In May, Colorado Law reported its post-graduation employment outcomes for the class of 2015 based on data reported to the American Bar Association (ABA) and the National Association for Law Placement (NALP). Of the 159 graduates in the Colorado Law class of 2015, 96 percent (152 graduates) reported employment 10 months after graduation, which ranks Colorado Law 16th nationally.
Additionally, more 2015 graduates are employed in full-time, long-term jobs for which bar placement was required or a JD was an advantage (84 percent) than in previous years, placing Colorado Law at 31st in the nation.
Four of the class of 2015 graduates who were seeking permanent employment 10 months after graduation (March 15, 2015) secured full-time, long-term positions by May 2, 2016, raising the percentage of those employed in full-time law or law-related jobs lasting one year or more to 86 percent. Overall employment remains at 96 percent.
With a diverse range of career paths, graduates of the class of 2015 entered into positions in Colorado and across the nation.
Business
Fourteen percent (21/152) of employed 2015 graduates accepted positions with businesses other than law firms, including Ball Corporation, BlackRock, DaVita, DISH Network, Molson Coors, Shareholder Representative Services, ShipCompliant, Webroot, and Woodward Inc. This group includes graduates working for in-house legal teams.
Amy Moore (鈥�15) pursued business law because she wanted to combine her legal training and finance background while putting a human face to legal transactions. As relationship manager in the index and data solutions team at BlackRock in New York City, Moore spends most days balancing working with market data vendors and collaborating with colleagues.
鈥淚 enjoy the transactional nature of the work because, while the contract terms are always important, it is really about relationships at the end of the day,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he dynamic and personal nature of the work is what I enjoy most.鈥澛�
Public Interest and Government
Fourteen percent (21/152) of 2015 graduates are working in government, and another 14 percent (21/152) are in public interest positions, including public defender offices and nonprofit organizations.
As a presidential management fellow at the U.S. Department of Labor in Washington, D.C., Misam Ali (鈥�15) works on public interest matters like immigration and employment law.
鈥淭he support I received from the Career Development Office, Dean Weiser, and my professors helped me feel confident venturing outside of Colorado to pursue a competitive and prestigious fellowship,鈥� Ali said.
Summer jobs at the State Department in Geneva, Switzerland; the Denver Office of Economic Development; and the Colorado League of Charter Schools further cemented her interest in government work. She also found advocates in the Colorado Law alumni network in D.C., as well as alumni who were previous presidential management fellows.
鈥淲orking in government, you鈥檙e working for the greater good. It鈥檚 the most gratifying feeling to know that what you鈥檙e doing is helping people and affecting the laws that are being put into place,鈥� Ali said.
Paul Jos茅聽(鈥�15) is also devoting his career to the public sector. After working in several public interest and nonprofit organizations before law school, he knew that he wanted to be an immigration lawyer or a public defender to help others through tough legal situations. During law school, he completed two semesters of Professor Ann England鈥檚 Criminal Defense Clinic, where he was able to put theory into practice before spending his 2L summer working at the Jefferson County Public Defender Office. In August 2015, he began his position as a public defender in Pueblo.
鈥淎nn England鈥檚 Criminal Defense Clinic was one of the most impactful things I did during law school,鈥� Jos茅 said. 鈥淭aking the clinic for two semesters really gave me a leg up for my 2L summer job because I had the opportunity to work closely with clients and practice things like negotiating and arguing bond conditions, which is a huge part of my job now.鈥�
鈥淚 can鈥檛 really see myself doing anything else,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 love what I鈥檓 doing and hope to grow in my role.鈥�
Clerkships
The number of employed students who accepted judicial clerkships rose from 12 percent of the class of 2014 graduates to 20 percent (32/152) of 2015 graduates, placing Colorado Law at 18th in the nation for the percentage of graduates accepting full-time clerkships lasting one year or more with federal, state, and local judges.
Mike Bohan (鈥�15) began his clerkship with Colorado Supreme Court Justice Monica M谩rquez last August. He was drawn to clerking for the intellectual challenge and the opportunity to explore a range of legal issues, he said. After his clerkship, he will head to Fennemore Craig, P.C., where he hopes to continue working at the appellate level.
鈥淭he best thing about an appellate judicial clerkship is that you are exposed to a wide variety of interesting and challenging legal issues,鈥� he said. 鈥淐olorado Law's diverse and challenging curriculum coupled with its experienced and multi-talented staff has prepared me to tackle these issues with confidence.鈥�
Private Practice
Private practice remains the single most popular employer for 2015 graduates, with 30 percent of employed 2015 graduates (44/152) working for law firms in private practice 10 months after graduation. Of those employed in private practice, 93 percent are in full-time, long-term positions. Thirteen graduates reported employment at a law firm recognized as one of the nation鈥檚 largest 350 firms by the National Law Journal (NLJ). An additional six graduates will join NLJ350 or NLJ250 firms at the conclusion of their judicial clerkships, which usually last one year.
Kari Henning (鈥�15) points to the diversity of the work as a reason why she wanted to join the firm Hoskin, Farina & Kampf in Grand Junction, Colorado. After interning with the firm for two summers during law school, she had the opportunity to work on a wide range of cases dealing with everything from water law, land use issues, and real estate transactions to construction defect and other commercial litigation. Now, as an associate attorney there, she enjoys growing her career in a smaller community without the crowds of the Front Range.
鈥淚t's really something new and challenging every day, and it's been great to help people and businesses聽in a variety of situations,鈥� Henning said.
"For three years, the members of the class of 2015 took ownership of their careers," said Todd Rogers, assistant dean for career development. "They embraced the academic challenges of law school and worked hard to blend in meaningful work experience.聽 We are very proud of their successes."
Colorado remains the top choice for graduates, with 83 percent of employed graduates working in the state. Most graduates (87 percent) remain in the Mountain region, which includes Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming.
View a complete report of the class of 2015鈥檚 employment data, including a list of employers.