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. 

Employment Disclosures

  • 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%

     

  • JD Class of 2017 Employment Data

    JD Class of 2017 ABA Employment Summary Report

     

    JD Class of 2017 Employment Statistics – 10 Months after Graduation
    252 Graduates

    Total percentage of graduates employed in professional positions 93.4%

    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™.

    227 Total 2017 JD graduates working in a professional capacity / 243 graduates who sought employment = 93.4%

    Numerator: The numerator in our calculation is the number of 2017 JD graduates who were working as of March 15, 2018 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 2017 class, this figure amounts to 0 excluded positions.

    Denominator: The denominator in our calculation reflects the number of 2017 JD graduates known to be in the workforce as of March 15, 2018. Consistent with the practice of the United States Department of Labor, we excluded from the denominator the 9 graduates who was not known to be seeking employment as of that date. Specifically, we excluded 6 graduates whose employment status was Not Employed/Not Seeking and 3 graduates whose status was unknown.

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

    Law Firms 44%
    Business and Industry 11%
    Public Interest 4%
    Government 29%
    Education 1%
    Judicial Clerkship 11%
    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 67% of the class, which were reported or publicly available. Equation: 168 known salaries divided by 252 JD graduates in the class = 67% of the class):

    Mean $76,040
    Median $60,000
    75th Percentile $85,500
    25th Percentile $52,278
    Range $32,000 – $255,000

    Private Sector: including positions in law firms, business and industry (based on the 88 salaries reported or publicly available for graduates employed in the private sector, which represents 35% of the class. Equation: 88 known private sector salaries divided by 252 JD graduates in the class = 35% of the class):

    Mean $94,354
    Median $77,500
    75th Percentile $126,125
    25th Percentile $60,000
    Range $32,000 – $255,000

    Public Service: including government positions, judicial clerkships, academic posts, or positions with non-profit advocacy or cause-oriented organizations (based on the 80 salaries reported or publicly available for graduates employed in public service, which represents 32% of the class. Equation: 80 known public sector salaries divided by 252 JD graduates in the class = 32% of the class):

    Mean $55,894
    Median $56,676
    75th Percentile $60,000
    25th Percentile $48,375
    Range $35,000 – $110,000

    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 – 1
    (NY, NJ, PA)    		 0.4%
    E. North Central – 2
    (IL, IN, MI, OH, WI)    		 0.9%
    W. North Central – 5
    (IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD)    		 2.2%
    South Atlantic – 6
    (DE, DC, FL, GA, MD, NC, SC, VA, WV)    		 2.7%
    E. South Central – 2
    (AL, KY, MS, TN)    		 0.9%
    W. South Central – 6
    (AR, LA, OK, TX)    		 2.7%
    Mountain – 199
    (AZ, CO, ID, MT, NV, NM, UT, WY)    		 88.8%
    Pacific – 2
    (AK, CA, HI, OR, WA)    		 0.9%
    International/Other – 0 0.0%
    Unknown – 0 0.0%
  • JD Class of 2016 Employment Data

    JD Class of 2016 ABA Employment Summary

     

    JD Class of 2016 Employment Statistics – 10 Months after Graduation
    267 Graduates

    Total percentage of graduates employed in professional positions 94.7%

    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™.

    252 Total 2016 JD graduates working in a professional capacity / 266 graduates who sought employment = 94.7%

    Numerator: The numerator in our calculation is the number of 2016 JD graduates who were working as of March 15, 2017 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 2016 class, this figure amounts to 4 excluded positions.

    Denominator: The denominator in our calculation reflects the number of 2016 JD graduates known to be in the workforce as of March 15, 2017. Consistent with the practice of the United States Department of Labor, we excluded from the denominator the 1 graduate who was not known to be seeking employment as of that date. Specifically, we excluded 1 graduate whose employment status was unknown.

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

    Law Firms 42%
    Business and Industry 14%
    Public Interest 4%
    Government 29%
    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 66% of the class, which were reported or publicly available. Equation: 175 known salaries divided by 267 JD graduates in the class = 66% of the class):

    Mean $66,669
    Median $58,240
    75th Percentile $68,750
    25th Percentile $50,000
    Range $25,000 – $180,000

    Private Sector: including positions in law firms, business and industry (based on the 87 salaries reported or publicly available for graduates employed in the private sector, which represents 33% of the class. Equation: 87 known private sector salaries divided by 267 JD graduates in the class = 33% of the class):

    Mean $74,330
    Median $65,000
    75th Percentile $92,500
    25th Percentile $50,000
    Range $25,000 – $180,000

    Public Service: including government positions, judicial clerkships, academic posts, or positions with non-profit advocacy or cause-oriented organizations (based on the 88 salaries reported or publicly available for graduates employed in public service, which represents 33% of the class. Equation: 88 known public sector salaries divided by 267 JD graduates in the class = 33% of the class):

    Mean $57,107
    Median $57,000
    75th Percentile $62,412
    25th Percentile $48,252
    Range $37,000 – $112,000

    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 graduates.)

    New England – 1
    (CT, ME, MA, NH, RI, VT)    		 0.4%
    Middle Atlantic – 3
    (NY, NJ, PA)    		 1.1%
    E. North Central – 2
    (IL, IN, MI, OH, WI)    		 0.7%
    W. North Central – 2
    (IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD)    		 0.7%
    South Atlantic – 4
    (DE, DC, FL, GA, MD, NC, SC, VA, WV)    		 1.5%
    E. South Central – 1
    (AL, KY, MS, TN)    		 0.4%
    W. South Central – 4
    (AR, LA, OK, TX)    		 1.5%
    Mountain – 234
    (AZ, CO, ID, MT, NV, NM, UT, WY)    		 87.6%
    Pacific – 5
    (AK, CA, HI, OR, WA)    		 1.9%
    International/Other – 0 0.0%
    Unknown – 0 0.0%
  • JD Class of 2015 Employment Data

    JD Class of 2015 ABA Employment Summary Report

     

    JD Class of 2015 Employment Statistics – 10 Months after Graduation
    279 Graduates

    Total percentage of graduates employed in professional positions 93.3%

    How is Denver Law’s Employment Rate Calculated?

    To calculate our employment rate using 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 new interactive tool, Denver Law Jobs: By the Numbers™.

    251 Total 2015 JD graduates working in a professional capacity / 269 graduates who sought employment = 93.3%

    Numerator: The numerator in our calculation is the number of 2015 JD graduates who were working as of March 15, 2016 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 2015 class, this figure amounts to 2 excluded positions.

    Denominator: The denominator in our calculation reflects the number of 2015 JD graduates known to be in the workforce as of March 15, 2016. Consistent with the practice of the United States Department of Labor, we excluded from the denominator the 10 graduates who were not known to be seeking employment as of that date. Specifically, we excluded 2 graduates who were pursuing another degree program, 2 unemployed graduates who were not seeking employment, 5 graduates whose employment status was unknown and 1 graduate who had accepted a deferred offer of employment.

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

    Law Firms 39%
    Business and Industry 19%
    Public Interest 3%
    Government 19%
    Academia 3%
    Judicial Clerkship 17%
    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 57% of the class, which were reported or publicly available. Equation: 160 known salaries divided by 279 JD graduates in the class = 57% of the class):

    Mean $71,140
    Median $60,000
    75th Percentile $80,000
    25th Percentile $54,000
    Range $35,000 – $160,000

    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 34% of the class. Equation: 95 known private sector salaries divided by 279 JD graduates in the class = 34% of the class):

    Mean $80,720
    Median $72,000
    75th Percentile $100,000
    25th Percentile $60,000
    Range $40,000 – $160,000

    Public Service: including government positions, judicial clerkships, academic posts, or positions with non-profit advocacy or cause-oriented organizations (based on the 65 salaries reported or publicly available for graduates employed in public service, which represents 23% of the class. Equation: 65 known public sector salaries divided by 279 JD graduates in the class = 23% of the class):

    Mean $57,138
    Median $55,000
    75th Percentile $60,000
    25th Percentile $52,000
    Range $35,000 – $121,800

    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 graduates.)

    New England – 1
    (CT, ME, MA, NH, RI, VT)    		 0.4%
    Middle Atlantic – 0
    (NY, NJ, PA)    		 0.0%
    E. North Central – 2
    (IL, IN, MI, OH, WI)    		 1.1%
    W. North Central – 3
    (IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD)    		 1.1%
    South Atlantic – 8
    (DE, DC, FL, GA, MD, NC, SC, VA, WV)    		 2.9%
    E. South Central – 1
    (AL, KY, MS, TN)    		 0.4%
    W. South Central – 6
    (AR, LA, OK, TX)    		 2.2%
    Mountain – 222
    (AZ, CO, ID, MT, NV, NM, UT, WY)    		 79.6%
    Pacific – 7
    (AK, CA, HI, OR, WA)    		 2.5%
    International/Other – 3 1.1%
    Unknown 0.0%
  • JD Class of 2014 Employment Data

    JD Class of 2014 ABA Employment Summary Report

     

    JD Class of 2014 Employment Statistics – 9 Months after Graduation
    277 Graduates

    Total percentage of graduates employed in professional positions 91.7%

    How is Denver Law’s Employment Rate Calculated?

    To calculate our employment rate using 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 new interactive tool, Denver Law Jobs: By the Numbers™.

    244 Total 2014 JD graduates working in a professional capacity / 266 graduates who sought employment = 91.7%

    Numerator: The numerator in our calculation is the number of 2014 JD graduates who were working as of March 15, 2015 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 permanent positions as well as short term Fellow positions in which our graduates work in substantive legal positions with judges, law school faculty, as well as nonprofit and corporate employers. (For the specific number of university funded positions, see our ABA Report.) In previous years, we have 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. For the classes of 2012 and 2013, however, we have excluded the nonprofessional positions. For the 2013 class, this figure amounts to 3 excluded positions.

    Denominator: The denominator in our calculation reflects the number of 2014 JD graduates known to be in the workforce as of March 15, 2015. Consistent with the practice of the United States Department of Labor, we excluded from the denominator the 11 graduates who were not known to be seeking employment as of that date. Specifically, we excluded 1 graduates who were pursuing another degree program, 4 unemployed graduates who were not seeking employment, 6 graduates whose employment status was unknown and 0 graduates who had accepted deferred offers of employment.

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

    Law Firms 38%
    Business and Industry 17%
    Public Interest 3%
    Government 21%
    Academia 7%
    Judicial Clerkship 14%
    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 56% of the class, which were reported or publicly available. Equation: 154 known salaries divided by 277 JD graduates in the class = 56% of the class):

    Mean $67,649
    Median $56,081
    75th Percentile $71,000
    25th Percentile $50,000
    Range $20,000 – $168,000

    Private Sector: including positions in law firms, business and industry (based on the 86 salaries reported or publicly available for graduates employed in the private sector, which represents 31% of the class. Equation: 86 known private sector salaries divided by 277 JD graduates in the class = 31% of the class):

    Mean $79,222
    Median $68,000
    75th Percentile $108,750
    25th Percentile $55,250
    Range $20,000 – $168,000

    Public Service: including government positions, judicial clerkships, academic posts, or positions with non-profit advocacy or cause-oriented organizations (based on the 68 salaries reported or publicly available for graduates employed in public service, which represents 28% of the class. Equation: 68 known public sector salaries divided by 277 JD graduates in the class = 25% of the class):

    Mean $53,013
    Median $54,000
    75th Percentile $56,000
    25th Percentile $50,000
    Range $30,000 – $98,800

    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 graduates.)

    New England
    (CT, ME, MA, NH, RI, VT)    		 0.0%
    Middle Atlantic
    (NY, NJ, PA)    		 0.7%
    E. North Central
    (IL, IN, MI, OH, WI)    		 0.0%
    W. North Central
    (IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD)    		 0.4%
    South Atlantic
    (DE, DC, FL, GA, MD, NC, SC, VA, WV)    		 1.4%
    E. South Central
    (AL, KY, MS, TN)    		 0.0%
    W. South Central
    (AR, LA, OK, TX)    		 0.4%
    Mountain
    (AZ, CO, ID, MT, NV, NM, UT, WY)    		 83.4%
    Pacific
    (AK, CA, HI, OR, WA)    		 2.2%
    International/Other 0.0%
    Unknown 0.7%
  • JD Class of 2013 Employment Data

    JD Class of 2013 ABA Employment Summary Report

     

    JD Class of 2013 Employment Statistics – 9 Months after Graduation
    267 Graduates

    Total percentage of graduates employed in professional positions 94.1%

    How is Denver Law’s Employment Rate Calculated?

    To calculate our employment rate using 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 new interactive tool, Denver Law Jobs: By the Numbers™.

    241 Total 2013 JD graduates working in a professional capacity / 256 graduates who sought employment = 94.1%

    Numerator: The numerator in our calculation is the number of 2013 JD graduates who were working as of February 15, 2014 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 permanent positions as well as short term Fellow positions in which our graduates work in substantive legal positions with judges, law school faculty, as well as nonprofit and corporate employers. (For the specific number of university funded positions, see our ABA Report.) In previous years, we have 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. For the classes of 2012 and 2013, however, we have excluded the nonprofessional positions. For the 2013 class, this figure amounts to 4 excluded positions.

    Denominator: The denominator in our calculation reflects the number of 2013 JD graduates known to be in the workforce as of February 15, 2014. Consistent with the practice of the United States Department of Labor, we excluded from the denominator the 12 graduates who were not known to be seeking employment as of that date. Specifically, we excluded 3 graduates who were pursuing another degree program, 4 unemployed graduates who were not seeking employment, 2 graduates whose employment status was unknown and 3 graduates who had accepted deferred offers of employment.

    Percentage of Employed Graduates Working in the Following Types of Employment

    Law Firms 36%
    Business and Industry 21%
    Public Interest 3%
    Government 19%
    Academia 6%
    Judicial Clerkship 16%
    Employer Type Unknown 0%

    Salary Information

    (Based on salaries of graduates in full time, long term jobs that were reported or publicly available “Full Time Salaries”)

    All Reported Full Time Salaries (Our salary statistics are based on obtaining full time salaries from 61% of the class, which were reported or publicly available. Equation: 164 known salaries divided by 267 JD graduates in the class = 61% of the class):

    Mean $63,934
    Median $56,000
    75th Percentile $70,000
    25th Percentile $49,000
    Range $21,000 – $160,000

    Private Sector: including positions in law firms, business and industry (based on the 90 salaries reported or publicly available for graduates employed in the private sector, which represents 34% of the class. Equation: 90 known private sector salaries divided by 267 JD graduates in the class = 34% of the class):

    Mean $74,902
    Median $65,000
    75th Percentile $98,750
    25th Percentile $50,250
    Range $21,000 – $160,000

    Public Service: including government positions, judicial clerkships, academic posts, or positions with non-profit advocacy or cause-oriented organizations (based on the 74 salaries reported or publicly available for graduates employed in public service, which represents 28% of the class. Equation: 74 known public sector salaries divided by 267 JD graduates in the class = 28% of the class):

    Mean $50,595
    Median $50,000
    75th Percentile $56,000
    25th Percentile $40,000
    Range $30,000 – $104,000

    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 graduates.)

    New England
    (CT, ME, MA, NH, RI, VT)    		 .7%
    Middle Atlantic
    (NY, NJ, PA)    		 1.5%
    E. North Central
    (IL, IN, MI, OH, WI)    		 2.6%
    W. North Central
    (IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD)    		 1.9%
    South Atlantic
    (DE, DC, FL, GA, MD, NC, SC, VA, WV)    		 2.2%
    E. South Central
    (AL, KY, MS, TN)    		 0.4%
    W. South Central
    (AR, LA, OK, TX)    		 3.0%
    Mountain
    (AZ, CO, ID, MT, NV, NM, UT, WY)    		 78.0%
    Pacific
    (AK, CA, HI, OR, WA)    		 .7%
    International/Other 0%
  • JD Class of 2012 Employment Data

    JD Class of 2012 ABA Employment Summary Report

     

    JD Class of 2012 Employment Statistics – 9 Months after Graduation1
    317 Graduates

    Total percentage of graduates employed in professional positions 90.5%

    How is Denver Law’s Employment Rate Calculated?

    To calculate our employment rate using 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 new interactive tool, Denver Law Jobs: By the Numbers™.

    275 Total 2012 JD graduates working in a professional capacity / 304 graduates who sought employment = 90.5%

    Numerator: The numerator in our calculation is the number of 2012 JD graduates who were working as of February 15, 2013 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 permanent positions as well as short term Fellow positions in which our graduates work in substantive legal positions with judges, law school faculty, as well as nonprofit and corporate employers. (For the specific number of university funded positions, see our ABA Report.) In previous years, we have 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. For the class of 2012, however, we have excluded the 6 nonprofessional positions obtained by 2012 graduates.

    Denominator: The denominator in our calculation reflects the number of 2012 JD graduates known to be in the workforce as of February 15, 2013. Consistent with the practice of the United States Department of Labor, we excluded from the denominator the 13 graduates who were not known to be seeking employment as of that date. Specifically, we excluded 3 graduates who were pursuing another degree program, 6 unemployed graduates who were not seeking employment, and 4 graduates whose employment status was unknown.2

    Percentage of Employed Graduates Working in the Following Types of Employment

    Law Firms 38%
    Business and Industry 15%
    Public Interest 7%
    Government 22%
    Academia 8%
    Judicial Clerkship 9%
    Employer Type Unknown <1%

    Salary Information

    (Based on salaries of graduates in full time, long term jobs that were reported or publicly available “Full Time Salaries”)

    All Reported Full Time Salaries (Our salary statistics are based on obtaining full time salaries from 57% of the class, which were reported or publicly available. Equation: 180 known salaries divided by 317 JD graduates in the class = 57% of the class):

    Mean $63,918
    Median $56,000
    75th Percentile $70,000
    25th Percentile $48,000
    Range $18,928 – $165,000

    Private Sector: including positions in law firms, business and industry (based on the 101 salaries reported or publicly available for graduates employed in the private sector, which represents 32% of the class. Equation: 101 known private sector salaries divided by 317 JD graduates in the class = 32% of the class):

    Mean $74,466
    Median $65,000
    75th Percentile $95,000
    25th Percentile $50,000
    Range $34,000 – $160,000

    Public Service: including government positions, judicial clerkships, academic posts, or positions with non-profit advocacy or cause-oriented organizations (based on the 79 salaries reported or publicly available for graduates employed in public service, which represents 25% of the class. Equation: 79 known public sector salaries divided by 317 JD graduates in the class = 25% of the class):

    Mean $50,432
    Median $50,000
    75th Percentile $56,000
    25th Percentile $38,124
    Range $18,928 – $165,000

    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 graduates.)

    New England
    (CT, ME, MA, NH, RI, VT)    		 .3%
    Middle Atlantic
    (NY, NJ, PA)    		 1.3%
    E. North Central
    (IL, IN, MI, OH, WI)    		 .9%
    W. North Central
    (IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD)    		 1.9%
    South Atlantic
    (DE, DC, FL, GA, MD, NC, SC, VA, WV)    		 1.9%
    E. South Central
    (AL, KY, MS, TN)    		 0%
    W. South Central
    (AR, LA, OK, TX)    		 2.2%
    Mountain
    (AZ, CO, ID, MT, NV, NM, UT, WY)    		 76.7%
    Pacific
    (AK, CA, HI, OR, WA)    		 2.2%
    International/Other .6%

    (1): At our initiative, these statistics have been audited on a sample basis by the University of Denver’s Office of Institutional Compliance & Internal Audit, an independent office reporting directly to the Audit Committee of the University of Denver’s Board of Trustees.

    (2): We would typically also exclude graduates who, as of February 15, 2013, had accepted deferred offers of employment—that is, offers with start dates after February 15—however, we did not have any graduates with deferred offers in the class of 2012.

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Office of Career Development

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