In April 2015, Colorado Law reported post-graduation employment data for its class of 2014 to the American Bar Association (ABA) and the National Association for Law Placement (NALP). A detailed description of the employment outcomes and salaries for the class of 2014 appears below.

You may view the class of 2014 ABA Employment Summary here and the class of 2014 NALP Employment Report here.

How Many Graduates from the Class of 2014 Are Employed?

Of the 165 graduates in the Colorado Law class of 2014, 93 percent (154 graduates) reported employment ten months after graduation (March 15, 2015):

  • 79% (130/165) of graduates reported a full-time, long-term (defined as a position that does not have a definite term of less than one year) job for which bar passage was required or a JD degree was an advantage.
  • 70% (115/165) of graduates reported a full-time, long-term job for which bar passage was required.
  • 86% (142/165) reported full time jobs. This represents 92% of employed graduates.
  • 81% (133/165) reported long-term jobs. These 133 graduates represent 86% of employed graduates. Post-graduate fellowships with judges and government agencies, for example, are not considered long-term jobs, although they regularly lead to such positions.

Employment Outcomes

Post-graduate employment information for the Colorado Law class of 2014 was reported to the ABA and NALP in April 2015 and will be reported to U.S. News in December 2015 (outcomes as of ten months after graduation):

  • Employed = 154*
  • Unemployed and seeking employment = 6
  • Unemployed and not seeking employment = 1
  • Full-time student = 2
  • Unknown = 2
* Nine of the 154 employed graduates working for judges and other public service roles are receiving funding from Colorado Law's post-graduate public service fellowship program.

Consistent with transparency in reporting, we calculate overall employment percentages by dividing the number of employed graduates by the total number of graduates. This calculation's denominator includes graduates who are not seeking employment (three graduates), and those from whom no employment status could be determined (two graduates).

91 / 165 = 55.2 % employed at graduation

154 / 165 = 93.3 % employed ten months after graduation

U.S. News Employment Statistics

On March 10, 2015 U.S. News & World Report released its current law school rankings, which include employment statistics from the class of 2013. For both the “employed at graduation” and “employed nine months after graduation” categories, U.S. News counted only those graduates who had a full-time job lasting at least one year for which bar passage was required, or a JD degree was an advantage. 

Utilizing the U.S. News formula, 50.3 percent (83/165) of our 2014 graduates had full-time, long-term jobs at graduation for which bar passage was required or a JD degree was an advantage. This compares to 48.9 percent in the class of 2013 and 41.7 percent in the class of 2012.

Of our 2014 graduates 78.8 percent (130/165) had full-time, long-term jobs nine months after graduation for which bar passage was required, or a JD degree was an advantage.  This compares to 78.4 percent in the class of 2013 and 64.0 percent in the class of 2012.

Timing of Post-Graduate Jobs

The timing of Colorado Law students accepting post-graduate employment has followed a distinct pattern over the last three years.  By spring break, about one-third of students had reported a post-graduate position.  By graduation, approximately half of graduates were employed.  While some graduates found positions over the summer, it was more common for graduates to report accepting jobs in September and October.  By mid-December of the last three years, approximately 90 percent of our graduates had found jobs. 

Below are the percentages of students known to be employed on each of the following dates.  Six of the class of 2014 graduates who were seeking permanent employment as of March 15, 2015 secured full-time, long term positions by April 15.  Currently 83% of the class of 2013 is employed in full time law or law-related jobs lasting one year or more.  95% of the class is employed overall.

Percentage of the class of 2014 known to have accepted a post-graduate job:

 

Employment Categories

Forty percent of 2014 employed graduates (62/154) are working for law firms in private practice ten months after graduation, with 92 percent of these graduates in full-time, long-term positions.  Twenty-two graduates reported employment at National Law Journal 350 law firms.

Twelve percent of 2014 employed graduates (19/154) accepted judicial clerkships, which includes two federal court clerkships, 6 state appellate court clerkships, and 11 state trial court clerkships.  Five of the 9 post-graduate fellows were employed with judges, so there were 24 graduates working with judges ten months after graduation.

Excluding fellows receiving school funding, 14 percent of employed graduates (22/154) are working in government, and another 11 percent (17/154) are in public interest positions, including public defender offices and non-profit organizations.  Offers for some government and public interest positions, such as those with district attorney offices and city attorney offices, are typically made after graduates pass the bar exam, months after graduation.

Finally, 12 percent of 2014 employed graduates (18/154) accepted positions with businesses other than law firms including Atlas Tower, Catholic Health Initiatives, DaVita Healthcare Partners, Ernst & Young, Ever West Real Estate Partners, Goldman Sachs, and Shareholder Representative Services.

Salaries

Of the 154 employed graduates from the class of 2014, 143 reported a salary.  This represents 93 percent of employed graduates. These salaries represent 126 long-term jobs and 17 short-term jobs.  One hundred and thirty-five of the positions are full-time, and 8 are part-time.

To maintain consistency with the 2014 NALP employment report, below we report only salaries from full-time, long-term positions held by members of the class of 2014 as of March 15, 2015 (124 salaries).

The median salary reported was $57,500 and the mean was $71,675.  Twenty-five percent of the graduates reporting salaries earn $85,000 or more per year, and 25 percent of the graduates reporting salaries earn $50,000 or less per year.

With respect to salaries, our public service-focused programs, including criminal defense, are strong. The Loan Repayment Assistance Program (LRAP) is available for many graduates working in public service jobs, and the program awarded each of the 38 qualified applicants with $6,500 awards during the 2014-15 academic year.

Statistical Summary

The following charts provide detailed information about the employment outcomes for the Colorado Law class of 2014, including the number of graduates working in the private sector versus the public sector, the employment categories in which graduates were working ten months after graduation and finally, the number of graduates working in positions that require a law degree.

The salary statistics below may not match the 2014 NALP report due to reporting classification differences between ABA and NALP.

Four of the 5 graduates in the public sector reporting short-term/part-time employment are employed as post-graduate public service fellows. 

*These public/private statistics do not match the 2014 NALP report. NALP classifies all academic and public interest positions as public sector, while Colorado Law classifies some academic and public interest positions as private.

Five of the 9 post-graduate part-time fellows are employed with judges and 4 with government agencies. 

 

“Bar Required” jobs require that the graduate pass the bar and be licensed to practice law.  These jobs may be in a law firm, business, government, or non-profit setting.  This category also includes judicial clerks and positions that require the graduate to pass the bar after being hired. 

“JD Advantage” jobs include those for which the employer sought an individual with a JD, and perhaps even required a JD, but the job itself does not require bar passage, an active law license, or involve practicing law.

An "Other Professional" position is one that requires professional skills or training but in which a JD is neither required nor particularly applicable, such as accountant, teacher, business manager, nurse, etc.

A "Nonprofessional" position is one that does not require any special professional skills or training.

One hundred and twenty-six of the 130 graduates reporting employment in the Mountain region were employed in Colorado, representing 82 percent of employed graduates. 

Post-Graduate Employers of the Colorado Law Class of 2014

(duplicate employers have been removed)

  • 1st Judicial District Attorney's Office
  • 9th Judicial District Attorney's Office
  • 11th Judicial District Attorney's Office
  • 17th Judicial District Court
  • 18th Judicial District Attorney's Office
  • ARYZTA (CA)
  • Astrella Law
  • Atlas Tower
  • Baker & Hostetler
  • Balcomb & Green
  • Barkley Capital
  • Bell Gould & Scott
  • Berg Hill Greenleaf & Ruscitti
  • BlackRock (NY)
  • Blackstone Entrepreneurs Network
  • Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck
  • Bryan Cave HRO
  • Burns, Figa and Will, P.C.
  • Cadwalader, Wickersham and Taft (NY)
  • California Coastal Commission (CA)
  • Catholic Health Initiatives
  • Chief Justice Rice, Colorado Supreme Court
  • City of Westminster Department of Parks, Recreation and Libraries
  • Colorado Department of Health Care Policy & Financing
  • Colorado Department of Revenue
  • Colorado Department of Transportation
  • Colorado Health Equity Project and the Acequia Project
  • Colorado Office of the Attorney General, Natural Resources and State Services Section
  • Colorado State Public Defender's Office
  • Data Law Group
  • David Lichtenstein, Attorney at Law
  • Davis Graham & Stubbs
  • DaVita Healthcare Partners, Inc.
  • Denver City Attorney's Office, Litigation-Claims
  • Denver City Attorney's Office, Litigation-Employment
  • Denver City Attorney's Office, Municipal Operations
  • Denver City Attorney's Office, Prosecution and Code Enforcement
  • Denver Department of Public Schools
  • Denver Sheriff Department, Conduct Review Office
  • DNA People's Legal Services (AZ)
  • East Austin LLC (CA)
  • Echostar Corporation
  • Elevation Law Group
  • Enichen Law Office
  • Ernst & Young
  • Ever West Real Estate Partners
  • Faegre Baker Daniels
  • Federal Communications Commission, Broadband Division, Wireless Telecommunications Bureau (DC)
  • Fisher & Phillips
  • Fisher & Suhr, PC
  • Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy (NY)
  • Frascona, Joiner, Goodman and Greenstein, P.C.
  • Fredericks, Peebles & Morgan
  • Gameday Entertainment, LLC
  • Gard & Bond
  • Garfield & Hecht
  • Gibson Dunn & Crutcher
  • Goldman Sachs (UT)
  • Halpern Meachem
  • Hans Meyer Law Office
  • Hershey Decker PLLC
  • Hogan Lovells
  • Holland & Hart
  • International Association of Privacy Professionals (NH)
  • Judge Arp, 1st Judicial District
  • Judge Cross, 18th Judicial District Court
  • Judge Elliff, Denver District Court
  • Judge Enquist, 1st Judicial District Court
  • Judge Frick, Denver District Court
  • Judge Gilman, 2nd Judicial District
  • Judge Hartman, 20th Judicial District Court
  • Judge LaBuda, 20th Judicial District Court
  • Judge Macdonald, 20th Judicial District Court
  • Judge Navarro, Colorado Court of Appeals
  • Judge O’Connor, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Texas (TX)
  • Judge Phillips, U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit (WY)
  • Judge Pilkington, 1st Judicial District Court
  • Judge Tow, 17th Judicial District Court
  • Judges Fasing and McLean, 18th Judicial District Court
  • Justice Boatright, Colorado Supreme Court
  • Justice Coats, Colorado Supreme Court
  • Justice Hood, Colorado Supreme Court
  • Kaplan, Inc.
  • Kendall, Koenig & Oelsner
  • Lathrop & Gage
  • Magistrate Brodsky, 20th Judicial District Court
  • Marsh Fischmann & Breyfogle LLP
  • Messner & Reeves
  • Milwaukee County Courts (WI)
  • Municipal Public Defender's Office, City and County of Denver
  • National Conference for State Legislatures (CO and DC)
  • Neugeboren O'Dowd PC
  • Nevers, Palazzo, Packard, Wildermuth & Wynner (CA)
  • New Venture Fund, Western Energy Project
  • New York State Assembly, Assemblymember Rodriguez (NY)
  • Optima Law Group
  • Otten Johnson Robinson Neff + Ragonetti
  • Pendleton, Wilson, Hennessey & Crow, P.C.
  • Podoll and Podoll
  • Porzak Browning & Bushong
  • Public Health Law Center (MN)
  • Regional Transportation District
  • Reilly Pozner
  • Riggs Abney
  • RKV Law
  • Sean W. Owens, LLC
  • Sethi Financial Group (TX)
  • Shareholder Representative Services LLC
  • Sheridan Ross, P.C.
  • Shumway, Van & Hansen (UT)
  • Silicon Flatirons
  • Simpson, Thacher & Bartlett LLP (NY)
  • Stern & Curray LLC
  • Stowell PC
  • Superior Court of the Virgin Islands (U.S. Virgin Islands)
  • Ted Hess & Associates
  • The Bailey Law Firm
  • The Wilderness Society
  • Themis Bar Review
  • U.S. Air Force JAG (TX)
  • U.S. Army JAG (LA)
  • U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (DC)
  • University of Colorado at Denver-Anschutz
  • University of Colorado Law School
  • University of Colorado, Office of University Counsel
  • Welborn Sullivan Meck & Tooley
  • Wilkinson Barker Knauer, LLP (DC)
  • Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr (aka WilmerHale) (DC)
  • Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman & Dicker, LLP  (NY)
  • Wood Smith Henning & Berman