Career Development

Denver Law provides students with the skills and legal training to make an immediate, valuable impact upon graduating, but we know your degree is just the foundation toward building a successful legal career. In addition to the exceptional education you'll receive, we help you define and pursue your career goals from the first day of classes to graduation and beyond.

Our Mission:

The Office of Career Development (CDO) is dedicated to helping Denver Law students and alumni meet the needs of today's dynamic legal workplace. From the career planning stage, through applications, interviews and beyond, we can help you every step of the way. In particular, we pride ourselves in helping JD, master's, LLM and graduate tax students connect with our vast network of alumni and other professionals, in Denver, throughout Colorado and beyond.

Simply put, the CDO will be with you every step of the way to ensure your degree opens the doors to your future.

Meet Our CDO Team

Services:

Assists JD, master's, LLM and graduate tax students and alumni with their career planning.
Helps students and alumni to develop the skills necessary to obtain satisfying and meaningful employment.
Connects students, alumni and employers in Denver, throughout Colorado and beyond.
Provides access to resources for students and alumni to search for jobs and employers to post jobs.

Career Development Handbook

Career and Professional Development Requirements, Networking & more.

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CDO Guide: Application Materials

Resumes, Cover Letters, References, Writing Samples, Transcripts & Thank You Notes.

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CDO Guide: Interviewing

Best approaches for successful interviews with potential employers.

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CDO Guide: Judicial Clerkships

Questions and answers, ideal timelines & application materials.

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CDO Guide: Careers in Public International Law

Specializations, organizations & institutions, networking & professional development, and job search strategies.

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Denver Law Careers Online (Symplicity)

Symplicity - Where students and alumni search for jobs online.

Search for Jobs

Our Commitment to Non-Discrimination

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Building Careers and Inclusive Communities

We believe that legal education institutions and the larger legal community are not as diverse and inclusive as they should be. We strive to create a sense of belonging and combat all forms of discrimination, prejudice and racism to create a more just and inclusive office, school, and professional community.

We bring a commitment to help all students have a fair shot at any kind of employment they seek.

We provide a safe place for people to discuss issues related to discrimination, diversity, and inclusion at the law school, with employers, and in our communities.

Career Development Events

Calendar

female working in Westminster Law Library

Student & Alumni Resources

The Career Development Office played a significant role in my post-graduate experience. As a law student, I was very nervous about finding a job that would be rewarding both vocationally and financially. The CDO team worked zealously alongside me to help me find the best possible situation. In short, the CDO is well-connected, enthusiastic, and eager to find lasting careers for its students.
Colton Johnston, Associate Attorney, Jackson White, P.C.

Symplicity

Schedule appointments with our career counselors, see the latest legal job postings, and sign up to attend upcoming career-related events.

Office of Career Development and Opportunities

For Employers

The CDO is your lifeline to highly qualified, well-prepared students, recent graduates and alumni to meet your needs. Through hiring assistance, on-campus and off-campus interviews and programming we can find you the perfect candidate.

Employer Services

Additional Resources

Student Resources
Career Fairs
Career fairs are a great opportunity for you to meet with many enthusiastic and talented law students who are eager to learn about career options and to gain experience in a variety of settings. You will be able to discuss, with interested students, your organizational structure and/or opportunities within your organization.
- Annual CU/DU Government & Public Interest Law Career Symposium
- Executive Diversity Career Opportunities Fair
  The fair is presented by CollegeJournal.com, The Wall Street Journal’s site for executive-track college students and recent graduates; and by Lucas Group, a national executive search firm headquartered in Atlanta.
- Lavender Law Career Fair
- NALSA Conference
Programs
Each semester, the Office of Career Development presents innovative programming designed to help students identify career goals and develop the tools to achieve them. In addition to offering a number of specialized programs each semester, the CDO regularly presents the following programs:
- How to Get a Government Job
- Resume/Cover Letter Writing Workshop
- Interviewing/Networking Workshop
- Partners at Law (PALs)
- Opportunities for Lawyers in Corporate Legal Departments
- Career Information Fair
View Upcoming Events
Skills
Cover Letters
The cover letter is your first – and possibly only – opportunity to engage a prospective employer. It is a key marketing tool to convince the employer to take the time to look at your resume. Think of it as “bait” that you are using to “hook” the reader. Attorneys or law firm recruiting coordinators are searching for a reason to dismiss your application. Don’t give it to them by writing a cover letter that is rambling and poorly written or contains typos or grammatical errors.
The CDO can help you create a cover letter that best “hooks” potential employers to consider your application. Before meeting with a Career Consultant, make sure to check out our cover letter tips.
Sturm College of Law Student Business Cards
The DU Quick Copy Center (located in the DU Bookstore) offers business cards for current law students. Please send your contact details to qcc@du.edu and they will provide a proof before printing. Production takes 2-3 business days.
Pricing:
- 50 cards $20.50
- 100 cards $26.00
- 250 cards $33.75
- 500 cards $49.50
Alumni Resources
What Can We Do For You?
Your job search doesn’t end after you land that first job. You know that there is always room for change, for expansion, and for finding that “better fit.” If you are in the process of rethinking your career, or even if you’re just wondering what your options are, take advantage of the career services that Denver Law offers its alumni:
- Access to our Resource Library
  Our Resource Library houses a variety of materials relating to the traditional practice of the law, alternative careers for lawyers, public interest work and careers in the non-profit sector. In addition, we have a notebook that includes all of our current job postings that are also available online.
- Attendance at Programs Sponsored by the Office of Career Development
  The CDO sponsors many informative programs throughout the school year, all of which may be attended by alumni. The Career Information Fair, which is held early in the second semester of the school year, is of particular interest to many alumni, as it gives them the opportunity to talk with lawyers doing work in traditional and non-traditional settings. Many of our programs are videotaped and available for online viewing.
  
  View Upcoming Events
- Career Consulting
  The CDO reviews resumes and cover letters, gives advice on job search strategies, and assists alumni considering a transition. We are happy to meet with our alumni at any point in their career, and the number of such counseling sessions is not limited.
What Can You Do for Us?
There are a number of opportunities for Denver Law alumni who are interested in remaining involved with and advancing the mission of the law school. At the Office of Career Development, alumni can help by:
- Participating in the Partners at Law (PALs) luncheon hosted by the Office of Career Development to allow students to meet alumni in an informal setting, and/or other networking programs at the College of Law.
  
  View Upcoming Events
- Serving as a speaker or panel member in the Law Practice Specialty Series where attorneys practicing in various specialty areas speak to students about the substantive and practical realities of working in these specialties.
  
  View Upcoming Events
Videos
Policies & Forms
- CPDR Program Description
- CPDR Request Form
- CPD Make-Up Form
- Transcripts
- Reciprocity
  Reciprocity is either our agreement or the agreement of another law institution to allow students and graduates to use the job search resources available in the Office of Career Development & Opportunities. Utilizing the reciprocity agreement with other law schools is a wonderful job search tool when you are looking for employment in another city or geographic region of the country. It is important to understand that each law school has its own reciprocity requirements. Before requesting reciprocity, please contact the host school to confirm their current reciprocity policy.
  As a University of Denver College of Law student/alumnus requesting reciprocity at another law school you must contact the Office of Career Development & Opportunities representative by calling 303-871-6124 or emailing law-careers@du.edu. When contacting us, please provide the name of the school from which you are requesting reciprocity, your name, address, and phone number. Be sure to request reciprocity at least two weeks before you anticipate needing access, if not sooner. This gives both our office as well as the career services office of the host school time to process your request. You will receive a copy of the reciprocity request letter and a copy of the host school’s response granting or denying reciprocity. If you are granted in-person reciprocity, be sure to show your copy of the acceptance letter when you arrive at the host school.
  University of Denver Sturm College of Law Reciprocity Policy
  The University of Denver Sturm College of Law Office of Career Development & Opportunities offers reciprocity to students and graduates of ABA-accredited law schools.
  Reciprocity is available to law schools permitting DU law students and graduates use of their facilities and/or online services. Reciprocity is granted on a one-to-one request basis and remains in effect for three months from the date it is granted. The first request for reciprocity from a particular law school will be accepted; however, a second request must be matched by a request by DU for reciprocity before the second reciprocity request will be accepted.
  Requests must be made via email by an authorized representative of the law school requesting reciprocity. Please include the student’s/alumnus’s date of anticipated or actual graduation along with their email address and phone number.
  Reciprocity is not available from July 1 through October 1 and during any time the requesting law school has closed reciprocity for DU law students and graduates.
  If granted reciprocity, remote access to our Symplicity system will be given for a total of three months. Guest accounts are “browse-only.” As such, guests cannot upload documents to the system, or apply for any confidential job postings, nor can they participate in on-campus interviews, job fairs, or mock interviews. In addition, services such as career counseling, resume review, and cover letter review are NOT available to guests. When responding to notices found in our Symplicity system, guests are required to let employers know that they found the job listing through a reciprocal agreement with the University of Denver Sturm College of Law.
  The Office of Career Development & Opportunities may deny reciprocity to individuals who misuse our system or do not comply with college policies.
  
  To request reciprocity, please contact:
  Office of Career Development & Opportunities
  University of Denver Sturm College of Law
  2255 E. Evans, Suite 223
  Denver, Colorado 80208
  Tel: 303.871.6124
  law-careers@du.edu

EEO Incident Reporting
The University of Denver takes seriously claims harassment and discrimination in the workplace and provides several forms of support to students who have experienced this type of misconduct.
- Students may report internship-related incidents of discrimination or harassment to the University’s Office of Equal Opportunity & Title IX.
- Confidential reporting and additional resources are available through the Center for Advocacy, Prevention, & Empowerment.
- The University's Bias Incident Response Team (or "BIRT") is an internal working group tasked to coordinate campus response to bias incidents.

Online Career Resources

Access job postings and free career development information and job search advice, as well as research your target employers, with our hand-selected list of favorite websites.