Colorado Law welcomes JD, LLM, and Master of Studies in Law students
As the fall semester begins this week at the University of Colorado Law School, first-year JD, LLM, and Master of Studies in Law (MSL) students will attend classes and familiarize themselves with campus. This year鈥檚 incoming JD class of 172 students follows upward trends of the past several years, with the highest median GPA (3.71) in the school鈥檚 history and another diverse student body.
Colorado Law received a record 3,588 applications for the Class of 2021鈥攁 17 percent increase from last year and more than double the national increase of applicants to ABA-approved law schools (up 8.1 percent from this time last year).
The larger applicant pool allowed for greater selectivity, which boosted the median GPA to the highest in the school鈥檚 history (3.71). The median LSAT score (162) for the Class of 2021 is also on par with that of previous classes.
Sixty-one percent of incoming JD students are from outside of Colorado and represent 38 different states plus D.C. and 107 undergraduate institutions. Of the nine incoming LLM students, seven are from countries outside of the United States, including Brazil, China, Ghana, and Iran. Colorado Law also welcomed 13 MSL students from two different states in the Ethics and Compliance track and three MSL students from three states pursuing the International Human Rights track.
At 28 percent racially or ethnically diverse, this year鈥檚 incoming JD class is among Colorado Law鈥檚 most diverse classes ever and reflects the school鈥檚 continued commitment to inclusiveness and diversity. Last year鈥檚 incoming class comprised 29.4 percent diverse students.
鈥淣umbers can't tell you all you need to know about the students at Colorado Law, but they can at least give you some insight into their outstanding qualifications, rich background experiences, and strong potential for success in law school and beyond,鈥� said Dean S. James Anaya. 鈥淚 am thrilled to welcome this group of highly qualified 1Ls and MSL students from across the country, and LLM students from around the world, who collectively enrich the Colorado Law community.鈥�
This year鈥檚 1L class includes the second cohort of Leaders in Law and Community (LILAC) Fellowship recipients. The program aims to address diversity in legal education by recruiting and developing students from backgrounds underrepresented in law schools and the legal profession.
Last spring, Colorado Law reported its best employment figures in a decade, with more graduates working in full-time, long-term law- or law-related jobs 10 months after graduation than any other class over the last decade. Ten months after graduation, 85 percent of 2017 graduates were working in full-time, long-term jobs for which bar passage was required or a JD degree was an advantage and 77 percent of graduates were working in full-time, long-term jobs for which bar passage was required.
Meet the Class of 2021
Paul Chin
Hometown: Los Angeles
Before law school: attended UCLA and was an aerospace engineer for six years.
Why did you come to law school? "I decided to come to law school because I love the theoretical part of engineering but don鈥檛 love the everyday practical work. I wanted to do something that directly helps other people and have more control of my career."
Paige Radtke
Hometown: Fort Collins, Colorado
Before law school: attended CU for undergrad, where she studied molecular biology, then did a master鈥檚 program in cellular biology at UC Irvine.
Why did you come to law school? "I'm interested in intellectual property work, and wanted to work with people and get out of the lab."
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Erin McLaughlin
Hometown: Longmont, Colorado
Before law school: studied biology at Cornell University.
Why did you come to law school? "I studied biology, so I have an interest in environmental and natural resources law. My undergraduate studies afforded me the opportunity to take some classes in the humanities, so that's how I developed an interest in law. I found that some of the environmental policy and ethics issues were very interesting, so I started to think more seriously about law school. I did my research and found that Colorado was so strong with environmental law, and this is also an area of the country that I love."
Kiron Kathari
Hometown: Detroit, Michigan
Before law school: investigated workplace discrimination and sexual harassment in the workplace as a federal investigator for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Before that, served in the Peace Corps in Nicaragua.
Why did you come to law school? "My work at the EEOC and as an investigator really made me fascinated in the area of labor and employment law. I was working as an enforcement supervisor for the last few months, and I realized that a law degree would be the next logical step in pursuing a career in labor and employment law."
Grace Kennedy
Hometown: Cincinnati, Ohio
Before law school: served in AmeriCorps for a year in Boston.
Why did you come to law school? "[My year with AmeriCorps] is why I decided to pursue law school. I worked with students from very different backgrounds from my own. It opened my eyes to things that need to change in the justice system."
Jake Stephens
Hometown: Lawrence, Kansas (most recently)
Before law school: studied journalism and political science at the University of Kansas.
Why did you come to law school? "My dream job was always to be a lawyer. I came to Colorado Law with the idea to study environmental law, but then I took First Amendment Law [in journalism school] and intellectual property/telecommunications law piqued my interest. Then I learned about CU鈥檚 tech law program, and now that鈥檚 my focus and dream is to work in tech law, possibly with a startup or something in telecommunications law."
Cooper Tollen
Hometown: Philadelphia
Before law school: studied political science at Emory University.
Why did you come to law school? "I wanted to come to law school because I鈥檓 interested in trying to help people and making changes to rules to make it better for everyone, and I think the law is the best way to go about that."
Ileana Jimenez
Hometown: Hattiesburg, Mississippi
Before law school: studied broadcast journalism and philosophy at the University of Southern Mississippi.
Why did you come to law school? "The root of why I wanted to come to law school is to make a change. Whether it鈥檚 through the legislature or in the community, that's the biggest thing."
Matt Stewart
Hometown: Grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, but has lived in Denver for the last 20 years.
Before law school: worked as a private tutor for the last 16 years.
Why did you come to law school? "I loved what I was doing but I wasn鈥檛 sure I could see myself doing it for the rest of my life, so I started looking for a change. What鈥檚 going on politically got me here. We鈥檙e going to spend the rest of our lives cleaning this mess up, and I鈥檓 going to try to help."
Eric Barnum
Hometown: Riverside, Connecticut
Before law school: worked for RecycLA, a multifamily waste and recycling collection program in Los Angeles.
Why did you come to law school? "Law school has always been in the back of my mind. [Law] seems like a very fulfilling career."