Employment Statistics

Here at Denver Law, our commitment to accuracy and transparency in employment reporting goes beyond ABA requirements. We strive to provide useful information and tools to evaluate our graduates' employment outcomes. 

  • JD Class of 2022 Employment Data

    JD Class of 2022 ABA Employment Summary Report

    Per Interpretation 509-2 of Standard 509, law schools may choose to publicize additional employment outcome data beyond what the Employment Protocols require. This additional data, per Standard 509, must be “complete, accurate, and not misleading to a reasonable law school student or applicant.” Law schools are expected to use “due diligence in obtaining and verifying such information.”
    The following additional employment outcome data has not been, and will not be, audited by the ABA. It is meant to supplement the annual ABA Employment Summary Report, which reflects the employment status of members of each graduating class as of the annual Graduate Employment Status Date of March 15. Please reference the 3 years of employment outcome data posted on the ABA Required Disclosures webpage of each ABA-Approved Law School or at www.abarequireddisclosures.org.

    JD Class of 2022 Employment Statistics – 10 Months after Graduation
    248 Graduates

    Total percentage of graduates employed in professional positions

    94.6%

    How is Denver Law’s Employment Rate Calculated?

    227 Total 2022 JD graduates working in a professional capacity / 240 graduates who sought employment = 94.6%

    Numerator: The numerator in our calculation is the number of 2022 JD graduates who were working as of March 15, 2023 in any professional capacity (legal, nonlegal, full time, part time, long term and short term). This includes graduates working in jobs requiring bar admission, jobs where the JD provides an advantage, and other positions that require professional skills or training. We also count positions funded by the university, including short term Fellow positions in which our graduates work in substantive legal positions with judges, law school faculty, as well as government and nonprofits. (For the specific number of university-funded positions, see our ABA Report.) Prior to the class of 2012, we also included nonprofessional jobs in our calculation which was consistent with reporting conventions of the American Bar Association, National Association of Law Placement and U.S. News & World Report. Beginning with the class of 2012, however, we have excluded the nonprofessional positions. For the 2022 class, this figure amounts to 1 excluded positions.

    Denominator: The denominator in our calculation reflects the number of 2022 JD graduates known to be in the workforce as of March 15, 2023. Consistent with the practice of the United States Department of Labor, we excluded from the denominator the 8 graduates who were not known to be seeking employment as of that date. Specifically, we excluded 2 graduates whose employment status was Not Employed/Not Seeking, 1 graduate whose status was unknown, 2 graduates who were pursuing a full-time degree and 3 graduates who had accepted a deferred offer of employment.

    Rounded Percentage of Employed Graduates Working in the following Types of Employment:

    (Percentages do not necessarily sum to 100 due to rounding)

    Law Firms

    49%

    Business and Industry

    14%

    Public Interest

    12%

    Government

    14%

    Education

    1%

    Judicial Clerkship

    10%

    Employer Type Unknown

    0%

    Salary Information

    (Based on full time salaries that were reported or publicly available)

    All Reported Full Time Salaries (Our salary statistics are based on obtaining full time salaries from 64% of the class, which were reported or publicly available. Equation: 192 known salaries divided by 248 JD graduates in the class = 77% of the class):

    Mean

    $99,037

    Median

    $82,600

    75th Percentile

    $115,250

    25th Percentile

    $66,192

    Range

    $35,000 – $275,000

    Private Sector: including positions in law firms, business and industry (based on the 120 salaries reported or publicly available for graduates employed in the private sector, which represents 48% of the class. Equation: 120 known private sector salaries divided by 248 JD graduates in the class = 48% of the class):

    Mean

    $118,408

    Median

    $100,000

    75th Percentile

    $156,000

    25th Percentile

    $81,500

    Range

    $48,000 – $275,000

    Public Service: including government positions, judicial clerkships, academic posts, or positions with non-profit advocacy or cause-oriented organizations (based on the 72 salaries reported or publicly available for graduates employed in public service, which represents 29% of the class. Equation: 72 known public sector salaries divided by 248 JD graduates in the class = 29% of the class):

    Mean

    $66,752

    Median

    $66,192

    75th Percentile

    $72,996

    25th Percentile

    $57,860

    Range

    $35,000 – $125,000

    Geographic Location of Employed Graduates

    (Regional information calculated by dividing the total number of employed graduates in each geographic region by the total number of employed graduates.)

    New England – 2
    (CT, ME, MA, NH, RI, VT)

    0.9%

    Middle Atlantic – 7
    (NY, NJ, PA)

    3.1%

    E. North Central – 6
    (IL, IN, MI, OH, WI)

    2.6%

    W. North Central – 4
    (IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD)

    1.8%

    South Atlantic – 7
    (DE, DC, FL, GA, MD, NC, SC, VA, WV)

    3.1%

    E. South Central – 2
    (AL, KY, MS, TN)

    0.9%

    W. South Central – 4
    (AR, LA, OK, TX)

    1.8%

    Mountain – 188
    (AZ, CO, ID, MT, NV, NM, UT, WY)

    82.5%

    Pacific – 7
    (AK, CA, HI, OR, WA)

    3.1%

    International/Other – 1

    0.4%

    Unknown – 0

    0.0%

     

  • JD Class of 2021 Employment Data

    JD Class of 2021 ABA Employment Summary Report

    Per Interpretation 509-2 of Standard 509, law schools may choose to publicize additional employment outcome data beyond what the Employment Protocols require. This additional data, per Standard 509, must be “complete, accurate, and not misleading to a reasonable law school student or applicant.” Law schools are expected to use “due diligence in obtaining and verifying such information.”
    The following additional employment outcome data has not been, and will not be, audited by the ABA. It is meant to supplement the annual ABA Employment Summary Report, which reflects the employment status of members of each graduating class as of the annual Graduate Employment Status Date of March 15. Please reference the 3 years of employment outcome data posted on the ABA Required Disclosures webpage of each ABA-Approved Law School or at www.abarequireddisclosures.org.

    JD Class of 2021 Employment Statistics – 10 Months after Graduation
    233 Graduates

    Total percentage of graduates employed in professional positions

    95.2%

    How is Denver Law’s Employment Rate Calculated?

    216 Total 2021 JD graduates working in a professional capacity / 227 graduates who sought employment = 95.2%

    Numerator: The numerator in our calculation is the number of 2021 JD graduates who were working as of March 15, 2022 in any professional capacity (legal, nonlegal, full time, part time, long term and short term). This includes graduates working in jobs requiring bar admission, jobs where the JD provides an advantage, and other positions that require professional skills or training. We also count positions funded by the university, including short term Fellow positions in which our graduates work in substantive legal positions with judges, law school faculty, as well as government and nonprofits. (For the specific number of university-funded positions, see our ABA Report.) Prior to the class of 2012, we also included nonprofessional jobs in our calculation which was consistent with reporting conventions of the American Bar Association, National Association of Law Placement and U.S. News & World Report. Beginning with the class of 2012, however, we have excluded the nonprofessional positions. For the 2021 class, this figure amounts to 1 excluded positions.

    Denominator: The denominator in our calculation reflects the number of 2021 JD graduates known to be in the workforce as of March 15, 2022. Consistent with the practice of the United States Department of Labor, we excluded from the denominator the 6 graduates who were not known to be seeking employment as of that date. Specifically, we excluded 1 graduate whose employment status was Not Employed/Not Seeking, 1 graduate whose status was unknown, 1 graduate who was pursuing a full-time degree and 3 graduates who had accepted a deferred offer of employment.

    Rounded Percentage of Employed Graduates Working in the following Types of Employment:

    (Percentages do not sum to 100 due to rounding)

    Law Firms

    51%

    Business and Industry

    11%

    Public Interest

    13%

    Government

    10%

    Education

    2%

    Judicial Clerkship

    12%

    Employer Type Unknown

    0%

    Salary Information

    (Based on full time salaries that were reported or publicly available)

    All Reported Full Time Salaries (Our salary statistics are based on obtaining full time salaries from 64% of the class, which were reported or publicly available. Equation: 159 known salaries divided by 233 JD graduates in the class = 68% of the class):

    Mean

    $90,181

    Median

    $75,000

    75th Percentile

    $110,000

    25th Percentile

    $64,260

    Range

    $40,000 – $300,000

    Private Sector: including positions in law firms, business and industry (based on the 95 salaries reported or publicly available for graduates employed in the private sector, which represents 41% of the class. Equation: 95 known private sector salaries divided by 233 JD graduates in the class = 41% of the class):

    Mean

    $109,322

    Median

    $95,000

    75th Percentile

    $140,000

    25th Percentile

    $75,000

    Range

    $45,760 – $300,000

    Public Service: including government positions, judicial clerkships, academic posts, or positions with non-profit advocacy or cause-oriented organizations (based on the 64 salaries reported or publicly available for graduates employed in public service, which represents 27% of the class. Equation: 64 known public sector salaries divided by 233 JD graduates in the class = 27% of the class):

    Mean

    $61,768

    Median

    $64,260

    75th Percentile

    $70,000

    25th Percentile

    $50,000

    Range

    $40,000 – $103,000

    Geographic Location of Employed Graduates

    (Regional information calculated by dividing the total number of employed graduates in each geographic region by the total number of employed graduates.)

    New England – 2
    (CT, ME, MA, NH, RI, VT)

    0.9%

    Middle Atlantic – 5
    (NY, NJ, PA)

    2.3%

    E. North Central – 4
    (IL, IN, MI, OH, WI)

    1.8%

    W. North Central – 2
    (IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD)

    0.9%

    South Atlantic – 7
    (DE, DC, FL, GA, MD, NC, SC, VA, WV)

    3.2%

    E. South Central – 0
    (AL, KY, MS, TN)

    0%

    W. South Central – 4
    (AR, LA, OK, TX)

    1.8%

    Mountain – 185
    (AZ, CO, ID, MT, NV, NM, UT, WY)

    85.3%

    Pacific – 6
    (AK, CA, HI, OR, WA)

    2.8%

    International/Other – 2

    1%

    Unknown – 0

    0.0%

     

  • JD Class of 2020 Employment Data

    JD Class of 2020 ABA Employment Summary Report

    Per Interpretation 509-2 of Standard 509, law schools may choose to publicize additional employment outcome data beyond what the Employment Protocols require. This additional data, per Standard 509, must be “complete, accurate, and not misleading to a reasonable law school student or applicant.” Law schools are expected to use “due diligence in obtaining and verifying such information.”
    The following additional employment outcome data has not been, and will not be, audited by the ABA. It is meant to supplement the annual ABA Employment Summary Report, which reflects the employment status of members of each graduating class as of the annual Graduate Employment Status Date of March 15. Please reference the 3 years of employment outcome data posted on the ABA Required Disclosures webpage of each ABA-Approved Law School or at
    www.abarequireddisclosures.org.

    JD Class of 2020 Employment Statistics – 10 Months after Graduation
    220 Graduates

    Total percentage of graduates employed in professional positions 94.3%

    How is Denver Law’s Employment Rate Calculated?

    200 Total 2020 JD graduates working in a professional capacity / 212 graduates who sought employment = 94.3%

    Numerator: The numerator in our calculation is the number of 2020 JD graduates who were working as of March 15, 2021 in any professional capacity (legal, nonlegal, full time, part time, long term and short term). This includes graduates working in jobs requiring bar admission, jobs where the JD provides an advantage, and other positions that require professional skills or training. We also count positions funded by the university, including short term Fellow positions in which our graduates work in substantive legal positions with judges, law school faculty, as well as government and nonprofits. (For the specific number of university-funded positions, see our ABA Report.) Prior to the class of 2012, we also included nonprofessional jobs in our calculation which was consistent with reporting conventions of the American Bar Association, National Association of Law Placement and U.S. News & World Report. Beginning with the class of 2012, however, we have excluded the nonprofessional positions. For the 2020 class, this figure amounts to 0 excluded positions.

    Denominator: The denominator in our calculation reflects the number of 2020 JD graduates known to be in the workforce as of March 15, 2021. Consistent with the practice of the United States Department of Labor, we excluded from the denominator the 8 graduates who were not known to be seeking employment as of that date. Specifically, we excluded 0 graduates whose employment status was Not Employed/Not Seeking, 4 graduates whose status was unknown, 2 graduates who were pursuing a full-time degree and 2 graduates who had accepted a deferred offer of employment.

    Rounded Percentage of Employed Graduates Working in the following Types of Employment:

    Law Firms 47%
    Business and Industry 14%
    Public Interest 12%
    Government 16%
    Education 1%
    Judicial Clerkship 10%
    Employer Type Unknown 0%

    Salary Information

    (Based on full time salaries that were reported or publicly available)

    All Reported Full Time Salaries (Our salary statistics are based on obtaining full time salaries from 64% of the class, which were reported or publicly available. Equation: 141 known salaries divided by 220 JD graduates in the class = 64% of the class):

    Mean $79,828
    Median $67,000
    75th Percentile $85,000
    25th Percentile $58,000
    Range $45,000 – $190,000

    Private Sector: including positions in law firms, business and industry (based on the 82 salaries reported or publicly available for graduates employed in the private sector, which represents 37% of the class. Equation: 82 known private sector salaries divided by 220 JD graduates in the class = 37% of the class):

    Mean $93,045
    Median $80,000
    75th Percentile $106,875
    25th Percentile $65,000
    Range $45,000 – $190,000

    Public Service: including government positions, judicial clerkships, academic posts, or positions with non-profit advocacy or cause-oriented organizations (based on the 59 salaries reported or publicly available for graduates employed in public service, which represents 27% of the class. Equation: 59 known public sector salaries divided by 220 JD graduates in the class = 27% of the class):

    Mean $61,461
    Median $60,000
    75th Percentile $65,000
    25th Percentile $53,000
    Range $47,550 – $136,000

    Geographic Location of Employed Graduates

    (Regional information calculated by dividing the total number of employed graduates in each geographic region by the total number of employed graduates.)

    New England – 0
    (CT, ME, MA, NH, RI, VT)
    0.0%
    Middle Atlantic – 5
    (NY, NJ, PA)
    2.5%
    E. North Central – 1
    (IL, IN, MI, OH, WI)
    0.5%
    W. North Central – 4
    (IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD)
    2.0%
    South Atlantic – 11
    (DE, DC, FL, GA, MD, NC, SC, VA, WV)
    5.5%
    E. South Central – 1
    (AL, KY, MS, TN)
    0.5%
    W. South Central – 6
    (AR, LA, OK, TX)
    3.0%
    Mountain – 167
    (AZ, CO, ID, MT, NV, NM, UT, WY)
    83.5%
    Pacific – 5
    (AK, CA, HI, OR, WA)
    2.5%
    International/Other – 0 0.0%
    Unknown – 0 0.0%

     

  • JD Class of 2019 Employment Data

    JD Class of 2019 ABA Employment Summary Report

     

    JD Class of 2019 Employment Statistics – 10 Months after Graduation
    243 Graduates

    Total percentage of graduates employed in professional positions 92.1%

    How is Denver Law’s Employment Rate Calculated?

    222 Total 2019 JD graduates working in a professional capacity / 241 graduates who sought employment = 92.1%

    Numerator: The numerator in our calculation is the number of 2019 JD graduates who were working as of March 16, 2020 in any professional capacity (legal, nonlegal, full time, part time, long term and short term). This includes graduates working in jobs requiring bar admission, jobs where the JD provides an advantage, and other positions that require professional skills or training. We also count positions funded by the university, including short term Fellow positions in which our graduates work in substantive legal positions with judges, law school faculty, as well as government and nonprofits. (For the specific number of university-funded positions, see our ABA Report.) Prior to the class of 2012, we also included nonprofessional jobs in our calculation which was consistent with reporting conventions of the American Bar Association, National Association of Law Placement and US News & World Report. Beginning with the class of 2012, however, we have excluded the nonprofessional positions. For the 2019 class, this figure amounts to 1 excluded position.

    Denominator: The denominator in our calculation reflects the number of 2019 JD graduates known to be in the workforce as of March 16, 2020. Consistent with the practice of the United States Department of Labor, we excluded from the denominator the 2 graduates who were not known to be seeking employment as of that date. Specifically, we excluded 1 graduate whose employment status was Not Employed/Not Seeking and 0 graduates whose status was unknown. One graduate who was pursuing a full-time degree and 0 graduates who had accepted a deferred offer of employment.

    Rounded Percentage of Employed Graduates Working in the following Types of Employment:

    Law Firms 47%
    Business and Industry 10%
    Public Interest 11%
    Government 16%
    Education 1%
    Judicial Clerkship 16%
    Employer Type Unknown 0%

    Salary Information

    (Based on full time salaries that were reported or publicly available)

    All Reported Full Time Salaries (Our salary statistics are based on obtaining full time salaries from 68% of the class, which were reported or publicly available. Equation: 172 known salaries divided by 243 JD graduates in the class = 71% of the class):

    Mean $73,777
    Median $65,000
    75th Percentile $79,000
    25th Percentile $52,007
    Range $18,000 – $180,000

    Private Sector: including positions in law firms, business and industry (based on the 94 salaries reported or publicly available for graduates employed in the private sector, which represents 39% of the class. Equation: 94 known private sector salaries divided by 243 JD graduates in the class = 39% of the class):

    Mean $85,617
    Median $75,000
    75th Percentile $110,500
    25th Percentile $60,000
    Range $18,000 – $180,000

    Public Service: including government positions, judicial clerkships, academic posts, or positions with non-profit advocacy or cause-oriented organizations (based on the 78 salaries reported or publicly available for graduates employed in public service, which represents 32% of the class. Equation: 78 known public sector salaries divided by 243 JD graduates in the class = 32% of the class):

    Mean $59,507
    Median $57,500
    75th Percentile $65,000
    25th Percentile $50,000
    Range $40,000 – $143,000

    Geographic Location of Employed Graduates

    (Regional information calculated by dividing the total number of employed graduates in each geographic region by the total number of employed graduates.)

    New England – 1
    (CT, ME, MA, NH, RI, VT)
    0.4%
    Middle Atlantic – 0
    (NY, NJ, PA)
    0.0%
    E. North Central – 1
    (IL, IN, MI, OH, WI)
    0.4%
    W. North Central – 6
    (IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD)
    2.7%
    South Atlantic – 6
    (DE, DC, FL, GA, MD, NC, SC, VA, WV)
    2.7%
    E. South Central – 0
    (AL, KY, MS, TN)
    0.0%
    W. South Central – 0
    (AR, LA, OK, TX)
    0.0%
    Mountain – 204
    (AZ, CO, ID, MT, NV, NM, UT, WY)
    91.5%
    Pacific – 3
    (AK, CA, HI, OR, WA)
    1.3%
    International/Other – 2 0.9%
    Unknown – 0 0.0%

     

  • JD Class of 2018 Employment Data

    JD Class of 2018 ABA Employment Summary Report

     

    JD Class of 2018 Employment Statistics – 10 Months after Graduation
    241 Graduates

    Total percentage of graduates employed in professional positions 93.6%

    How is Denver Law’s Employment Rate Calculated?

    To calculate our employment rate with formulas used by Denver Law, US News & World Report, the National Association of Law Placement, Law School Transparency, National Jurist or to design your own formula, check out our interactive tool, Denver Law Jobs: By the Numbers™.

    219 Total 2018 JD graduates working in a professional capacity / 234 graduates who sought employment = 93.6%

    Numerator: The numerator in our calculation is the number of 2018 JD graduates who were working as of March 15, 2019 in any professional capacity (legal, nonlegal, full time, part time, long term and short term). This includes graduates working in jobs requiring bar admission, jobs where the JD provides an advantage, and other positions that require professional skills or training. We also count positions funded by the university, including short term Fellow positions in which our graduates work in substantive legal positions with judges, law school faculty, as well as government and nonprofits. (For the specific number of university-funded positions, see our ABA Report.) Prior to the class of 2012, we also included nonprofessional jobs in our calculation which was consistent with reporting conventions of the American Bar Association, National Association of Law Placement and US News & World Report. Beginning with the class of 2012, however, we have excluded the nonprofessional positions. For the 2018 class, this figure amounts to 5 excluded positions.

    Denominator: The denominator in our calculation reflects the number of 2018 JD graduates known to be in the workforce as of March 15, 2019. Consistent with the practice of the United States Department of Labor, we excluded from the denominator the 7 graduates who were not known to be seeking employment as of that date. Specifically, we excluded 3 graduates whose employment status was Not Employed/Not Seeking and 0 graduates whose status was unknown. One graduate who was pursuing a full-time degree and 3 graduates who had accepted a deferred offer of employment.

    Rounded Percentage of Employed Graduates Working in Following Types of Employment:

    Law Firms 42%
    Business and Industry 19%
    Public Interest 5%
    Government 20%
    Education 2%
    Judicial Clerkship 12%
    Employer Type Unknown 0%

    Salary Information

    (Based on full time salaries that were reported or publicly available)

    All Reported Full Time Salaries (Our salary statistics are based on obtaining full time salaries from 68% of the class, which were reported or publicly available. Equation: 164 known salaries divided by 241 JD graduates in the class = 68% of the class):

    Mean $77,536
    Median $65,000
    75th Percentile $90,000
    25th Percentile $55,000
    Range $24,000 – $330,000[1]

    [1] Note that $330,000 is not a typical salary for a new law graduate.

    Private Sector: including positions in law firms, business and industry (based on the 95 salaries reported or publicly available for graduates employed in the private sector, which represents 39% of the class. Equation: 95 known private sector salaries divided by 241 JD graduates in the class = 39% of the class):

    Mean $92,616
    Median $78,000
    75th Percentile $112,500
    25th Percentile $60,000
    Range $24,000 – $330,000

    Public Service: including government positions, judicial clerkships, academic posts, or positions with non-profit advocacy or cause-oriented organizations (based on the 69 salaries reported or publicly available for graduates employed in public service, which represents 29% of the class. Equation: 69 known public sector salaries divided by 241 JD graduates in the class = 29% of the class):

    Mean $56,775
    Median $57,000
    75th Percentile $64,900
    25th Percentile $50,000
    Range $39,000 – $90,000

    Geographic Location of Employed Graduates

    (Regional information calculated by dividing the total number of employed graduates in each geographic region by the total number of employed graduates.)

    New England – 1
    (CT, ME, MA, NH, RI, VT)
    0.4%
    Middle Atlantic – 4
    (NY, NJ, PA)
    1.8%
    E. North Central – 3
    (IL, IN, MI, OH, WI)
    1.3%
    W. North Central – 3
    (IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD)
    1.3%
    South Atlantic – 10
    (DE, DC, FL, GA, MD, NC, SC, VA, WV)
    4.4%
    E. South Central – 1
    (AL, KY, MS, TN)
    0.4%
    W. South Central – 4
    (AR, LA, OK, TX)
    1.8%
    Mountain – 196
    (AZ, CO, ID, MT, NV, NM, UT, WY)
    86.7%
    Pacific – 4
    (AK, CA, HI, OR, WA)
    1.8%
    International/Other – 0 0.0%
    Unknown – 0 0.0%

     

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As I transitioned from a law student to post-graduate employment as a corporate law attorney at a law firm, the Career Development Office (CDO) continuously proved to be an incredible source of guidance and support. The CDO took the time to learn about me and my aspirations. At each stage of the application process, the CDO was highly engaged and provided specific feedback. Clark Yeh