Program Overview

Overview of the Juris Doctor (JD) Program

The Juris Doctor (JD) program at Colorado Law is a three-year, full-time degree that provides a strong, well-rounded legal education with a rich mixture of theory, policy, doctrinal analysis, and professional skills. Students have broad flexibility to meet their individual interests and needs.

Areas of Academic Strength

Colorado Law has several areas of academic strength, including:

• Environmental, Energy, and Natural Resources Law: Ranked consistently among the very best in the country, with a strong focus on environmental and natural resources law.
• Technology and Intellectual Property Law: A comprehensive legal program oriented around information technology, addressing policy challenges and novel legal issues.
• Entrepreneurial and Business Law: A robust curriculum in business law, tailored for aspiring deal lawyers, with a focus on entrepreneurial law, technology policy, and intellectual property.
• American Indian Law: A program that prepares students for all aspects of Indian law practice, with a focus on impact litigation, economic development, policy advocacy, and tribal governance.
• Juvenile and Family Law: A program that covers a broad range of practice areas, including marriage, divorce, custody, visitation, family support, child abuse and neglect, delinquency, adoption, estate planning, education law, and elder law.

Requirements

The JD program requires:

• Completion of 89 total credit hours
• A numerical GPA of at least 2.0
• Completion of all required courses, including:
  • First-year courses: Civil Procedure, Contracts, Legal Writing I, Legislation and Regulation, and Torts
  • Second- and third-year courses: Evidence, Legal Ethics Professionalism, and a seminar
  • Experiential learning: Six credit hours of experiential courses, including simulation courses, law clinics, and externships
• Completion of a dual degree program, if applicable

Dual Degree Programs

Colorado Law offers several dual degree programs, including:

• Juris Doctor/Master of Business Administration (JD/MBA) with the Leeds School of Business
• Juris Doctor/Master of Science in Environmental Studies (JD/MS) with the Environmental Studies Program
• Juris Doctor/Doctorate in Environmental Studies (JD/PhD) with the Environmental Studies Program
• Juris Doctor/Doctor of Medicine (JD/MD) with CU Denver's School of Medicine
• Juris Doctor/Master of Public Administration (JD/MPA) with CU Denver's School of Public Affairs
• Juris Doctor/Master of Urban and Regional Planning (JD/MURP) with CU Denver's College of Architecture and Planning
• Juris Doctor/Bachelor of Laws (JD/LLB) with the University of Alberta Faculty of Law, Canada (currently on hold)

Learning Outcomes

The learning outcomes for the JD program at Colorado Law include:

• Knowledge and understanding of legal theory and doctrine
• Related substantive knowledge, including societal context
• Legal analysis
• Legal research skills
• Oral and written communication
• Professional and ethical responsibilities to clients and the legal system
• Other professional skills

Elective Courses

The JD program offers a wide range of elective courses, including:

• Business: Accounting Issues for Lawyers, Agency, Partnership and the LLC, Antitrust, Bankruptcy, Business Planning, and more
• Criminal: Capital Punishment in America, Criminal Procedure: Investigative Phase, Criminal Procedure: Adjudicative Process, and more
• Family, Gender, and Health: Domestic Violence, Family Law, Gender, Law, and Public Policy, Health Law I, and more
• Government and Public Interest: Administrative Law, Education Law, Election Law, Employment Discrimination, and more
• Intellectual Property, Technology, and Telecommunications: Computer Crimes, Copyright, Introduction to Intellectual Property Law, and more
• International: Conflict of Laws, Law and Development, Immigration and Citizenship Law, International Business Transactions, and more
• Jurisprudence and Perspective: Class and Law, Critical Theory Colloquium, Economic Analysis of Law, Gender and Law, and more
• Litigation: Advanced Appellate Advocacy, Advanced Evidence, Complex Civil Litigation, and more
• Natural Resources, Energy, and Environmental Law: American Indian Law I, American Indian Law II, Climate Change Law and Policy, and more
• Practice—Clinical: American Indian Law Clinic, Civil Practice Clinic, Criminal Defense Clinic, and more
• Practice—Simulation: Advanced Trial Advocacy, Alternative Dispute Resolution, Appellate Advocacy Competition, and more
• Property: Advanced Real Estate Transactions, Construction Law, Estate Planning, and more
• Research and Writing: Advanced Legal Research, Advanced Legal Writing, Colorado Natural Resources, Energy and Environmental Law Review, and more
• Taxation: Civil Tax Controversies, Corporate Taxation, Estate and Gift Tax Planning, and more
• Seminars: Seminar: Advanced American Indian Law, Seminar: Advanced Criminal Procedure, Seminar: Advanced Natural Resources Law, and more