How to Hire Colorado Law Students and Graduates

We work with a wide range of employers, including law firms, judges, businesses, government agencies, and public interest organizations. Our law students are interested in both traditional and nontraditional legal internships, as well as entrepreneurial opportunities where they can employ their analytical abilities, research and writing skills, and sound judgment.

Our students are currently seeking Summer 2024, Fall 2024, and post-graduate opportunities. You can view our policies here. If you are interested in hiring a Colorado Law student or graduate, these are the best ways to advertise your opportunity:

  • Create a free . Through our password-protected jobs database, CDOnline, you will be able to share a description of the position, select which class years can apply, and communicate your specific application instructions. For student positions, fall semester opportunities are typically posted June 1 – July 15, spring semester opportunities from October 1 – November 15, and summer jobs from January 15 – April 1.
    • Colorado Law believes in inclusive and transparent hiring within the legal profession:
      • In accordance with Colorado Law’s Anti-Racism and Representation Initiative, Colorado Law’s Career Development Office (CDO) is now requiring that all job opportunities shared with the CDO must be advertised publicly through CDOnline. This practice will help reduce the risk of implicit bias associated with unadvertised opportunities.
      • Colorado Law will not post positions without an employer name. This includes opportunities posted through search firms who will not disclose the name of their client.
  • Schedule interviews at Colorado Law (OCI). We host over 80 employers each year to interview Colorado Law students for academic-credit externships as well as paid or unpaid internships at government and non-profit institutions; paid internships with law firms and businesses; and paid post-graduate employment through our On-Campus Interview program (OCI). Fall 2024 OCI registration is now open. Click here for more information. If you have any questions, please contact Katie Rabinowitz.
  • Participate in a Career Fair. The spring semester is home to two career fairs: the CU/DU Government and Public Interest Law Career Fair in February and the Small to Midsize Firm Career Fair in March. Both Fairs include an in-person expo and virtual interviews a week or two later. If you are intersted in participating in the CU/DU Government and Public Interest Law Career Fair, please contact Nicole Netkin-Collins. If you are interested in participating in the Small to Midsize Firm Career Fair, please contact Katie Rabinowitz.
  • Hire a 1L through the Colorado Pledge to Diversity. The Colorado Pledge to Diversity aims to introduce legal employers in the Denver metro area to talented 1L law students from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds at the University of Colorado, University of Denver, and University of Wyoming for the opportunity of a paid summer clerkship. For more information about the the Colorado Pledge to Diversity, please contact Katie Rabinowitz.

Other Ways to Engage with Students

Employers can also connect with our students by:

  • Participate in mock interviews
  • Join in on a panel discussion
  • Serve as a mentor
  • Conduct informational interviews with our students
  • Judge a student competition
  • Work with student groups
  • Host an on- or off-campus event
  • Critique a student resume or writing sample
  • Join us for Tuesday Morning Coffee, an opportunity for small groups of students to meet with professionals over coffee and bagels in an informal setting and ask career-related questions

If you are interested in any of these engagement opportunities, please contact Todd Rogers.

Colorado Law Policies

Click on these links to skip ahead and review the policies below:

Colorado Equal Pay for Equal Work Act

prohibits an employer from:

  • Seeking the wage rate history of a prospective employee or requiring disclosure of wage rate as a condition of employment;
  • Relying on a prior wage rate to determine a wage rate;
  • Discriminating or retaliating against a prospective employee for failing to disclose the employee's wage rate history;
  • Discharging or retaliating against an employee for actions by an employee asserting the rights established by the act against an employer; or
  • Discharging, disciplining, discriminating against, or otherwise interfering with an employee for inquiring about, disclosing, or discussing the employee's wage rate.

In addition, for positions that could be worked in Colorado, including remote positions, the Act requires employers to include in their job posting the hourly rate or salary compensation (or a range thereof) the employer is offering for the position and a general description of all benefits and other compensation offered.

Equal Employment Opportunity

It is the firm expectation of the University of Colorado Law School that employers of our students and graduates and potential employers who accept applications from and interview our students and graduates will observe the principles of non-discrimination and equality of opportunity on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, religion, national origin, sex, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, disability, or military status. By utilizing the services and facilities of the Career Development Office you are agreeing to abide by this expectation and to comply with the Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) laws established by the federal and Colorado governments.

Timing of Offers and Decisions

In light of the changes to NALP’s recruitment guidelines, Colorado Law has published its General Standards for the Timing of Offers and Decisions. If you have any questions about these new standards, please do not hesitate to reach out.

Externships

Colorado Law policy restricts posting volunteer or for-credit positions to government or non-profit institutions only. We do not offer credit for unpaid internships with for-profit organizations, nor are we posting these types of positions on CDOnline (12Twenty).

For a description of our externship program, through which students can receive academic credit for work performed under attorney supervision at a government agency or nonprofit entity, visit our Externship page. You may also read Rule 205.7, Law Student Practice, in the Colorado Supreme Court's (pages 38-41).

Rankings Policy

Like many other law schools, Colorado Law limits rankings to the upper tier of the class. This change followed studies and surveys of employers initiated and conducted by the students, and it affects the Class of 2008 and all subsequent classes. The rules regarding rankings are as follows:

  • Only the top 1/3 of students in each class receive individual numerical rankings. There is no ranking of students below the top 1/3 of each class. 
  • A student may at any time request a copy of her or his transcript with no rank (individual or percentage) printed on it.
  • First-year students do not receive rankings (either individual or percentage) after their first semester of study; instead, ranking of the first-year class will be done only after second semester grades are submitted.
  • The numerical grade cut-off for the top 1/3 is publicly available. No other rank/grade relationship (e.g., 50th percentile) is available.

Click here for more information on Colorado Law's rankings policy and to download the current percentile grid.

Student Practice Act

Law students who have completed at least two years of law school may appear in court pursuant to . A student must file a  that he or she has completed two years of law school and is of good moral character. To file this certification, print the form, complete the first two sections, bring the form to the Dean's Suite, and deposit it in the drop box labeled "FORMS", outside office 326H. The Registrar will then complete and submit the form. 

The student must also provide the name of the supervising attorney and an anticipated graduation date. Work must be performed for an attorney in the public sector, i.e., the Public Defender's Office or District Attorney's Office; or on behalf of a nonprofit legal services organization where poor or legally underserved persons receives legal advice.

Student Complaint Procedure

Any Colorado Law student who believes they have been subjected to, or witnessed, illegal discrimination, sexual misconduct, or offensive or inappropriate conduct by an employer or prospective employer, whether on campus or elsewhere, during the recruiting process, or during summer or other employment while a law student, including employment as an intern or extern, is encouraged to complete a Student Complaint Form and submit this completed form to the Colorado Law Career Development Office (CDO). Students are encouraged to submit a Complaint Form as soon as possible after the alleged incident of misconduct. Delay in filing a Complaint Form can impede the ability of the CDO to investigate the incident and appropriately respond.

Complaints Relating to Sexual Misconduct or Protected Class Discrimination and Harassment under the Jurisdiction of OIEC

Note that under CU policies, all employees who have the authority to formally advise students are considered “responsible employees” and are required to report alleged sexual misconduct, intimate partner violence, stalking, protected class discrimination/ harassment, and related retaliation to the Office of Institutional Equity and Compliance (OIEC). This means:

  • A responsible employee who becomes aware of alleged behavior related to sexual misconduct (including sexual assault, exploitation and harassment), intimate partner violence (dating and domestic), stalking, discrimination, harassment, or related retaliation involving any member of the CU community must report it to OIEC.
  • Responsible employees by definition are mandatory reporters and must relay all of the information disclosed to them to OIEC. This includes:
  • Name of the person allegedly subjected to misconduct
  • Name of the person alleged to have engaged in misconduct
  • Name of any alleged witnesses
  • Any other relevant facts, including the date, time, and specific location of the alleged incident.
  • This applies whether the member of our community is the person who was subjected to the misconduct or the person accused of the misconduct.
  • This applies regardless of where or when an incident occurred, including if it occurred off campus and/or before they were a member of the campus community.
  • This applies regardless of how the information was conveyed to a responsible employee (whether spoken, written, or through a third party).

Upon receipt of a Complaint Form, the CDO Assistant Dean will contact the student to discuss the incident reported. The CDO will report all allegations of sexual misconduct, intimate partner violence, stalking, discrimination, harassment, and related retaliation to the OIEC. Whenever possible, the OIEC and CDO will communicate and share information to streamline and reduce impact from the reporting process for the student. The CDO and OIEC will consider a student’s request that no further action be taken by the CDO or OIEC and that the Complaint Form simply remain on file for future reference. The CDO and OIEC will weigh that request against the university’s obligation to provide a safe, non-discriminatory environment for all students, faculty, and staff.

For complaints that fall within the jurisdiction of the OIEC, the OIEC has an obligation to conduct at least a preliminary inquiry to determine whether the alleged conduct warrants further action. OIEC acts as a neutral, objective fact finder when adjudicating a complaint. When someone has concerns about behaviors that are a potential violation of our policies, OIEC can either conduct a formal adjudication or grievance process – consisting of an investigation, sanctioning and appeal, as applicable – or resolve the issue through an informal resolution process.  As noted above, the student may request that no further action be taken by the OIEC. The OIEC will weigh that request against the university’s obligation to provide a safe, non-discriminatory environment for all students, faculty, and staff.

In some cases, the OIEC may determine that reported matter falls outside the jurisdiction of the policies enforced by the OIEC or may be best handled directly by the CDO; in such cases the OIEC will refer the matter back to the CDO to resolve in accordance with the procedures set forth below.

Complaints that Relate to Offensive or Inappropriate Conduct Outside the Jurisdiction of the OIEC

For complaints that fall outside the jurisdiction of the OIEC, The Assistant Dean, in consultation with the other CDO counselors, will review the incident and Complaint Form and may, if deemed appropriate, initiate a review of the facts of the incident. In deciding whether to complete an investigation and what action to take, the Assistant Dean will consider any factor deemed relevant, including the nature of the conduct, whether the conduct is isolated or part of a pattern, and the extent of any remedial measures initiated by the employer.

After completion of the review or investigation process, the Law School may decide to:

  • Maintain a record of the complaint, but not contact the employer directly or take any further action.
  • Bring the event to the employer’s attention, and if appropriate, ask the employer what measures they have taken or will take to address the situation.
  • Prohibit the employer from interviewing at the Law School, posting a job opening with the Law School, limit Law School referrals to that employer for a prescribed period of time, or otherwise using the Law School’s facilities for a prescribed period of time.
  • Refer the student to confidential campus support and resources, for example the Office of Victim Assistance or Counseling and Psychiatric Services.
  • Adopt any other action deemed reasonable and appropriate.

The ultimate decision of what action, if any, to take, will be made by the CDO Assistant Dean who initially meets with the student, after consultation with the other CDO counselors and, if necessary, the OIEC, the Assistant Dean of Student Services, and the Dean of the Law School.

No attorney-client relationship is created between the Law School, or any of its employees, and a student who brings a complaint alleging employer misconduct. The complaint procedures provided for herein shall not limit the right of a student to pursue any remedy available to the student under the law.

      Both my Colorado Law student interns this summer were great—many of my coworkers mentioned how nice they seemed and how easy it was to work with them. Their legal research was thorough and their reports were helpful.”

    Marissa Johnson
    Rocky Mountain PBS


      Your office was very helpful in identifying candidates for our summer intern position. It was great that your office compiled resumes, looked for interested candidates, and organized the interview process. I wouldn't hesitate to hire a CU intern or work directly with your office again.”

    Joel Jacobson
    Rubicon Law Group, Ltd.


       Our intern did a fantastic job, even at the 1L level. I would highly recommend hiring a Colorado Law intern at any level.”

    Amanda Hopkins
    Colorado State Public Defender's Office (Alamosa)