Denver Sturm 3L Taking Questions Forum

[lawyerboy24]

Hey sorry to bother you again but I was wondering about working during law school. I know you cannot work during your first year but are able to work during your second and third year? And if so what is the average amount of hours students work

It's doable. I worked 15-20 hours a week my 2L year at the DA's office, plus had a 10/hr week job as a TA at the law school. It was a very full schedule, but I enjoyed it, so that helped.

[CanadianWolf]

Any info. on why Denver has reduced the "Lawyering in Spanish Program" from 5 courses to just one, possibly two, courses ? Seems like this would be a distinguishing benefit to attending DU. I spoke to the former dean, who still heads the program, and was unable to get a clear response beyond it's being revamped or restructured. Do you have any familiarity with the program ? Thanks !

[lawyerboy24]

Any info. on why Denver has reduced the "Lawyering in Spanish Program" from 5 courses to just one, possibly two, courses ? Seems like this would be a distinguishing benefit to attending DU. I spoke to the former dean, who still heads the program, and was unable to get a clear response beyond it's being revamped or restructured. Do you have any familiarity with the program ? Thanks !

Don't know much about it. The former Dean is Latino-- as you know from meeting him-- so perhaps that program was his baby and when he left, maybe it dwindled without his input. There is an Immigration Law class taught in Spanish, and maybe one other one. Yes, it seems like a law school in this part of the country could do with more emphasis on Spanish. There are a number of externships, I think, where you can practice. I'm guessing that the focus is on the basics and then leaving it up to the individual student to pursue their language skills on the side. But that's totally a guess.

[Gatorbull84]

I was going over ratemyprofessor.com and I noticed that the DU professors didn't exactly have the highest ratings. I was curious if you are/were happy with the professors

[lawyerboy24]

I was going over ratemyprofessor.com and I noticed that the DU professors didn't exactly have the highest ratings. I was curious if you are/were happy with the professors

Very pleased with the professors. I would take with a grain of salt any review site on which 5 people-- at most-- have submitted evaluations (also half those professors are unfamiliar to me, so I don't know how old those reviews are). While there are some eccentrics at the school, overall the instruction I've received has been of a very high quality by professors who actually care that you a)pass the bar, b)are a good lawyer, and c)understand and appreciate what the law is all about.

On a sidenote: I hear that class schedules have come out. If anyone wants to ask about specific professors, please PM me.

[lawschool2012orbust]

I am so glad someone is around to answer some questions about DU!

I am from New Mexico and I love Colorado and the Denver area very much. My question about the school is in reference to the Law Review and Moot Court. From my research it seems that many successful law students (the few who get good clerk positions or big firm offers) were leading members of the Review or winners in Moot Court. Assuming one can even make it on to the Review which path seems better (moot court v journal)? Lastly, is it possible for the driven student to participate in both and perhaps do well in both? Or is is just impossible to tackle both? Any comments would be great!

[lawyerboy24]

I am so glad someone is around to answer some questions about DU!

I am from New Mexico and I love Colorado and the Denver area very much. My question about the school is in reference to the Law Review and Moot Court. From my research it seems that many successful law students (the few who get good clerk positions or big firm offers) were leading members of the Review or winners in Moot Court. Assuming one can even make it on to the Review which path seems better (moot court v journal)? Lastly, is it possible for the driven student to participate in both and perhaps do well in both? Or is is just impossible to tackle both? Any comments would be great!

Do both if you're interested in them. They are a lot of work. So if you're targeting them more as a resume-builder (and that's no critique of your ambitions... you would be in good company) then I'd say pick one, since the amount of work involved requires some passion in order to survive. I guess I'd say you should look at law review since the name of the game is writing and law review is seen as a marker on your resume which says, "I am serious about writing," aka "I am serious about being a lawyer."

[MumofCad]

Can you talk about how you landed your position in the AG office? I am debating DU/CU over HYS or CCN (some have said Chicago can be a great choice for placement in CO). I'm looking to go into PI law. My main concern is that being out of state, I won't have the connections I need to break into a good DA's office or the AG office. From your job hunt, did you notice whether there were any HYS grads in the AG office? If not, do you think one would be well-received?

Thank you for answering questions - it is very appreciated!

[lawyerboy24]

Can you talk about how you landed your position in the AG office? I am debating DU/CU over HYS or CCN (some have said Chicago can be a great choice for placement in CO). I'm looking to go into PI law. My main concern is that being out of state, I won't have the connections I need to break into a good DA's office or the AG office. From your job hunt, did you notice whether there were any HYS grads in the AG office? If not, do you think one would be well-received?

Thank you for answering questions - it is very appreciated!

My apologies, but I'm not up-to-date on the lingo. What is HYS or CCN?

However, generally, yes, I've encountered out-of-state hires at both the DA's office and AG's office, though it's obviously easier to begin and maintain those all-important relationships if you are nearby. Particuarly for the DA's office. Which is why I chose DU over CU.

I got my summer job at the AG's office via OCI (see, I do know some acronyms!) and the fact that I'd already met some people in that office prior to and during law school so they were able to speak up on my behalf during the interview process.

[MumofCad]

My apologies, but I'm not up-to-date on the lingo. What is HYS or CCN?

However, generally, yes, I've encountered out-of-state hires at both the DA's office and AG's office, though it's obviously easier to begin and maintain those all-important relationships if you are nearby. Particuarly for the DA's office. Which is why I chose DU over CU.

I got my summer job at the AG's office via OCI (see, I do know some acronyms!) and the fact that I'd already met some people in that office prior to and during law school so they were able to speak up on my behalf during the interview process.

Finally someone not obsessed with the forum lingo - what a relief. I accidentally confused troll for lurker in my first post a few days ago. Oops!

HYS= Harvard, Yale, Stanford
CCN= Columbia, Chicago, NYU

Thanks for the perspective. If there are some out-of-state people in the office, why not me, right? Very helpful since they don't have much info on their website about people other than the AG and DA.

[caitadams24]

I'll be attending Sturm in the fall and have two quick questions...

What do I wear to orientation and just a normal day of classes?

Are any directions around campus NOT safe places to live/walk??

Thanks!!