The University of Colorado at Boulder Law School

Diversity

Commitment to Diversity

Colorado Law is proud to have been one of the earliest law schools in the nation to graduate lawyers of color. The first action in Our Vision states our commitment to diversity:

Provide a supportive and diverse community of scholars and students in a place that inspires the vigorous pursuit of ideas, critical analysis, and civic engagement in order to advance the rule of law in an open, sustainable society.

In support of this vision, the Deans’ Diversity Council was created in 2006. It is a joint effort with the CU and DU law schools and the Front Range legal community to promote diversity in law school admissions and in hiring, retention, and advancement of lawyers in corporations and law firms. Download the Deans’ Diversity Council document, which includes an overview, list of members and subgroups, vision, and campaign for inclusive excellence.

Student Life

We prepare tomorrow’s lawyers to serve in an increasingly diverse nation and a challenging global economy. As of 2007, 24% of our students are people of color and 50% are women. Student organizations offer support and networking opportunities:

• Asian Pacific American Law Students Association (APALSA)
• Black Law Students Association (BLSA)
• Christian Legal Society (CLS)
• Diversity Committee
• Jewish Law Students Association
• Latino Law Students Association (LLSA)
• Native American Law Students Association
• Non-Traditional Law Student Association
• OUTlaw
• Women's Law Caucus

Curriculum

Our curriculum regularly includes a variety of specialized courses and clinics, such as:

• American Indian Law
• Class and Law
• Employment Discrimination
• Gender, Law and Public Policy
• Immigration and Citizenship Law
• International Human Rights
• Poverty Law
• Race and the Law
• Sexuality and the Law
• Spanish for Family Law Practice

Diversity Clerkships: The Colorado Pledge to Diversity Summer Clerkship Program includes 19 of Denver’s largest and most prestigious law firms that give law students of color the opportunity to compete for 1L summer associate positions.

Diversity Mentor Program:  The Career Development Office, in conjunction with the Colorado Bar Association Diversity in the Legal Profession Committee, developed a diversity mentor program for first-year law students, which matches law students with practicing attorneys.

Senior Administration & Faculty

Since David Getches became Dean of the Law School in July 2003, minority enrollment has risen from 17% to 24%. Additionally, we are notable for the recruitment and appointment of minority faculty to key posts in the Law School’s senior administration. Three of Colorado Law’s five senior administrators are people of color, including Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Dayna Matthew, Assistant Dean for Students and Professional Programs Lorenzo Trujillo, and Assistant Dean for Career Development Susani Clayton. Of the 11 members of the Dean’s Cabinet, 6 are women.

Colorado Law’s distinguished faculty includes 10 members of color (approximately 22%) and 38% women. In 2005, 40% of our new faculty hires were scholars of color. Our diverse faculty includes: Maxine Burkett, Wayne M. Gazur, Lakshman D. Guruswamy, Yumni Jiang, Dayna Matthew, Paul Ohm, Ahmed White, and Sienho Yee.

Alumni

The first students of color entered Colorado Law School in 1898. The first woman graduated in 1908. Today, Colorado Law graduates go on to excel in every branch of legal practice and scholarship, from private practice, to public service, to professorships, and to the judiciary.

• David Archuleta ’89, Judge, Boulder County Court
• D. Elizabeth Arenales ’93, Director, Health Care Program, Colorado Center on Law and Policy
• Todd Fredrickson ’91, Partner, Otten Johnson Robinson Neff & Ragonetti
• Gary M. Jackson ’70, Partner, DiManna & Jackson
• Beverly Ledbetter ’72, General Counsel, Brown University
• Michelle Lucero ’89, Assistant City Attorney, Denver
• Cheryl Malcolm ’98, Partner Otten Johnson Robinson Neff & Ragonetti
• Alex J. Martinez ’76, Colorado Supreme Court Justice
• Gilbert A. Martinez ’77, Judge, Colorado Springs District Court
• Larry J. Naves ’74, Chief Judge, Denver District Court
• Ben M. Ochoa ’87, Partner, Rothgerber Johnson & Lyons
• Lucy Rain Simpson ’98, Staff Attorney, Indian Law Resource Center
• Gregory J. Ramos ’92, Manager, Business and Real Estate Dept., Sherman & Howard
• Manuel Ramos ’73, Author, Educator, and Director of Advocacy for Colorado Legal Services
• Rodrigo Rangel ’91, Assistant City Attorney, Longmont