Published: July 26, 2024
Adam lipsius

With the academic year quickly approaching, Colorado Law is looking forward to welcoming the incoming class of new students. Over the next few weeks, we will be highlighting some of our incredible 1Ls through a series of brief profiles! Next up, we have Adam Lipsius (he/him).

Originally from DC, Adam is a former movie director, screenwriter and producer. Meet the Class of 2027’s Adam Lipsius!

What inspired you to pursue a law degree?

AL: Not being dead yet, I still think I can help.

I want to learn. To listen openly and communicate meaningfully, especially with folks I don’t know. Maybe absorbing precedents and parsing legal solutions will make me less defensive and more proactive? Or maybe pursuing this degree will just fill me with dread about the intractable state of Everything. Jury’s still out.

Either way, I want to tussle with real-world troubles and wrestle the system. I’m done spectating from the cheap seats.

What are your hobbies outside of work and school?

AL: I’ve been curling at Denver Curling Club (THAT one, by the car dealerships on 6th Avenue) for the last three years - and it’s maddening. The difference between success and sadness is measured in millimeters. You shoot out of the hack and huck a stone across so many frozen yards, occasionally falling and cracking something. More often failing… by just… a little.

You have to be impossibly precise, and then you have to be that precise again. And again. And you look ridiculous doing it.

I THINK we all know how silly it seems, but the pre- and post-game alcohol numbs your self-awareness quite a bit. Winners buy. Civility and sportsmanship are practices not just principles. There’s a culture of camaraderie around the game that entices me back - even when it gets more heated on the ice than you’d expect.

I also love my bike, though, it doesn’t always love me back.

The same goes for my dog, Tilda (see slobber).

Lastly, I hate writing almost as much as I hate NOT writing, so I try to put “pen” to “paper” every day.

What was your career before deciding to come to law school?

AL: I am a recovering movie director, screenwriter and producer. Between 2012 and 2021, I made 6 feature films. I wrote 3 of them, directed 4 of them and produced 4 of them (trust me, that adds up to 6).

The first was a teen rom-com about tennis called “16-LOVE,” that I directed and produced; and the last was a thriller called “Crime Story,” that I wrote, produced and directed, LOOSELY based on my grandfather’s life and death. In between, I saved the world twice, dressed up as an inter-galactic villain once and spent a straight month sopping wet in Cardiff, Wales.

Why did you choose Colorado law?

AL: The vibe. It seems like a place where people pull for each other - like a real team with heart and soul, and that’s what I want.

Embarrassingly, the thought of Colorado Law makes me feel warm and gooey inside. I’m hoping for three years of a brownies-fresh-from-the-oven experience, though, I know that can’t be true… can it?

Even if every day isn’t Sara Lee, it’s REALLY nice in «Ƶ, and I’m getting psyched.

What are you most looking forward to this upcoming academic year?

AL: I want to discuss a tough, divisive issue with somebody I don’t agree with… over beer. Hopefully, talking less and listening more. I’d love to be persuaded. See things from their point of view. Hear their story. Share mine. Then stumble home, grinning.