Information for Students
From 1L Orientation to commencement and beyond, the Career Development Office is here every step of the way as you explore the world of law and find a satisfying career in whatever area you choose.
The CDO organizes dozens of career panels, workshops, networking events, interviews mock interviews, mentoring programs, a robust alumni network, and individual advising sessions.
Each counselor has a specialty area and is responsible for outreach and engagement with employers in that area. We work with a wide range of employers and offers counseling, resources, programming and relationship building events to help students pursue opportunities with:
- Law firms in private practice,
- Government agencies and other public service-minded organizations in the public sector,
- Judges in various courts around the country,
- Business and entrepreneurial employers, and
- Nontraditional employers who value the skills students develop in law school.
Current students can use , our 12Twenty based CSM platform, to search for posted job opportunities, log Public Service Pledge hours, connect with Colorado Law alumni, schedule appointments with a career advisor, find resources and templates for application documents, RSVP for CDO workshops, and more.
Most students and graduates secure substantive employment by building an active network of contacts from which they receive valuable advice, information and referrals. This is why we have created ProNet, a Professional Network of alumni who are willing to speak with students about their practice area, employer, or geographic location. ProNet can be accessed through the Student & Alumni section of CDOnline.
Successful summer and post-graduate job searches begin with a purposeful, deliberate, and multi-faced approach. We're here to help, so take advantage of the many services we offer, including:
- Career Counseling: Our professional staff provides individual counseling for students and alumni. Every first-year student meets with a CDO counselor in the fall to begin the process of developing an individual job search action plan. Students are encouraged to work with any of our four counselors as they refine their plan.
- Employer Outreach: Every semester and throughout the summer, our counselors engage with local, regional and national employers. By gathering data from current students each fall, we can expand our understanding of our students' goals and seek out relationships with new employers every year.
- Regular Opportunities to Build a Network: Attorneys and other professionals speak to our students during weekly informational sessions. We host many career-focused events, including a fall Career Perspective or Intro to Practice Series, a spring Hot Jobs Series, a year-long Build Your Network program, and informal Wednesday Morning Coffees.
- Big Events: Each year we co-host a Government & Public Interest Career Fair in the fall, which gives students the opportunity to meet more than 50 employers. An annual Judicial Appreciation Reception takes place each fall, enabling our students to mingle with federal, state, and local judges and to learn about the benefits of clerking. Finally, JD Pathways is an early spring event designed to help all law students refine their interests by meeting attorneys at panel discussions, mock interviews, a networking lunch, and a reception with employers.
- Mock Interviews: We offer a mock interview program several times each year, allowing students to practice their interview skills and receive feedback from volunteer attorneys.
- Job Search Resources: We have developed resource guides to provide information about jobs in small to mid-sized law firms, government agencies, judges, and nontraditional employers. These can be found in the CDO Student Guide in the Resource Library section of .
- On-Campus Interviews: Each semester, we conduct an On-Campus Interview (OCI) program during which students may apply for summer clerkships and associate attorney positions with law firms, businesses, government agencies and public interest organizations.
- Job Postings: Through our system, students and alumni can review web-based job listings and an online document library that contains numerous career development resources. All information is password protected and updated regularly.
Career Facts
- 95% of 2023 graduates reported employment ten months after graduation (March 15, 2024).
- 90% of 2023 graduates reported a full-time, long-term, non-school funded job for which bar passage was required or a JD degree was an advantage.
- 84% of 2023 graduates reported a full-time, long-term, non-school funded job for which bar passage was required.
- 97% of 2023 graduates in full-time, long-term jobs reported their salary to the CDO.
- 22% of employed 2023 graduates will be working for an NLJ500 Law Firm after graduation.
- 14% of employed 2023 graduates accepted judicial clerkships: 3 federal, 7 state appellate, and 14 state trial.
- 95% of the classes of 2024 and 2025 worked in substantive law or law-related jobs during summer 2023.