News

Prof. Colene Robinson Receives “Excellence in Teaching” Award

Anonymous — Fri, 19 Apr 2024 20:23:35 +0000

Prof. Colene Robinson Receives “Excellence in Teaching” Award Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 04/19/2024 - 14:23

Emily Battaglia

Congratulations to Prof. Colene Robinson, who recently received a 2024 ��«��Ƶ Faculty Excellence Award for “Excellence in Teaching.” This award recognizes the vital importance of teaching and mentoring students as significant components of faculty duties that are central to the university’s mission.

“I am really grateful to everyone who worked hard to support my nomination and am so honored by the acknowledgement of my teaching,” Robinson said. “Hearing from former students that I had positively impacted their time in law school, which I know can be so stressful and hard, was incredibly moving.”

Robinson wears many hats here at the law school. Not only does she teach and write about child welfare and juvenile delinquency, she also co-directs the Juvenile and Family Law Program (JFLP). In her Juvenile and Family Law Clinic, students represent children and parents in child welfare cases and youth in delinquency and immigration matters. The JFLP provides students with opportunities to acquire specialized knowledge and fosters collaboration between students, academics, and practitioners.

“The people I work with at the law school are the best part of my job – foremost the students and also the faculty and staff,” Robinson shared. “Being able to laugh with people while at the same time working though hard issues that require compassion and good judgment, makes this my dream job. Not to mention the amazing professionals I work with frequently at the courthouse – like judges, caseworkers, and other attorneys.”

Prof. Robinson’s career has been extensive. Before joining Colorado Law, she represented children and families throughout Colorado and in New York City. Now as a professor and Director of Clinical Programs, she shares that some of her proudest moments come from witnessing students become more confident in their legal practice through their work in many of the Law School’s Clinics.

Like when students feel challenged by what they are learning and make noticeable improvements - “Those moments are gold when you see it happening.” Robinson said. “Also, the times when we [the clinic] have made a positive difference in someone’s case [have been among my proudest accomplishments] – which can be hard to do when you are working primarily in the child welfare system.” Professor Robinson and her students have represented over 300 families.

When asked what excellence in teaching means to her, Robinson revealed that it can be difficult to know if you are teaching well.

“If students don’t perform as well on an exam or assignment, I ask myself how I could have done a better job with the material,” Robinson explained. “Excellence means being creative, reading as much as possible in my area, keeping up with the changes in law and policy, updating or redoing my courses continuously, and finding ways to tackle difficult subjects. It also means being honest with myself when I haven’t done my best work and making changes to get better, including asking for feedback from students and colleagues.”

The University of Colorado Law School is grateful to have Robinson’s expertise and dedication to our students’ success as part of our community and look forward to the impact she will continue to have in the years to come. Congratulations, Professor Robinson, on this incredible achievement!

Learn more about Prof. Robinson here.

Off

Traditional

White

Getting to Know Prof. Laura Dolbow

Anonymous — Wed, 20 Mar 2024 14:19:15 +0000

Getting to Know Prof. Laura Dolbow Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 03/20/2024 - 08:19

Emily Battaglia

In August, Prof. Laura Dolbow will join the Colorado Law Faculty as Associate Professor. Prof. Dolbow researches the intersection of patent law, health law, and administrative law.

Her work has been published or is forthcoming in the Michigan Law Review, the Vanderbilt Law Review and the Administrative Law Review. Her law school note won a 2018 Burton Award for Distinguished Legal Writing and was cited by the Patent Office in a final rule regarding claim construction standards in post-grant review proceedings. Her article, Agency Adherence to Legislative History, won the 2017 Gellhorn-Sargentich Law Student Essay Competition and the Weldon B. White Prize.

Dolbow is a Sharswood Fellow at Penn Carey Law. Before that, she practiced in the appellate and patent litigation groups at Covington & Burling LLP in Washington, DC. She clerked for Judge Judith Rogers on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit and for Judge Timothy Dyk on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. She received her J.D. and B.A. from Vanderbilt University, where she won the Founder’s Medal for her law school class and served as Senior Articles Editor of the Vanderbilt Law Review. Before law school, she taught middle school math through Teach for America in Nashville, TN.

In this interview, Laura shares more about her work, the inspiration behind it, and some of her career accomplishments so far.

What are you most excited about in your move to Colorado?

LD: I am very excited about teaching law students and joining the academic community at Colorado Law! I’m also looking forward to exploring trails on hikes and runs. Suggestions for trails or other outdoor activities are welcome!

What is your proudest career accomplishment?

LD: My proudest career accomplishment was during my second year as a middle school math teacher through Teach for America. I taught Algebra 1 to eighth graders, and my proudest moment was when my entire class passed the standardized exam to receive high school credit. The students worked so hard to pass the high school exam. Many of them made massive amounts of progress in their math skills during the year. I was so thrilled to see their hard work pay off in their exam results!

Can you tell me about your time as a Sharswood fellow? How has that impacted your career path?

LD: The Sharswood Fellowship helped give me time to write and develop my research agenda before I went on the job market for tenure-track teaching positions. As a Sharswood fellow, I have had the opportunity to teach law students, attend faculty workshops, and work on my own research. I taught a seminar about regulations that affect drug prices, which has given me ideas for future papers and helped develop my expertise about regulation of the pharmaceutical industry. Now, I am co-teaching Intro to Intellectual Property, which has been very helpful experience for teaching larger classes in the future. Spending time in faculty workshops and on research has also been helpful for thinking through how to frame research papers and select topics for future articles.

What inspired your interests in patent law, health law, and administrative law?

LD: I got interested in patent law and health law when I majored in chemistry in undergrad. I was really interested in the research my chemistry professors were doing, particularly about drug development. I worked on the school newspaper at the time and interviewed several of them about their research. Given my interest in both science and writing, they suggested that I think about patent law as a career. Then in law school, I loved my classes about administrative law and became more interested in regulation of the pharmaceutical industry generally. As a lawyer at Covington & Burling, I was able to work on cases that involved all three topics. My practice experience further solidified my interest in researching and teaching in these areas.

Can you share a little about any current projects you are working on?

LD: I am currently working on a paper about laws that expressly authorize agencies to control how patents are used in commerce. These laws have come up in debates about high drug prices, particularly when federal funding supported development of drugs. This paper, which is forthcoming in the Michigan Law Review, surveys all the laws that explicitly give agencies powers over patents and studies how they have been used in practice. The Biden Administration recently issued guidance about how one power over federally funded inventions could be used. I argue in the paper that it should go further and issue guidance about how all the different powers could be used, which could have policy implications in a range of areas. I have a couple other ideas to build on this paper in future work, which I plan to work on next semester at Colorado!

In August, Prof. Laura Dolbow will join the Colorado Law Faculty as Associate Professor. Prof. Dolbow researches the intersection of patent law, health law, and administrative law.

Off

Traditional

White

Byron White Center hosts “Reclaiming the Constitutional Text from Originalism” Lunch Talk

Anonymous — Mon, 18 Mar 2024 18:14:53 +0000

Byron White Center hosts “Reclaiming the Constitutional Text from Originalism” Lunch Talk Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 03/18/2024 - 12:14

John Henry Verhoff & M.R. Dickey

On March 12, the Byron R. White Center for American Constitutional Law and the American Constitution Society (ACS) at Colorado Law hosted a lunch talk on “Reclaiming the Constitutional Text from Originalism” with Georgetown Law Professor Victoria Nourse. Professor Nourse is former Chief Counsel to then-Vice President Biden, U.S. Civil Rights Commissioner, and writer for CNN and Ms. Magazine. Professor Nourse shared her research on the Supreme Court’s continuing trend towards originalism, potential ways to respond to originalist approaches, and how the Justices have applied originalist principles in their decisions.

The event brought an enthusiastic audience of students, staff, faculty, and community members. Byron White Center Director Professor Suzette Malveaux opened the event, thanking Professor Nourse for her important critique of originalism’s use of textualism, especially in the context of understanding executive power. ACS’s incoming president M.R. Dickey then introduced Professor Nourse, who presented her research and statistics on the increased presence of originalist references and principles in the Supreme Court’s opinions since 2019.

Touching on subjects such as abortion, gun rights, the right to privacy, and presidential immunity, Professor Nourse remarked, “No area is free from originalism.” Contextualizing the Court’s recent decision in Trump v. Anderson, Professor Nourse noted: “Originalism is not consistent, the Courts will hone in on one word and take it out of context. While originalism is lauded as a theory to reduce judicial bias, in practice, judges adding their own meaning increases the risk of bias.”

Following her presentation, the White Center’s Student Senior Fellow Michaela Calhoun engaged Professor Nourse in a fireside chat, asking her about executive power, combating originalism in practice, and similar topics.

Reflecting on the event, 3L Austin McCreary remarked, “This has been one of my favorite White Center events. I truly enjoyed the statistical data that illustrated the impact and use of originalism in SCOTUS decisions.”

This sentiment was shared by numerous attendees, as Mary Slosson, 3L, shared, “This was my favorite White Center event this year; I wanted the talk to continue because I was learning so much!”

This month, the White Center is excited to host constitutional law events with the American Constitution Society and the Federalist Society—organizations of different political stripes. This initiative is a testament to the Center's commitment to fostering the expansion of knowledge and stimulating public discussion on matters of Constitutional law. As Professor Nourse stated to a student inquiring about what to do in the courts as originalism becomes more prevalent, “the doctrines are up for grabs.”

The Byron White Center is eager to foster and nurture these discussions, encouraging a greater understanding of ideas surrounding originalist approaches.

In fact, as 1L Victoria Matson stated, “Our Constitutional Law professor attended the talk, and later that afternoon we applied Professor Nourse’s principles of constructive responses to originalism. Particularly, we applied Professor Nourse’s discussion of contextualizing originalism to a case where the originalist evidence was inconclusive and required adjusting our approaches to the problem to a more contemporary meaning.” She continued, adding “it was great to see the concept applied in an engaging way!”

Prof. Malveaux, echoed, “This is the kind of impact and engagement the Center is proud to offer to our students and the larger community.”

The White Center thanks Professor Nourse for her groundbreaking research and engaging presentation on originalism.

View a recording of the event here.

Off

Traditional

White

John Echohawk to Deliver 2024 Commencement Ceremony Remarks

Anonymous — Tue, 05 Mar 2024 18:34:48 +0000

John Echohawk to Deliver 2024 Commencement Ceremony Remarks Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 03/05/2024 - 11:34

Emily Battaglia

The University of Colorado Law School is pleased to announce that Native American rights attorney and Executive Director of the Native American Rights Fund, John Echohawk, will be the speaker for the Colorado Law Class of 2024 commencement recognition ceremony.

The ceremony will take place on Friday, May 10 beginning at 10 a.m.

“We are honored to welcome John Echohawk as the 2024 commencement speaker,” said Dean Lolita Buckner Inniss. “His profound influence on Native American rights has had an impact on Indigenous communities across the nation and globe, and we couldn’t be more pleased to have him speak before our graduating class.”

John Echohawk, Pawnee, is the Executive Director of the Native American Rights Fund. He was the first graduate of the University of New Mexico’s special program to train Indian lawyers in 1970, and was a founding member of the American Indian Law Students Association while in law school. Echohawk has been with NARF since its inception in 1970, having served continuously as Executive Director since 1977.

He has been recognized as one of the 100 most influential lawyers in America by the National Law Journal and has received numerous service awards and other recognition for his leadership in the Indian law field including the 2023 Thurgood Marshall Award from the American Bar Association.

Additionally, Echohawk serves on the Boards of the Association on American Indian Affairs, the Indigenous Language Institute, Natural Resources Defense Council, Grand Canyon Trust, Native Ways Federation, Water Foundation, Keystone Policy Center, and the National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development.

He holds a B.A. from the University of New Mexico, and served as a Reginald Heber Smith Fellow from 1970-72.

In addition to Echohawk’s remarks, Colorado Law will also present an Honorary Order of the Coif to a member of the legal community. The English Order of the Coif, an ancient and honored institution of the Common Law, was an association of distinguished lawyers consisting appointed by the Judges of the Court of Common Pleas. For centuries, they had the exclusive right to be barristers in that Court. The American Order was formed in 1911 for the purpose of promoting scholarship among law students.

The University of Colorado Law School, one of the 81 member law schools, became a member in 1942. Under the Order’s constitution, only the top 10% of the school’s graduating class is eligible for membership. Dean Lolita Buckner Inniss has selected David W. Stark ‘73 as the 2024 Honorary Order of the Coif Recipient.

Stark – a retired partner at Faegre Baker Daniels --represents lawyers and law firms in professional responsibility and ethics matters. Stark served as chair of the Colorado Supreme Court Attorney Regulation Committee and is currently chair of the Colorado Supreme Court Attorney Regulation Advisory Committee, which oversees the Colorado Attorney Regulation System. He is a member of the Colorado Supreme Court Standing Committee on the Rules of Professional Conduct, the CBA/DBA Professionalism Coordinating Council, the Colorado Supreme Court Chief Justice's Commission on Professional Development, and the Executive Committee of the Colorado Lawyers Committee.

Off

Traditional

White

Professor Andrew Schwartz to Deliver 2024 Scott Lecture

Anonymous — Mon, 04 Mar 2024 21:17:41 +0000

Professor Andrew Schwartz to Deliver 2024 Scott Lecture Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 03/04/2024 - 14:17

Emily Battaglia

The University of Colorado Law School is pleased to announce that Prof. Andrew Schwartz will deliver the 48th annual Austin W. Scott Jr. Lecture. Schwartz will speak on “Digital Shareholders” on Thursday, April 11 at 5:30 p.m. in Wittemyer Courtroom. A reception will follow at 6:30 p.m.

Schwartz's lecture will draw from his new book Investment Crowdfunding, recently published by Oxford University Press. In this book, Schwartz details the recent reforms that have changed federal law to allow the general public to participate in the online investment of startup companies—a venture from which they were formerly excluded.

Are these investments safe? Are they lucrative? Should you join the millions of Americans that have already taken the plunge, investing billions of dollars in thousands of companies from coast-to-coast? Come learn about the opportunities – and dangers—of this new market from the Colorado Law professor and Fulbright scholar who wrote the book on the subject.

“The point of investment crowdfunding is to invite the general public—’the crowd’—to take their chance and invest in startup companies alongside wealthy angel investors and professional venture capitalists, so I'm particularly excited to present this lecture to the public. Everybody is welcome, everybody is invited, and I will offer lots of practical advice. Plus it will be funny.”

One general CLE credit pending for Colorado attorneys. Register here.

Named for Austin Scott, a member of the law school faculty for 20 years, this annual lecture features a member of the Colorado Law faculty selected by the dean who is engaged in a significant scholarly project. This year's Scott Lecture is co-sponsored by Silicon Flatirons.

Please contact lawevents@colorado.edu or (303) 492-8048 for any questions you may have about the event.

Learn more about the Austin W. Scott Jr. Lecture.

More about Andrew Schwartz

Andrew A. Schwartz joined the Colorado Law faculty in 2008 and was promoted to full professor in 2017. He teaches and publishes on corporate, securities and contract law, and has become an internationally recognized expert on investment crowdfunding. In 2017, Professor Schwartz served as a Fulbright Research Scholar and visiting professor at the University of Auckland Law School in New Zealand. Read Prof. Schwartz’s full bio here.

Off

Traditional

White

Dean Inniss Announces New Faculty Appointment

Anonymous — Mon, 04 Mar 2024 20:57:47 +0000

Dean Inniss Announces New Faculty Appointment Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 03/04/2024 - 13:57

Emily Battaglia

Lolita Buckner Inniss, Dean and Provost’s Professor of Law, is pleased to announce the appointment of another professor to Colorado Law’s full-time faculty: Laura Dolbow.

“We are truly fortunate to welcome Prof. Dolbow to our law school,” said Dean Inniss. “The future is bright at Colorado Law, and we are filled with gratitude for the knowledge and inspiration she will bring to our students and colleagues on the faculty!”

Meet Colorado Law’s newest professor:

Laura Dolbow

Laura Dolbow researches the intersection of patent law, health law, and administrative law.

Dolbow currently is a Sharswood Fellow at Penn Carey Law. Before that, she practiced in the appellate and patent litigation groups at Covington & Burling LLP in Washington, DC. She clerked for Judge Judith Rogers on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit and for Judge Timothy Dyk on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. She received her J.D. and B.A. from Vanderbilt University, where she won the Founder’s Medal for her law school class and served as Senior Articles Editor of the Vanderbilt Law Review. Before law school, she taught middle school math through Teach for America in Nashville, TN.

Lolita Buckner Inniss, Dean and Provost’s Professor of Law, is pleased to announce the appointment of another professor to Colorado Law’s full-time faculty: Laura Dolbow.

Off

Traditional

White

Professor Malveaux Wins National Scholarship Award

Anonymous — Tue, 27 Feb 2024 19:29:18 +0000

Professor Malveaux Wins National Scholarship Award Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 02/27/2024 - 12:29

Emily Battaglia

We are excited to share that Professor Suzette Malveaux was recently awarded the National Civil Justice Institute (NCJI) 2024 Scholarship Award for her article, "Is it Time for a New Civil Rights Act? Pursuing Procedural Justice in the Federal Civil Court System," 63 B.C. L. Rev. 2403 (2022) (lead article). The Officers and Trustees unanimously selected "Is It Time for a New Civil Rights Act?" as the best law review article among the submissions from legal academics nationwide. Malveaux received a monetary stipend, framed certificate and paid trip to Austin, Texas where she was honored for this prestigious recognition. We sat down with her to learn more about her groundbreaking work.

Can you talk about the article that is being recognized by the NCJI and what it was about?

The fundamental premise of my article is that over the last half century, the U.S. Supreme Court has incrementally and quietly stripped away the procedural rights of everyday Americans, making it increasingly harder for vulnerable populations to get their “day in court” and vindicate their substantive rights. This is an important civil rights issue that often flies under the radar. While we usually focus on substantive rights, they are futile without robust procedural rights. I argue that Congress should address this regressive trend and enact a new civil rights act, to counter this dangerous and ubiquitous trend.
My article explores the conditions and catalysts that led to other restorative civil rights laws, specifically the sweeping Civil Rights Act of 1991 and the targeted Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. The sheer amount and gravity of regressive caselaw, acute dissension within the Court, and groundswell of political pressure has led to a tipping point. My article breaks new ground by arguing for a new procedural civil rights act and setting forth what exactly that would look like.

How did this article build on some of your previous work?

This article is, in many ways, a culmination of years of work. I proposed this new procedural civil rights act after extensive work at the intersection of civil procedure and civil rights. My scholarship includes books, articles, testimony, appellate briefs, op-eds, and media commentary that explore this intersection. I have taught in the areas of Civil Procedure, Complex Litigation, Employment Discrimination, Civil Rights and Constitutional Law for the last two decades. As chair of the AALS (American Association of Law Schools) Civil Procedure section last year and director of the Byron R. White Center for the Study of American Constitutional Law the last six years, I’ve benefited from programming that explore these subjects. Moreover, as a class action specialist and civil rights attorney for eight years before entering the legal academy, I have practice experience that informs and grounds my work.

This was a highly competitive selection process from a heavy hitting legal organization. What does receiving this award mean to you as a scholar?

I’m honored to be part of this extraordinary group of scholars, judges, and lawyers who care deeply about the civil justice system and model excellence in so many different ways. We need to support and celebrate each other, especially in the face of such profound challenges to democracy and rule of law today.
I’m grateful to the NCJI for believing in my work and helping get the word out. It’s gratifying to know that my ideas are getting traction and having an impact.
On a lighter note, I also had a lot of fun! As academics, we don’t often get a lot of kudos. I usually have no idea what to do with the box of article reprints I have in my office. This year, I ordered extras and literally autographed them and handed them out like hot cakes to the NCJI Trustees and Board members at the awards ceremony! That was a first! (Laughing)

Can you tell me a little bit about the process of writing this article?

On the one hand, the research and writing process can be extremely gratifying. You get to think, learn, create and push yourself intellectually. And if you’re lucky, you get to have real-world impact. On the other hand, the process can be challenging, slow and solitary. And you can be unsure if you’re making a difference. Writing requires you to be patient, vulnerable, uncomfortable and at times, even courageous.
While writing requires discipline and independence, it ironically takes a village. I am indebted to many villagers for this article’s success! I have been fortunate to be supported by the administration. Former CU Law Dean Jim Anaya selected me to deliver the 46th annual distinguished Scott Lecture in December of 2020, where I vetted my research with the Colorado legal community and benefitted from the feedback of my colleagues. More recently, I’ve received support from the current CU Law Dean Lolita Buckner Inniss, who awarded me the Gilbert Goldstein Faculty Research Leave, giving me time to focus on my research without teaching responsibilities. The administration also supported my article, selecting it for an Honorable Mention for the 2023 Milstein Award—which provides a certificate and monetary stiped to a member of the faculty for excellent legal scholarship.
My peers have also been very helpful in my writing and editing process. I workshopped my paper at a number of conferences: the Duke Law School Race and Reform in 21st America Conference, the Fourth Annual National People of Color Legal Scholarship Conference, the Public Citizen and American Constitution Society Civil Justice System Summit, and the Lutie Lytle Black Women Law Faculty Writing Workshops. Each forum made my article stronger!
I also belong to a special group of female scholars who were brought together remotely during COVID for a writing bootcamp four years ago. The four of us followed a structured program on Zoom for one semester and decided to stick together for weekly check-ins once the program officially ended. We continued informally and through our myriad of personal and professional challenges, we bonded and encouraged each other. We even organized a three-day retreat where we met each other in person for the first time! The day before I received the NCJI award, I received the heartbreaking news that one of our dear members passed away. So it was through tears that I accepted the NCJI award, dedicating it to her and our crew and thanking them for getting me across the finish line.
And finally, my students have been invaluable to the article’s success. My research assistants and anyone whose taken Civ Pro from me has contributed to my growth and helped vet my ideas. They ask tough questions and keep me honest!

How do you hope to build on this work going forward?

I’m looking forward to building on Is It Time for a New Civil Rights Act? One of the encouraging developments that took place while writing this article was Congress’s passage of the bi-partisan Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Claims Act of 2021. Despite common gridlock and hyper-partisanship, Congress firmly passed this Act to protect victims of sexual assault and sexual harassment from being shut out of court and forced into arbitration—a forum that often provides less procedural protections.
My next article argues that, while groundbreaking, this legislation is not enough. Victims of racial harassment and discrimination should also be allowed the freedom to choose where and how to challenge such wrongdoing and to have their “day in court.” My work challenges the difference in treatment between race and sex when it comes to procedural protection in the civil court system. More generally, I will critique the legitimacy of law’s tethering access to justice to a variety of different axes and identities. My larger project will argue that procedurally protecting only the privileged, while leaving the vulnerable exposed, risks creating procedural caste.

Off

Traditional

White

BLSA and Byron White Center Host Hip Hop Lunch Talk

Anonymous — Tue, 27 Feb 2024 19:15:52 +0000

BLSA and Byron White Center Host Hip Hop Lunch Talk Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 02/27/2024 - 12:15

Caileb Booze

On February 15, 2024, The University of Colorado Law School’s Black Law Students Association partnered with The Byron R. White Center Study for the Study of American Constitutional Law to host a Hip Hop and the Law Lunch Talk celebrating Black History Month and the 50th Anniversary of Hip Hop. This event celebration brought together legal scholars from across the nation, including Dr. Gregory Parks, Professor of Law at Wake Forest University, Dean André Douglas Pond Cummings, Associate Dean at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law, and our very own Dean Lolita Buckner Inniss of Colorado Law School. These panelists discussed the prevalent issues at the intersection of hip-hop, feminism, and criminal law to a packed-out room full of law students and professors alike.

In February 2022, Dr. Parks and Frank Rudy Cooper of The University of Nevada, Las Vegas’ William S. Boyd School of Law published Fight the Power: Law and Policy through Hip-Hop Songs, which brought together leading legal commentators to make sense of some of the most pressing law and policy issues in the context of hip-hop music and the ongoing struggle for Black equality. Each of the panelists at the Lunch Talk were contributors to the book and throughout the event evaluated specific hip-hop songs that have provided a pop culture lens through which to view legal and policy issues.

Notably, Dean cummings lauded Meek Mill’s “Trauma” as illustrative of the many adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) that people of color face at disproportionate rates, such as verbal and physical abuse, single-parent households, parent incarceration, family drug addiction, and other factors that statistically contribute to shorter lifespans. Hip-hop has become a means to educate and bring to light to the masses the lived experiences of systemic injustice faced by people of color in America. Ursula Davy, the Black Law Students Association President, shared,

“Getting to hear about the law within the framework of something as culturally significant as hip-hop was really interesting.”

The final question of the Lunch Talk centered around whether hip-hop, as it has become more mainstream and consumed by a wider audience, has maintained its poignancy in confronting social justice issues such as policing and incarceration, or if it has lost its sting to cater to the growing audience in a more palatable way. The panelists were split on how exactly the social force of hip-hop has evolved over the past thirty years, but looked to artists like J. Cole, Kendrick Lamar, and Chance the Rapper to reaffirm that hip-hop is still breaking barriers and unapologetically addressing the reality that people of color face.

Watch a full recording of the event here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTYkS2WNoIk

Off

Traditional

White

Lawyers in Love

Anonymous — Wed, 14 Feb 2024 19:35:13 +0000

Lawyers in Love Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 02/14/2024 - 12:35

Lawyers in Love

Love has been in the crisp mountain air of ��«��Ƶ! It probably won't surprise you to read that the University of Colorado Law School has been the setting of more than a few love stories. So, in honor of Valentine’s Day, we invite you to join us as we spotlight just some of the remarkable alumni who found more than a world-class legal education at Colorado Law. They found true love!

Tonya Luna ’13 and Gavin Wolny ’13

“We met on the first day of orientation in August 2010. After two years of friendship, we started dating just before our 3L year. In 2014, we moved to Tonya’s hometown of Pueblo, CO, and got married. We now have two wonderful (if active) daughters. Gavin works at the Pueblo County Attorney’s Office, and Tonya serves as a magistrate. And after all these years, we're still great friends!”

Shelby Dolen ’20 and Bryson Sebold ’20

“We met on the 1L camping trip before classes started and have been inseparable ever since. Law school had its highs and lows, and we weathered them together—with everything culminating in the tumultuous 2020 that cut short our final year due to the pandemic. We graduated on Zoom, took the bar together in masks, and started our legal careers amidst uncertainty that nobody could have predicted. We've tackled every challenge together and came out of the chaos better and stronger. We were engaged in April of 2023 and are set to get married in the Italian Dolomites in September of 2024!”

Jay Trujillo ’20 and Griffin Hay ’20

“Griffin and Jay met on the last day of 1L orientation in 2017 when a group of queer students gravitated towards each other at the end-of-day mixer. They were both placed in Professor Hall’s section and spent the first few weeks of school sitting next to one another in nearly every class. Griffin tried to convince himself that Jay and he were just friends, but Jay - being the braver of the two - asked Griffin out on a Friday after class, suggesting they hike the Flatirons together.

Determined to miss the point of the invitation, Griffin suggested Jay join him for a pickup game of soccer with other friends. Jay bit his tongue, gave a heroic performance as goalkeeper, and again asked Griffin to hike the Flatirons. He accepted, once again convincing himself that Jay was just a friend going on a friendly hike as friends. Still, Griffin couldn’t deny his interest in Jay - an interest that had been nagging at him since the orientation mixer. And as they joined a house party later that evening, Griffin felt the need to pull a friend aside and tell her, “Don’t let me hit on Jay tonight.” A few hours later at the Sundown Saloon, that directive was in the garbage, and Jay could not be pried away from Griffin. They spent the rest of the weekend together. Jay moved into Griffin’s apartment on Marine Street a few short weeks later, even joining Griffin’s family for Christmas (and every Christmas since).

Through all three years of law school, the pandemic, the bar exam, and a brutal period of depression and unemployment, Jay and Griffin prioritized their love for one another, finding happiness together each day. Jay’s internships with the Office of the State Public Defender led to him accepting an offer to work for the Pueblo office as soon as he was licensed, and Griffin was lucky enough to follow him there. With Jay gently pushing him towards public defense, Griffin joined that same office a year later.

The boys now make their home in Pueblo, zealously advocating for the indigent, mentoring the incoming classes of young defenders, cooking Julia Childs’ recipes, singing Third Eye Blind, skiing, and traveling the world’s best little-known beaches. After 6 years together and three years after graduation, Jay and Griffin still spend every free day they can hiking Mount Sanitas, indulging at the best new spots on Pearl Street, and watching Dead and Company shows at Folsom Field. ��«��Ƶ - and especially Wolf Law - will always be home ❤️”

Taylor Smith ’19 and Mirko Kruse ’18

“We locked eyes the night before Taylor’s first law school final while studying in the basement. Taylor spilled coffee all over her laptop, and it went black. Mirko rushed to help. The rest is history! Getting married June 29, 2024!”

Robert L. Hernandez ’78 and Dolores "Doey" Martinez Hernandez ’78

“Bob and I met in the summer program. Becky Medina, Rebecca Koppes Conway, Maria Lopez, Maria R., Bernadette Maes, Bob, and I would get together for lunch frequently. Toward the end of the summer program, we decided we would set up Bob and Maria, so Bob was asked to pick up Maria and bring her to a party sponsored by Professor "Skip" Chase. Bob brought her to the party but the set up didn’t go any further.

When we returned to begin our first year of law school, Bob asked me to see a movie, "Casablanca." I just assumed all of our friends would be there. I asked Bob, "Where are the others?" Bob mumbled something about how they just couldn't make it. Bob and I continued to go to lunch with the same group, but we also spent a lot of time together. Eventually, we started holding hands in the classroom while we ferociously took notes. Bob was 28 and I was 22. I thought it was so embarrassing, but I was not going to give up holding hands with the man I loved. We got engaged in November, took classes with Fr. Tom Adrians, and got married in Pueblo on January 10, 1976, during Christmas break. Our classmates from the summer program were there, along with about 300 guests and relatives. Fr. Tom, Fr. Robert and Deacon Tom officiated, and a Mariachi played for the Mass. We had a meal, a dance and an "entriega." I told Bob I was only getting married once.

Today, we continue to hold hands whenever possible. We have 3 daughters, Dolores, Roberta, and Maria. I also have my Ethiopian son, Teklebrhan. His mother back in Ethiopia asked him to find an American mother, so I accepted. Bob and I celebrated our 48th wedding anniversary in California last January.”

Alex Finch ’15 and Leah Finch ’17

“Leah and I met during her 1L and my 3L year. I offered her some advice and class notes which she found utterly useless and largely illegible. Nonetheless, a combination of regular ThAC attendance and a birthday date at the Chinese restaurant across the street from the law school sealed the deal. Now we're married with a kid and another on the way. Whether attending Colorado Law was the proximate cause of it all? CU is absolutely liable.”

Rachel Clark ’76 and Cheryl Hutchison

“My wife [Cheryl] and I met when we were both students at CU in ��«��Ƶ. I was in law school, and she was in the French department. We moved to Washington D.C. together, but our relationship did not last. Subsequently, we each married, and Cheryl moved to France, where she has lived most of her adult life. My marriage ended in divorce after 32 years. Cheryl's husband of nearly 20 years died at around the same time.

Two and a half years ago, I tracked Cheryl down on the internet and wrote her a long email in French. She replied (in French). I soon moved from Denver to Saint-Étienne, France to be with her. Both of us speak and write excellent French, and we share a love of France. In fact, we speak to each other almost exclusively in French. This September, we married in a civil marriage in Saint-Étienne. In October, we had a religious wedding in ��«��Ƶ. We live nine to ten months of the year in Saint-Étienne, returning to Denver twice a year, where I still have a house.”

Off

Traditional

White

Student Organization Spotlight: Womxn of Color Collective (WoCC)

Anonymous — Mon, 05 Feb 2024 19:01:11 +0000

Student Organization Spotlight: Womxn of Color Collective (WoCC) Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 02/05/2024 - 12:01

Colorado Law is home to nearly 50 active student organizations. These organizations are a phenomenal way for law students to increase their knowledge, gain leadership experience, network and collaborate with the legal community, and build connections with classmates that will last through their careers and beyond.

In this series, we highlight some of the extraordinary organizations run by Colorado Law students.

Meet the Womxn of Color Collective (WoCC), which serves to support and promote those who identify as women of color at the University of Colorado Law School.

The WoCC’s mission is to create a fully inclusive and welcoming environment for all women of color.

“The Womxn of Color Collective is a place that hears, discusses, and addresses the concerns of women of color. Our goal is to foster conversation and uplift the student body at CU Law,” reflects Natalie Mousa ’25.

The WoCC tries to limit the number of “professionally” oriented events, placing more focus on fostering friendships and social interaction. The group hosts annual brunches, along with a WoCC dinners and several social lunches. Students can reach out to any of the Executive Board members, found on the Colorado Law Student Organization’s page. Membership is open for all students currently enrolled at the University of Colorado who demonstrate their commitment to women of color at the law school, in the greater community at large, and who agree to abide by the preamble listed in their constitution.

"We, the students of the University of Colorado Law School (CU), in an effort to support and promote those who identify as women of color at the law school, to encourage community among women of color at CU law school, and establish a place where the concerns of women of color are heard, discussed and addressed to foster conversation(s) and educate the student body at CU law hereby issue this Constitution."

Off

Traditional

White