In April 2021, Colorado Law reported post-graduation employment data for its class of 2020听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 2020听as of ten months after graduation, March 15, 2021, appears below.
You may view the class of 2020听ABA Employment Summary听here听and the class of 2020听NALP Employment Report听here.
How Many Graduates from the Class of 2020听Are Employed?
Consistent with transparency in reporting, we calculate overall employment percentages by dividing the number of employed graduates by the total number of graduates.
- 89% (158/177) of graduates reported employment ten months after graduation (March 15, 2021)
- 79% (139/177) of graduates reported a full-time, long-term (defined as a position that does not have a definite term of less than one year), non-school funded听job for which bar passage was required or a JD degree was an advantage.
- 72% (127/177) of graduates reported a full-time, long-term, non-school funded听job for which bar passage was required.
- 85% (150/177) reported full time jobs. This represents 95% of employed graduates.
- 84% (149/177) reported long-term jobs.听This represents 94% of employed graduates.
- 55% (97/177) of graduates reported employment at graduation.
Three additional members of the class of 2020 accepted full-time, long-term, bar passage required jobs after the March 15, 2021 reporting deadline but before April 16, 2021. In accordance with ABA and NALP rules, none of these graduate are counted as employed in our official tallies. Adding them, along with fourth graduate who started a part-time job after March 15, to our job totals brings the percentage of those employed in full-time law or law-related jobs that last one year or more to 81%, and overall employment to 90%, as of April 16, 2021.
Class of 2020听graduates ten months after graduation
- Employed = 158*
- Employed, start date deferred = 1
- Pursuing additional degree = 4
- Unemployed and seeking employment = 6
- Unemployed and not seeking employment = 3
- Unknown = 5
* Six听of the 158听employed graduates are receiving funding from Colorado Law's post-graduate fellowship program,听two for work with judges and four for work with government agencies.
U.S. News Employment Statistics
On March 30, 2021听U.S. News & World Report released its current law school rankings, which include employment statistics from the class of 2019. For both the 鈥渆mployed at graduation鈥� and 鈥渆mployed ten months after graduation鈥� categories, U.S. News gives maximum weight only to those graduates with full-time jobs that last at least one year for which bar passage was required, or a JD degree was an advantage, and which are not funded by the law school or university.
Employment statistics utilizing the U.S. News formula听at graduation:
- 46.3% (82/177) for the class of 2020
- 62.8% for the class of 2019
- 58.5% for the class of 2018
- 53.6% for the class of 2017
- 52.2% for the class of 2016
Employment statistics utilizing the U.S. News formula听ten months after graduation:
- 78.5% (139/177) for the class of 2020
- 84.6% for the class of 2019
- 85.0% for the class of 2018
- 83.9% for the class of 2017
- 73.4% for the class of 2016
Employment Categories
- 39%听(61/158) of employed graduates are working in听law firms:
- 97% (59/61) of these graduates are in full-time, long-term positions for which bar passage is required.
- 18 of those 61听grads reported employment at a National Law Journal 500 law firm ten months after graduation, while four听additional grads will join an NLJ 500 firm after their judicial clerkships. Together, these 22听graduates account for 14%听of all employed 2020听graduates, compared to 22% for class of 2019 graduates, 14% for class of 2018 graduates, 16% for class of 2017 graduates, and 17% for class of 2016 graduates.
- 17%听(28/158) of employed graduates are working in听judicial clerkships:
- Eleven are in federal court clerkships, 7听are in state appellate court clerkships, and 10听are in state trial court clerkships.
- 13%听(20/158) of employed graduates are working in听business:
- 90% of these graduates are working in full-time jobs that last at least one year for which bar passage was required, or a JD degree was an advantage.
- These businesses include Denver Health, Lumen Technologies, Molson Coors, ON Semiconductor, and Oracle.
- 12%听(19/158) of employed graduates are working in听government:
- 95% of these graduates are working in full-time positions that last at least one year for which bar passage was required, or a JD degree was an advantage.
- 95% of these graduates are working in full-time positions that last at least one year for which bar passage was required, or a JD degree was an advantage.
- 12%听(19/158) of employed graduates are working in听public interest:
- Eleven of these 19 graduates are working for public defender offices in Alaska, Colorado, New Mexico, and Washington, DC.
- 4%听(6/158) of employed graduates are working in Law School-funded听fellowships:
- Two are working with judges and four are working with听government agencies.
- 3% (5/158) of employed graduates are working in education:
- These graduates are working at universities in Colorado and The Netherlands.
Salaries
- 93% (147/158) of all employed graduates reported a salary:
- These salaries represent 139听long-term jobs and 8听short-term jobs.
- The median salary was $65,000听and the mean was $76,234.
- The private practice (law firm) mean salary was $97,136, the private sector mean salary was $92,824, and the public sector mean salary was $59,400.
- Twenty-five percent of the graduates reporting salaries earn $85,000 or more per year.
- Twenty-five percent of the graduates reporting salaries earn $54,000听or less per year.
To maintain consistency with the 2020听NALP employment report, we report only salaries from full-time, long-term positions held by members of the class of 2020听as of March 15, 2021.听We received salaries from 93% of graduates employed in full-time, long-term positions (137/147).
With respect to salaries, our public service-focused programs, including criminal defense, are strong. The听Loan Repayment Assistance Program听(LRAP) is available for many graduates working in public service jobs, and the program awarded 45听qualified applicants with $5,500 awards for the 2020听award year.
Salary Summary by Employment Sector
| Sector | # of grads | FT/LT | FT/ST | PT/LT | PT/ST | % FT/LT w/ Salary | Median | Mean | 25th Percentile | 75th Percentile |
| Private Sector | 81 | 77 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 90% | $80,000 | $92,824 | $60,000 | $115,000 |
| 笔耻产濒颈肠听厂别肠迟辞谤 | 77 | 70 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 99% | $59,208 | $59,400 | $52,000 | $66,981 |
Salary Summary by Employment Category
| Category | # of grads | FT/LT | FT/ST | PT/LT | PT/ST | % FT/LT w/ Salary | Median | Mean | 25th Percentile | 75th Percentile |
| Law Firms | 61 | 59 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 92% | $82,500 | $97,136 | $70,000 | $120,000 |
| Judicial Clerk | 30 | 28 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 96% | $59,208 | $57,932 | $49,792 | $64,005 |
| Government | 23 | 18 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 100% | $59,000 | $62,444 | $52,750 | $71,500 |
| Business | 20 | 18 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 83% | $75,000 | $77,300 | $56,000 | $97,500 |
| Public Interest | 19 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 95% | $63,250 | $61,575 | $55,000 | $66,750 |
| Academic | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100% | $50,000 | $48,541 | $50,000 | $50,000 |
Salary Summary by Employment Type
| Type | # of grads | FT/LT | FT/ST | PT/LT | PT/ST | % FT/LT w/ Salary | Median | Mean | 25th Percentile | 75th Percentile |
| Bar Required | 137 | 129 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 93% | $69,500 | $78,700 | $56,500 | $86,250 |
| JD Advantage | 17 | 14 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 100% | $55,100 | $58,330 | $52,000 | $60,000 |
| Other Professional | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100% | - | - | - | - |
| Undeterminable | 1 | 1 | - | 听 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Bar Admission Required/Anticipated: This job requires the graduate to pass the bar, before or after being hired, and be licensed to practice law. These jobs may be in a law firm, business, government, non-profit setting, or judicial clerk.
JD Advantage: This job does not require bar passage, an active law license, or involve practicing law, but your JD provides a demonstrable advantage in obtaining or performing the job. Examples of this job type are varied and numerous.
Other Professional: This job requires professional skills or training but a JD is neither required nor particularly applicable. Examples include teachers of non-law topics, real estate agents, performing arts specialists, doctors, nurses, engineers, or architects.
Non-Professional: This job does not require any professional skills or training such as a barista, server, or hairstylist.
Employment Summary by Location
Of the 124听graduates reporting employment in the Mountain region, 114听are employed in Colorado. This represents 72% of employed graduates.
| Region | # Student Reported | % of Reported |
| New England (CT, ME, MA, NH, RI, VT) | 3 | 1.9% |
| Mid-Atlantic (NJ, NY, PA) | 2 | 1.3% |
| North East Central (IL, IN, MI, OH, WI) | 1 | 0.6% |
| North West Central (IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD) | 0 | 0.0% |
| South Atlantic (DE, DC, FL, GA, MD, NC, SC, VA, WV) | 11 | 6.9% |
| South East Central (AL, KY, MS, TN) | 1 | 0.6% |
| South West Central (AR, LA, OK, TX) | 3 | 1.9% |
| Mountain (AZ, CO, ID, MT, NM, NV, UT, WY) | 124 | 78.5% |
| Pacific (AK, CA, HI, OR, WA) | 11 | 6.9% |
| Foreign | 1 | 0.6% |
| Unknown | 1 | 0.6% |
Timing of Post-grad Jobs
The timing of Colorado Law students accepting post-graduate employment follows a distinct pattern. By spring break, one-third or more of students report a post-graduate position. By graduation, at least one half of graduates are employed. While some graduates accept positions over the summer, it is more common for graduates to report accepting jobs in September and October. By mid-December (seven months after graduation), approximately 90 percent of our graduates report employment.听 This pattern was somewhat disrupted by the pandemic, as many graduates accepted full-time, post-graduate jobs later than usual.
|
April 1, 2020 |
40% |
|
April 15 |
43% |
|
May 1 |
51% |
|
May 15 |
52% |
|
June 1 |
53% |
|
June 15 |
56% |
|
July 1 |
60% |
|
July 15 |
60% |
|
August 1 |
63% |
|
August 15 |
65% |
|
September 1 |
66% |
|
September 15 |
70% |
|
October 1 |
72% |
|
October 15 |
76% |
|
November 1 |
78% |
|
November 15 |
82% |
|
December 1 |
84% |
|
December 15 |
86% |
|
January 1, 2020 |
86% |
|
January 15 |
86% |
|
February 1 |
86% |
|
February 15 |
86% |
|
March 1 |
87% |
|
March 15 |
89% |
Post-Graduate Employers of the Colorado Law Class of 2020
Duplicate employers have been removed. Out of state employers have been marked. Any employers whose name could in some way identify a graduate have also been removed.
- 1st Judicial District Attorney's Office
- 1st Judicial District Court
- 5th Judicial District Attorney's Office
- 6th Judicial District Court (NM)
- 8th Judicial District Court
- 17th Judicial District Attorney's Office
- 20th Judicial District Court
- AdvisorLaw
- Alaska Public Defender Agency (AK)
- Aldrich Law Offices
- Arnold & Porter
- Balcomb & Green
- BearBitz
- Berg Hill Greenleaf听
- Boulder Hemp
- Bridge to Justice
- Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck
- CannaAdvisors
- Cannon Law
- Caplan & Earnest
- Catalyst Law Group
- Charter School Law Group
- Chief Justice Bolger, Alaska State Supreme Court (AK)
- Chief Magistrate Judge Smith, U.S. District Court, District of Alaska (AK)
- City of Aurora, Municipal Public Defender's Office
- Clear Choice Dental
- Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing
- Colorado Department of Labor & Employment
- Colorado Office of the Attorney General
- Colorado State Public Defender
- ContractsRx
- Cooley
- Crowell & Moring LLP (DC)
- Denver City Attorney's Office, Municipal Operations
- Denver Health
- Derek Smith Law Group (FL)
- Doida Law Firm
- Dormer Harpring
- Downey Brand (CA)
- Earthjustice (DC)
- EverCheck
- Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (DC)
- Federal Mine Health and Safety
- First American Title Insurance Company
- First Peoples Worldwide
- Flanders, Elsberg, Herber & Dunn, LLC
- Flatirons Bank
- Float First Texas (TX)
- Foster Graham Milstein & Calisher LLP
- Galluzzi, Howard, Cheney
- High Performance Earthworks
- Hoffman Nies Dave & Meyer
- Hogan Lovells
- Holland & Hart
- Holland & Knight
- Husch Blackwell
- International Association of Privacy Professionals (NH)
- Jackson Kelly听
- Johnson Law Group
- Judge Brown, Colorado Court of Appeals
- Judge Campbell, U.S. District Court, District of Utah (UT)
- Judge Cangilos-Ruiz, U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Northern District of New York (NY)
- Judge Englert, 2nd Judicial District Court
- Judge Fox, Colorado Court of Appeals
- Judge Hicks, U.S. District Court, District of Nevada (NV)
- Judge Jackson, U.S. District Court, District of Colorado
- Judge Navarro, Colorado Court of Appeals
- Judge Parker, Western District of Tennessee (TN)
- Judge Torrington, 2nd Judicial District
- Judge Tymkovich, 10th Circuit Court of Appeals
- Judge Villase帽or, 8th Judicial District Court
- Judges Brinegar, Dean, and McDonald, 8th Judicial District Court
- Judges VanGilder and Klein, 1st Judicial District Court
- Justice Berkenkotter, Colorado Supreme Court
- Justice Boatright, Colorado Supreme Court
- Kalshoven-Gieskes Forum, International Humanitarian Law Clinic (The Netherlands)
- Killian Davis
- Kingsbery Johnson & Love
- Kissinger Fellman
- Koemel Law (OK)
- Korey Wise Innocence Project
- Lau & Choi
- Law Office of Michael L. Garcia
- Law Office of Sarah Pheral
- Lee & Brown (AZ)
- Legal Services of Northern California (CA)
- Lewis Roca Rothgerber
- Lumen Technologies
- Magistrate Judge Varholok, U.S. District Court, District of Colorado
- Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation (MA)
- Messner Reeves
- Milgrom & Daskam
- Molson Coors (IL)
- Montezuma County District Attorney's Office
- Moye White
- MW Legal Group, LLC
- New Jersey Office of Administrative Law听(NJ)
- New Mexico Public Defender (NM)
- Next Century Cities (DC)
- Nixon Shefrin
- O'Brian & Associates (WA)
- ON Semiconductor (AZ)
- Oracle America, Inc.
- Otten Johnson
- Paramount Residential Mortgage Group (CA)
- Patterson Earnhart Realbird and Wilson听
- Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia, Trial Division (DC)
- Rocky Mountain Health Care Law
- Ryan Whaley Coldiron Jantzen Peters & Webber PLLC (OK)
- Sherman & Howard
- Snell & Wilmer
- Sound Development, LLC (CT)
- The Center on Race, Poverty & the Environment (CA)
- The Zalkin Law Firm (CA)
- Third District Superior Court, Alaska Court System (AK)
- Thomas Keel & Laird
- Truleive (FL)
- Tuthill & Hughes
- Tyson & Mendes
- U.S. Army JAG (DC)
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of the Secretary (DC)
- U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity
- U.S. Department of Justice, Executive Office for Immigration Review (WA)
- U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (AZ)
- U.S. Senate (DC)
- University of Colorado Law School
- WilmerHale
- Wood Smith Henning and Berman听
- Woody Law Firm
- Wyoming Legislative Service Office (WY)
- Zimmerman & Frachtman P.A. (FL)
- Zinda Law Group