Sturm College of Law
Encyclopedia
The University of Denver
Sturm College of Law ("DU Law") is one of two law schools in the state of Colorado
, and the only law school in the Denver metro area. Founded in 1892, the Sturm College of Law is one of the first in America's Mountain West. The college is located on the University of Denver
's main campus, about seven miles south of downtown Denver.
As the only law school in the Denver metro area, DU law students are able to pursue internships with the some of the firms, corporations, government and non-profit agencies, as well as the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
and the United States District Court for the District of Colorado
, located in downtown Denver.
The law school initially adopted an apprenticeship model of legal education, recruiting the most prestigious attorneys in Denver to teach students the nuts and bolts of the practice of law. Students gained invaluable insight from their practitioner professors; aside from the rigors of classroom study, students also frequently observed courtroom proceedings. This approach to teaching students by employing in-the-field methods remains at the heart of DU Law.
A pioneer amidst pioneers, the College of Law opened the doors to its Legal Aid Dispensary in 1904, thus creating the first clinical programs in the nation and the precursor to DU Law’s Student Law Office (SLO). A frontrunner in serving Denver’s indigent populations, the Dispensary saw several incarnations before it evolved into the law school’s present day clinical programs. The SLO trains law students in the practice of law under the supervision of experienced faculty, while at the same time representing the under-served in criminal defense, civil practice, civil rights and disabilities, tax, and mediation matters. The Environmental Law Clinic, and Rocky Mountain Child Advocacy Clinical Partnership and the Tenth Circuit Clinic give students additional opportunities for public interest practice.
The Westminster Law School is an important part of the history of legal education in Denver. For 45 years, from its founding in 1912 to its merger with the University of Denver College of Law in 1957, Westminster provided the only evening program of law study from Kansas City to the Pacific Coast. In Westminster’s prime, it boasted a sizeable student body and its alumni were successful in passing the bar and practicing law. Evolving accreditation standards eventually required too large a budget for the strictly part-time institution, and the school merged with the University of Denver. Terms of the merger included naming the law library the Westminster Law Library and the development of an evening program at the College of Law.
. It is currently ranked 77th, with a part-time program ranked 13th.
The school is known for its commitment to public service and is ranked as a top law school for public interest law by the National Jurist (currently ranked 40). To support this initiative, the Sturm College of Law offers the Chancellor’s Scholar Program with full tuition scholarships awarded to selected students with a demonstrated history of excellence in scholarship and public service. Every Juris Doctor student is required to perform a minimum of fifty hours of supervised, uncompensated, law-related public service work during his or her law school career as a prerequisite for graduation.
The University of Denver is the home of the first clinical programs in the nation, founded in 1904.
Additionally, the University hosts several intra school Moot Court Competitions with most open to all students, including 1Ls.
The STLA (Student Trial Lawyers Association) is the largest student run organization on campus and was recently chosen by Sturm College of Law Students as the year's most "Outstanding Student Organization." The organization hosts several mock trial rounds and is open to all students wanting to participate. Participants are given feedback and guidance from their peers, practicing attorneys, and area judges. It is a non-competitive environment designed for educational and networking purposes.
University of Denver
The University of Denver is currently ranked 82nd among all public and private "National Universities" by U.S. News & World Report in the 2012 rankings....
Sturm College of Law ("DU Law") is one of two law schools in the state of Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
, and the only law school in the Denver metro area. Founded in 1892, the Sturm College of Law is one of the first in America's Mountain West. The college is located on the University of Denver
University of Denver
The University of Denver is currently ranked 82nd among all public and private "National Universities" by U.S. News & World Report in the 2012 rankings....
's main campus, about seven miles south of downtown Denver.
As the only law school in the Denver metro area, DU law students are able to pursue internships with the some of the firms, corporations, government and non-profit agencies, as well as the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts:* District of Colorado* District of Kansas...
and the United States District Court for the District of Colorado
United States District Court for the District of Colorado
The United States District Court for the District of Colorado is the Federal district court whose jurisdiction is the state of Colorado. The United States Congress organized Colorado as a single judicial district on June 26, 1876, by 19 Stat. 61...
, located in downtown Denver.
History and background
The University of Denver College of Law opened its doors in 1892, pioneering legal education on America’s frontier and graduating many of the attorneys and judges who built the legal structure of America’s Mountain West. Independence, ingenuity, and excellence remain guiding principles at DU Law and for the whole of the University of Denver, which also includes top graduate schools in business, international studies, social work and other fields.The law school initially adopted an apprenticeship model of legal education, recruiting the most prestigious attorneys in Denver to teach students the nuts and bolts of the practice of law. Students gained invaluable insight from their practitioner professors; aside from the rigors of classroom study, students also frequently observed courtroom proceedings. This approach to teaching students by employing in-the-field methods remains at the heart of DU Law.
A pioneer amidst pioneers, the College of Law opened the doors to its Legal Aid Dispensary in 1904, thus creating the first clinical programs in the nation and the precursor to DU Law’s Student Law Office (SLO). A frontrunner in serving Denver’s indigent populations, the Dispensary saw several incarnations before it evolved into the law school’s present day clinical programs. The SLO trains law students in the practice of law under the supervision of experienced faculty, while at the same time representing the under-served in criminal defense, civil practice, civil rights and disabilities, tax, and mediation matters. The Environmental Law Clinic, and Rocky Mountain Child Advocacy Clinical Partnership and the Tenth Circuit Clinic give students additional opportunities for public interest practice.
The Westminster Law School is an important part of the history of legal education in Denver. For 45 years, from its founding in 1912 to its merger with the University of Denver College of Law in 1957, Westminster provided the only evening program of law study from Kansas City to the Pacific Coast. In Westminster’s prime, it boasted a sizeable student body and its alumni were successful in passing the bar and practicing law. Evolving accreditation standards eventually required too large a budget for the strictly part-time institution, and the school merged with the University of Denver. Terms of the merger included naming the law library the Westminster Law Library and the development of an evening program at the College of Law.
Sturm namesake
The Sturm College of Law is named for Donald L. Sturm, owner of Denver-based American National Bank. In 2004, Mr. and Mrs. Sturm generously gave the College of Law $20 million, the largest single donation in the school's history and one of the largest gifts ever to the University of Denver.Ricketson Law Building
Since the fall of 2003, the Sturm College of Law has resided in a new, state of the art, $63.5 million facility called the "Frank H. Ricketson Jr. Law Building" located on the University Park campus near the Ritchie Center. The new facility is distinguished as the nation’s first certified “green” law building, having been awarded the Gold Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification by the U.S. Green Building Council.Academic reputation
DU Law ranks as one of the top 100 law schools in the nation by U.S. News & World ReportU.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report is an American news magazine published from Washington, D.C. Along with Time and Newsweek it was for many years a leading news weekly, focusing more than its counterparts on political, economic, health and education stories...
. It is currently ranked 77th, with a part-time program ranked 13th.
The school is known for its commitment to public service and is ranked as a top law school for public interest law by the National Jurist (currently ranked 40). To support this initiative, the Sturm College of Law offers the Chancellor’s Scholar Program with full tuition scholarships awarded to selected students with a demonstrated history of excellence in scholarship and public service. Every Juris Doctor student is required to perform a minimum of fifty hours of supervised, uncompensated, law-related public service work during his or her law school career as a prerequisite for graduation.
Clinical programs
- Civil Litigation Clinic
- Civil Rights Clinic
- Criminal Representation Clinic
- Environmental Law Clinic
- Mediation & Arbitration Clinic
The University of Denver is the home of the first clinical programs in the nation, founded in 1904.
Trial advocacy
The University of Denver is particularly well-known for its outstanding programs in trial advocacy. The school sponsors several traveling trial teams that compete nationally and internationally, including:- The ABA Trial Team
- The AAJ Trial Team
- The Jessup Moot Court Team (competes in international law)
- The Vis Moot Court Team (competes in international commercial arbitration)
Additionally, the University hosts several intra school Moot Court Competitions with most open to all students, including 1Ls.
- Rothgerber Johnson & Lyons Negotiations Competition
- Daniel S. Hoffman Trial Advocacy Competition
- Ved P. Nanda International Appellate Advocacy Competition
- Client Counseling Competition
- Peter H. Holme, Jr. Barrister’s Cup Appellate Advocacy Competition
- Honorable Phillip S. Figa Motions Competition
The STLA (Student Trial Lawyers Association) is the largest student run organization on campus and was recently chosen by Sturm College of Law Students as the year's most "Outstanding Student Organization." The organization hosts several mock trial rounds and is open to all students wanting to participate. Participants are given feedback and guidance from their peers, practicing attorneys, and area judges. It is a non-competitive environment designed for educational and networking purposes.
Notable alumni
- Wayne N. AspinallWayne N. AspinallWayne Norviel Aspinall was a lawyer and politician from Colorado. He is largely known for his tenure in the United States House of Representatives, serving as a Democrat from 1949-1973 from Colorado’s Fourth District. Aspinall became known for his direction of the House Interior and Insular...
, former CongressmanUnited States House of RepresentativesThe United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
from Colorado - Charles Brannan, former Secretary of AgricultureUnited States Secretary of AgricultureThe United States Secretary of Agriculture is the head of the United States Department of Agriculture. The current secretary is Tom Vilsack, who was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on 20 January 2009. The position carries similar responsibilities to those of agriculture ministers in other...
- Kingsley Browne, law clerk to U.S. Supreme Court Justice Byron WhiteByron WhiteByron Raymond "Whizzer" White won fame both as a football halfback and as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. Appointed to the court by President John F. Kennedy in 1962, he served until his retirement in 1993...
and professor, Wayne State UniversityWayne State UniversityWayne State University is a public research university located in Detroit, Michigan, United States, in the city's Midtown Cultural Center Historic District. Founded in 1868, WSU consists of 13 schools and colleges offering more than 400 major subject areas to over 32,000 graduate and...
. - Terrance CarrollTerrance CarrollTerrance Carroll is an American lawyer, minister, former Colorado legislator and former Speaker of the Colorado House of Representatives, the first African American ever to hold that office in Colorado...
, Speaker of the Colorado House of Representatives - Peter Domenici, Senator from New Mexico
- William D. FordWilliam D. FordWilliam David Ford was a U.S. Representative from Michigan.Ford was born in Detroit and attended Henry Ford Trade School, Melvindale High School, Nebraska State Teachers College, and Wayne State University....
, former United States Congressman from Michigan - Rebecca Ann KingRebecca Ann KingRebecca Ann King is most noted as holder of the 1974 Miss America title. Heralding the arrival of feminism in this most traditional of events, Rebecca King was a law student, who famously expressed feminist political views at the Miss America Pageant's morning-after breakfast following her...
, former Miss AmericaMiss AmericaThe Miss America pageant is a long-standing competition which awards scholarships to young women from the 50 states plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands... - Valentino MazziaValentino MazziaValentino D. B. Mazzia was an American physician who served as chairman of the department of anesthesiology at the New York University School of Medicine and was a pioneer in the forensic analysis of deaths occurring during surgical procedures...
(1922–1999), forensic anesthesiologist. - Mike McKevittMike McKevittJames Douglas "Mike" McKevitt was a U.S. Representative from Colorado.Born in Spokane, Washington, McKevitt graduated from Grant High School in Sacramento, California....
, former United States Congressman from Colorado - Harry N. MacLeanHarry N. MacLeanHarry MacLean is a writer and lawyer living in Denver, Colorado who writes true crime books and won an Edgar Award for his book In Broad Daylight.-Early life:...
, 1967, true crime author and also an adjunct professor at the school - Jim NicholsonJim Nicholson (U.S. politician)Robert James "Jim" Nicholson is an attorney, real estate developer, and a former Republican Party chairman. He was the United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs from January 26, 2005 until October 1, 2007.-Personal life:...
, former Secretary of Veteran AffairsUnited States Secretary of Veterans AffairsThe United States Secretary of Veterans' Affairs is the head of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, the department concerned with veterans' benefits and related matters... - Gale NortonGale NortonGale Ann Norton served as the 48th United States Secretary of the Interior from 2001 to 2006 under President George W. Bush...
, former Secretary of the InteriorUnited States Secretary of the InteriorThe United States Secretary of the Interior is the head of the United States Department of the Interior.The US Department of the Interior should not be confused with the concept of Ministries of the Interior as used in other countries... - Byron G. RogersByron G. RogersByron Giles Rogers was a U.S. Representative from Colorado.-Early life:Born in Greenville, Texas, Rogers moved with his parents to Oklahoma in April 1902....
, former United States Congressman from Colorado - Andrew RomanoffAndrew RomanoffHarlan Andrew Romanoff is an American politician. A Democrat, he was a member of the Colorado House of Representatives from 2000 to 2008, serving as Speaker from 2005 to 2008...
, former Speaker of the Colorado House of Representatives
Publications
- Denver University Law ReviewDenver University Law ReviewThe Denver University Law Review is a law journal published by the students of the University of Denver Sturm College of Law. It was established in 1923 as the Denver Bar Association Record. In 1928, the journal was renamed Dicta and in 1968 it was renamed Denver Law Center Journal. In 1985 the...
- Denver Journal of International Law and Policy
- Sports and Entertainment Law Journal
- Transportation Law Journal
- University of Denver Water Law Review
- Race to the Bottom Blog
- University of Denver Criminal Law Review