Law School

University of Colorado at Boulder, Law School History

University of Colorado Law School was established in 1892 and is a public institution. The 873-acre campus is in a small town 30 miles northwest of Denver. The primary mission of the law school is to develop the skills, ethics, and habits to be an excellent lawyer with a strong sense of the legal profession’s greatest traditions and to develop an equal dedication to public service. Students have access to federal, state, county, city, and local agencies, courts, correctional facilities, law firms, and legal aid organizations in the Boulder area. Facilities of special interest to law students include the “green” Wolf Law Building, which contains all aspects of academic, administrative, clinical, research, career services, social, and audiovisual offerings for law students under one roof. Housing for students is primarily in apartments within 10 minutes of the law school. Less expensive accommodations are available in nearby towns. About 95% of the law school facilities are accessible to the physically disabled.

University of Colorado at Boulder, Law School Academics

Students may take relevant courses in other programs and apply credit toward the J.D.; a maximum of varies credits may be applied. The following joint degrees may be earned: J.D./M.B.A. (Juris Doctor/Master of Business Administration), J.D./M.D. (Juris Doctor/Doctor of Medicine), J.D./M.P.A. (Juris Doctor/Master of Public Administration), J.D./M.S. (Juris Doctor/Master of Science in Environmental Science), J.D./M.S.T. (Juris Doctor/Master of Science, Telecommunications), J.D./M.U.R.P. (Juris Doctor/Master of Urban and Regional Planning), and J.D./Ph.D (Juris Doctor/Doctor of Philosophy in environmental science).

The Law School offers concentrations in corporate law, criminal law, environmental law, family law, intellectual property law, international law, juvenile law, labor law, litigation, media law, securities law, tax law, torts and insurance, natural resources, civil rights law, constitutional law, health/medicine law, Indian law, legal ethics, public interest law, and trial law. In addition, clinics are available for either a year or 1 semester and a maximum of 14 credits may be awarded. Clinics include American Indian Law, Appellate Advocacy, Entrepreneurial Law, Juvenile Law, Wrongful Conviction, Civil Practice, Criminal Defense, Natural Resources Litigation, and Technology Law and Policy. A minimum of 1 seminar must be chosen from a variety of subjects. Externships allow students to earn up to 4 hours of academic credit for work in a governmental agency, private nonprofit institution or a private law office. Independent study is permitted for 1 credit. Field work is offered through some seminars, externships, and clinics. Special no-credit lectures are offered to all students on a variety of topics. A tutorial program is open to all first-year students who wish to participate. Students on academic probation are furnished with tutors. Students may study abroad in Oxford, England; St. Petersburg and Moscow, Russia; Dublin, Ireland; Paris, France; Barcelona, Spain; and Florence, Italy. The most widely taken electives are Natural Resources and Environmental Law, Business Law, and Government and Public Law.

To earn the J.D., candidates must complete 89 total credits, of which 40 are for required courses. The following first-year courses are required of all students: Appellate Court Advocacy, Civil Procedure, Constitutional Law, Contracts, Criminal Law, Legal Writing, Property, and Torts. Required upper-level courses consist of a seminar and practice requirement, Evidence, and Professional Responsibility. The required orientation program for first-year students is 3 days and includes class registration, legal writing exercises, social activities, and an introduction to faculty, law school, and university facilities.

In order to graduate, candidates must have a GPA of 72.0, have completed the upper-division writing requirement, and submit a paper of publishable quality for the required seminar.

University of Colorado at Boulder, Law School Unique Programs

Library

The law library contains 676,949 hard-copy volumes and 1,596,771 microform volume equivalents, and subscribes to 4059 serial publications. Such on-line databases and networks as CALI, CIS Universe, DIALOG, Infotrac, Legal-Trac, LEXIS, LOIS, Mathew Bender, NEXIS, OCLC First Search, RLIN, WESTLAW, Wilsonline Indexes, HeinOnline, BNA All, LLMC Digital, and Digital Dissertation Factiva are available to law students for research. Special library collections include a federal publications depository and strengths in environmental and Native American Law and Constitutional Law. Recently, the library opened a state-of-the-art 590,000 square feet law library with 50% more space and all new furnishings. The ratio of library volumes to faculty is 14,103 to 1 and to students is 1277 to 1. The ratio of seats in the library to students is 1 to 1.

Special Consideration

The law school recruits minority and disadvantaged students by means of law school forums, candidate referral services through LSDAS, and special outreach by the Associate Dean for Student Affairs/Professional Programs. Requirements are not different for out-of-state students. Transfer students must have one year of credit, have attended an ABA-approved law school, and it is recommended that students be in the top 10% to 20% of their current law school class.

University of Colorado at Boulder, Law School Admissions

In the fall 2007 first-year class, 2579 applied, 651 were accepted, and 175 enrolled. Seven transfers enrolled. The median LSAT percentile of the most recent first-year class was 91; the median GPA was 3.66 on a scale of 4.0. The lowest LSAT percentile accepted was 40; the highest was 99.

Applicants must have a bachelor’s degree and take the LSAT. All factors are considered inportant in the admissions process. No specific undergraduate courses are required. Candidates are not interviewed.

The application deadline for fall entry is March 15. Applicants should submit an application form, LSAT results, transcripts, a personal statement, a nonrefundable application fee of $65, 2, letter of recommendation, but more will be accepted letters and r

University of Colorado at Boulder, Law School Financial Aid

About 80% of current law students receive some form of aid. The average annual amount of aid from all sources combined, including scholarships, loans, and work contracts, is $30,000; maximum, $45,000. Awards are based on need and merit, loans are based on need. Scholarships are usually based on a combination of need and merit. Required financial statements are the FAFSA and tax returns. The aid application deadline for fall entry is April 1. Special funds for minority or disadvantaged students include need-based, merit, and scholarships that advance the diversity of the student body. First-year students are notified about their financial aid application at the time of the initial inquiry; information on financial aid is included in the catalog. Admitted students are encouraged to apply for financial aid as early as possible.

University of Colorado at Boulder, Law School Students

About 47% of the student body are women; 22%, minorities; 4%, African American; 8%, Asian American; 5%, Hispanic; and 2%, Native American. The majority of students come from Colorado (50%). The average age of entering students is 24; age range is 21 to 51. About 45% of students enter directly from undergraduate school, 17% have a graduate degree, and 80% have worked full-time prior to entering law school. About 2% drop out after the first year for academic or personal reasons; 96% remain to receive a law degree.

Students edit the University of Colorado Law Review, Colorado Journal of International Environmental Law and Policy, and the Journal on Telecommunications and High Technology Law. The most successful teams in the Rothgerber Moot Court Competition participate in the National Moot Court Competition. The school also competes in the Jessup Moot Court, held each year regionally, nationally, and internationally, and the Carrigan Cup Competition, an internal competition in which participants are selected for regional competitions leading to the national mock trial competition sponsored by the ABA. Other competitions deal with environmental law, American Indian law, and trademark law. There are local chapters of Phi Alpha DeltaJulius Caesar Chapter, American Bar Association Law Student Division, and ACLU. Law student organizations include Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy Studies, National Lawyers Guild, Student Trial Lawyers Association, Women’s Law Caucus, Latino Law Students Association, and Environmental Law Society.

The law school operates on a traditional semester basis. Courses for full-time students are offered days only and must be completed within 7 years. There is no part-time program. New students are admitted in the fall. There is a 3- and 5-week summer session. Transferable summer courses are offered.