disability, and immigration asylum cases. The Criminal Defense Clinic was the first such clinic in the nation, starting in Students learn criminal practice skills and represent clients in actual cases, from beginning to end, in municipal and county courts in Boulder County. The Criminal and Immigration Defense Clinic allows students to represent indigent clients charged with misdemeanor and municipal offenses in Boulder and Jefferson Counties. The Entrepreneurial Law Clinic enables students to work with local entrepreneurs, providing transactional legal services for the formation and development of small businesses in Colorado. The Family Law Clinic gives students a chance to provide legal services to low-income 4

5 Coloradans who need help with family law matters such as divorces, issues related to parenting time, and child support. The Juvenile Law Clinic allows students to represent children and youth who are abused, neglected, or accused of a crime, addressing all of the legal needs of the child client. They also represent school districts as the petitioner in truancy matters. The Natural Resources Clinic is the clinic where students represent public interest clients in environmental litigation related to federal public land protection. Students learn about expert testimony and witness preparation, analysis of detailed scientific and environmental data, and submission of complex legal briefs. The Technology Law and Policy Clinic allows students to advocate in the public interest concerning technology issues in front of regulatory entities, courts, legislatures, and standard setting bodies. The Appellate Advocacy Practicum is the forum where students delve into the world of appellate law. They are responsible for completing an appellate brief for a criminal case currently on appeal in the Colorado Supreme Court or the Colorado Court of Appeals and for attending the oral argument. Placement Facts 19 Starting Salaries (2012 Graduates Employed Full-Time) Private sector (25th-75th percentile) $55,000 - $ 105,000 Private sector - Median $70,000 Public service - Median $50,000 Employment Details Graduates known to be employed at graduation 41.7% Graduates known to be employed nine months after graduation 64% Areas of Legal Practice Graduates Employed In Percentage Law Firms 35.4% Business and Industry 8.2% Government 17.1% Public Interest Organizations 12% Judicial Clerkships 21.5% Academia 4.4% Unknown 1.3% 20, 21 Externships/Internships Externships The Colorado Law externship program is offered year-round (fall, summer, and spring semesters.) 5

6 Students may only extern at government or non-profit organizations and agencies. Students may work in all three branches of the government, at all three levels of government, including state and federal judicial chambers, executive agencies, and congressional offices. Examples of agencies and organizations that have participated in the program in the past include Colorado state and federal courts at every level, Leeds School of Business Demming Center Venture Fund, The Nature Conservancy, district attorney and attorney general offices, public defender offices, Colorado State Senate and Secretary of State, US EPA, EEOC, HHS and other agencies, Centura Health and Boulder Community Hospital. Internships Labor and Employment Law Colorado Law students enjoy a broad range of offerings in labor and employment law. The school offers the big three courses: Employment Law, Employment Discrimination, and Labor Law annually. None is a prerequisite to any other, and none has a waitlist thanks to Colorado Law s low student to faculty ratio. Students can intern with: U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission National Labor Relations Board Colorado Dept. of Labor and Employment/ Industrial Claim Appeals Office Various City Attorney s Offices (e.g., Arvada, Boulder, Denver, Greeley, Jackson Hole) Children s Hospital of Colorado Denver Museum of Nature and Sciences Office of the University Counsel, University of Colorado Various labor & employment law firms employing Colorado Law students in paid work, both parttime during the school year and full-time during summers. Student Organizations 22 American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) American Constitution Society (ACS) Asian Pacific American Law Students Association (APALSA) Barristers Council Black Law Students Association (BLSA) Business Law Association (BLA) Christian Legal Society Class of 2015 Board Class of 2016 Board Colorado Innocence Project (CIP) Colorado Law Student Parents Group Colorado Natural Resources, Energy, & Environmental Law Review Committee for Inclusiveness and Diversity Construction and Real Estate Law Association (CRELA) Criminal Prosecution Society (CPS) Doman Society of International Law Environmental Law Society (ELS) Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy Studies Health Law Society Jewish Law Students Association (JLSA) 6

7 Journal on Telecommunication & High Technology Law (JTHTL) Juvenile and Family Law Club Latino Law Student Association (LLSA) Law Students for the Performing Arts (LSPA) Law Students for Reproductive Justice (LSRJ) Legal Alternative Dispute Resolution (LADR) Meditation Law Society Military Law Society (MLS) National Lawyers Guild (NLG) Native American Law Students Association (NALSA) OUTLaw Public Interest Students Association (PISA) Silicon Flatirons Students Group Society for Work, Employment, and Labor Law at CU (SWELL CU) Spanish Speaking Law Students Association Sports and Entertainment Law Students Association (SELSA) Student Animal Legal Defense Fund (SALDF) Student Bar Association (SBA) Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP) Transfer and Visiting Students Committee (TVSC) University of Colorado Law Review Women s Law Caucus (WLC) References