Sturm College of Law


The Sturm College of Law of University of Denver is one of two law schools in the state of Colorado. Founded in 1892, the Sturm College of Law is one of the first in America's Mountain West. The college is located on the University of Denver's main campus, about seven miles south of downtown Denver. According to Denver Law's 2017 ABA-required disclosures, 67.9% of the Class of 2017 obtained full-time, long-term, JD-required employment nine months after graduation, excluding solo practitioners.

History

The University of Denver College of Law opened 1892. A separate college, the Westminster Law School was founded in 1912 and merged with the University of Denver College of Law in 1957. It provided the only evening program west of Kansas City. One term of the merger required the development of an evening program at the College of Law. In addition, the law library was named the Westminster Law Library

Sturm namesake

The Sturm College of Law is named for Donald L. Sturm, owner of Denver-based American National Bank, who gave the College of Law $20 million in 2003

Campus

Since the fall of 2003, the Sturm College of Law has resided in the Frank H. Ricketson Jr. Law Building located on the University Park campus near the Ritchie Center. The new facility is distinguished as the nation's first certified "green" law building, having been awarded the Gold Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification by the U.S. Green Building Council.

Academics

Academic reputation

The University of Denver is currently ranked 63rd in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. According to the 2014 U.S. News Peer Reputation Rankings the University of Denver Sturm College of Law ranked 55th in the nation out of 194 ranked law schools.
The school was ranked 40th for public interest law by the National Jurist. To support this initiative, the Sturm College of Law offers the Chancellor's Scholar Program with full tuition scholarships awarded to selected students. Every Juris Doctor student is required to perform a minimum of 50 hours of supervised, uncompensated, law-related public service work as a prerequisite for graduation.

Clinical programs

The University of Denver is the home of the first clinical programs in the nation, founded in 1904.

Trial advocacy

The University of Denver has a program in trial advocacy. The school sponsors several traveling trial teams including:
Additionally, the University hosts several intra school Moot Court Competitions with most open to all students, including 1Ls.
The STLA is the largest student run organization on campus and was recently chosen by Sturm College of Law Students as the year's most "Outstanding Student Organization." The organization hosts several mock trial rounds and is open to all students It is a non-competitive environment designed for educational and networking purposes.

Employment statistics

54.1% of the Class of 2013 were known to be employed in long-term, full-time legal jobs nine months after graduation. 31% of the Class of 2011 were employed in part-time or short-term jobs, unemployed and seeking employment or pursuing additional education. The employment status of 1.4% of the Class of 2011 was unknown. 0.7% of the Class of 2011 obtained a federal clerkship. 4.5% of the Class of 2011 were known to be employed in law firms of 101 attorneys or more. 18.1% of the Class of 2011 were known to be employed in full-time, long-term government or public interest jobs. 9.8% of the Class of 2011 were employed in school funded jobs. 37.3% of the Class of 2011 reported a full-time salary.

Costs

Tuition for the 2014-15 academic year is $42,120 for full-time students and $30,888 for part-time students. The total cost of attendance including tuition, fees and living expenses is $60,951 for full-time students and $49,687 for part-time students.
Law School Transparency calculates that the total debt-financed full cost of attendance for students in the Class of 2016, who do not receive tuition discounts, to be $208,407. Law School Transparency projects that the monthly payment for the 10-year plan to be $2,477.
For full-time students in the class of 2016, Law School Transparency estimates that the total debt-financed cost of attendance for students who do not receive any scholarships is $208,407. This cost includes the cost of tuition, fees, and living expenses for 3 years, and the cost of student loan interest accrued over this time.
In the 2013-14 academic year, 46% of students received scholarships and the average scholarship award was $21,000. Average indebtedness for 2013 graduates who borrowed at least 1 loan was $130,981.

Notable alumni