Class of 2021 Employment Information
On April 1, 2022 Colorado Law reported post-graduation employment data for its class of 2021 the American Bar Association (ABA). Below is a summary of the employment information for the class of 2021as of ten months after graduation, March 15, 2022. A more detailed description of theemployment outcomes and salaries for this class will appear on this page soon.
You may view the class of 2021ABA Employment Summaryhereand the class of 2021 NALP Employment Reporthere.
How Many Graduates from the Class of 2021Are Employed?
Consistent with transparency in reporting, we calculate overall employment percentages by dividing the number of employed graduates by the total number of graduates.
- 87% (148/171) of 2021 graduates reported employment ten months after graduation (March 15, 2022)
- 83% (142/171) of graduates reported a full-time, long-term (a position that does not have a definite term of less than one year), non-school fundedjob for which bar passage was required or a JD degree was an advantage.
- 75% (128/171) of graduates reported a full-time, long-term, non-school fundedjob for which bar passage was required.
- 84% (143/171) reported full time jobs. This represents 97% of employed graduates.
- 84% (144/171) reported long-term jobs.This represents 97% of employed graduates.
Two members of the class of 2021 accepted full-time, long-term, bar passage required jobs before March 15, 2022 but started their positions a few days later. In accordance with ABA rules, neither of these graduates are counted as employed in the official tallies above. Adding them to our job totals would bring the percentage of those employed in full-time, long-term, law or law-related jobs to 84%, and overall employment to 88%, as of March 21, 2022.
Class of 2021graduates ten months after graduation
- Employed = 148*
- Employed, start date deferred = 3
- Pursuing additional degree = 5
- Unemployed and seeking employment = 8
- Unemployed and not seeking employment = 4
- Unknown = 3
* Two of the 148employed graduates are receiving funding from Colorado Law's post-graduate fellowship program for work with judges.
U.S. News Employment Statistics
On March 30, 2022U.S. News & World Report released its current law school rankings, which include employment statistics from the class of 2020. For both the “employed at graduation” and “employed ten months after graduation” categories, U.S. News gives maximum weight only to those graduates with full-time jobs that last at least one year for which bar passage was required, or a JD degree was an advantage, and which are not funded by the law school or university.
Employment statistics utilizing the U.S. News formulaat graduation:
- 57.3% (98/171) for the class of 2021
- 46.3% for the class of 2020
- 62.8% for the class of 2019
- 58.5% for the class of 2018
- 53.6% for the class of 2017
- 52.2% for the class of 2016
Employment statistics utilizing the U.S. News formulaten months after graduation:
- 83.0% (142/171) for the class of 2021
- 78.5% for the class of 2020
- 84.6% for the class of 2019
- 85.0% for the class of 2018
- 83.9% for the class of 2017
- 73.4% for the class of 2016
Employment Categories
- 45%(67/148) of employed graduates are working inlaw firms:
- 96% (65/67) of these graduates are in full-time, long-term positions for which bar passage is required.
- 28of those 67grads reported employment at a National Law Journal 500 law firm ten months after graduation, while 3additional grads will join an NLJ 500 firm after their judicial clerkships. Together, these 31graduates account for 21%of all employed 2021graduates, compared to 14% for class of 2020 graduates, 22% for class of 2019 graduates, 14% for class of 2018 graduates, 16% for class of 2017 graduates, and 17% for class of 2016 graduates.
- 17%(25/148) of employed graduates are working ingovernment:
- 96% (24/25) of these graduates are working in full-time positions that last at least one year for which bar passage was required, or a JD degree was an advantage.
- Six of these graduates are working for the U.S. Federal government, including two who are working as Judge Advocate Generals for the U.S. Armed Forces. The others are working for state, local, or tribal governments in Colorado, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wyoming.
- 16%(24/148) of employed graduates are working injudicial clerkships:
- Five of these graduates are in federal court clerkships in Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas. Eightare in state appellate court clerkships in Colorado and Alaska, and 11 are in state trial court clerkships.
- 12%(17/148) of employed graduates are working inpublic interest:
- Ten of these graduates are working for public defender offices in Colorado, Nevada, and New Mexico.
- 6%(9/148) of employed graduates are working inbusiness:
- 100% of these graduates are working in full-time jobs that last at least one year for which bar passage was required, or a JD degree was an advantage.
- These businesses include DISH Network, Liberty Latin America, Lumen Technologies, Partners Group, and Renewable Energy Systems (RES).
- 3%(4/148) of employed graduates are working ineducation:
- 100% of these graduates are working in full-time jobs at universities in Colorado and Georgia that last at least one year for which bar passage was required, or a JD degree was an advantage.
- 1%(2/148) of employed graduates are working in Law School-fundedfellowships:
- These graduates are working for judges in Colorado state trial courts.
Salaries
- 97% (143/148) of all employed graduates reported a salary to the CDO:
- These salaries represent 140long-term jobs and 3short-term jobs.
- The median salary was $70,000and the mean was $87,931.
- Twenty-five percent of the graduates reporting salaries earn $90,000 or more per year.
- Twenty-five percent of the graduates reporting salaries earn $59,000or less per year.
To maintain consistency with the NALP employment report, we report only salaries from full-time, long-term positions held by members of the class of 2021as of March 15, 2022.We received salaries from 97% of graduates employed in full-time, long-term positions (139/143).
Colorado Law is dedicated to makingpublic interest legal careersa real option for our graduates, despite the reality of educational debt.OurLoan Repayment Assistance Program(LRAP) is available to graduates working in qualifying public interest jobsand providedpartial loan repayment awards in the amount of $6,500 to 52 qualified applicants in the 2022award year.
Salary Summary by Employment Sector
| Sector | # of grads | FT/LT | FT/ST | PT/LT | PT/ST | % FT/LT w/ Salary | Median | Mean | 25th Percentile | 75th Percentile |
| Private Sector | 76 | 74 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 95% | $90,000 | $114,766 | $70,000 | $170,000 |
| PublicSector | 72 | 69 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 100% | $60,000 | $60,707 | $50,000 | $67,000 |
Salary Summary by Employment Category
| Category | # of grads | FT/LT | FT/ST | PT/LT | PT/ST | % FT/LT w/ Salary | Median | Mean | 25th Percentile | 75th Percentile |
| Law Firms | 67 | 65 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 93% | $90,000 | $117,962 | $70,000 | $177,500 |
| Judicial Clerk | 26 | 24 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 100% | $53,200 | $56,054 | $49,557 | $59,406 |
| Government | 25 | 24 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 100% | $68,778 | $65,447 | $53,000 | $75,000 |
| Business | 9 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 89% | $90,000 | $90,000 | $67,500 | $112,500 |
| Public Interest | 17 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100% | $64,260 | $63,105 | $60,000 | $64,260 |
| Academic | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100% | $50,000 | $50,000 | $47,500 | $52,200 |
Salary Summary by Employment Type
| Type | # of grads | FT/LT | FT/ST | PT/LT | PT/ST | % FT/LT w/ Salary | Median | Mean | 25th Percentile | 75th Percentile |
| Bar Required | 131 | 128 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 98% | $70,000 | $91,123 | $59,000 | $110,000 |
| JD Advantage | 17 | 15 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 93% | $60,000 | $59,438 | $55,000 | $65,417 |
| Professional | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Non-Professional | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Bar Admission Required/Anticipated: This job requires the graduate to pass the bar, before or after being hired, and be licensed to practice law. These jobs may be in a law firm, business, government, non-profit setting, or judicial clerk.
JD Advantage: This job does not require bar passage, an active law license, or involve practicing law, but your JD provides a demonstrable advantage in obtaining or performing the job. Examples of this job type are varied and numerous.
Professional: This job requires professional skills or training but a JD is neither required nor particularly applicable. Examples include teachers of non-law topics, real estate agents, performing arts specialists, doctors, nurses, engineers, or architects.
Non-Professional: This job does not require any professional skills or training such as a barista, server, or hairstylist.
Employment Summary by Location
Of the 128graduates reporting employment in the Mountain region, 120are employed in Colorado. This represents 81% of employed graduates.
| Region | # Student Reported | % of Reported |
| New England (CT, ME, MA, NH, RI, VT) | 2 | 1.4% |
| Mid-Atlantic (NJ, NY, PA) | 0 | 0.0% |
| North East Central (IL, IN, MI, OH, WI) | 1 | 0.6% |
| North West Central (IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD) | 1 | 0.6% |
| South Atlantic (DE, DC, FL, GA, MD, NC, SC, VA, WV) | 5 | 3.4% |
| South East Central (AL, KY, MS, TN) | 1 | 0.6% |
| South West Central (AR, LA, OK, TX) | 2 | 1.4% |
| Mountain (AZ, CO, ID, MT, NM, NV, UT, WY) | 128 | 86.5% |
| Pacific (AK, CA, HI, OR, WA) | 8 | 5.4% |
| Foreign | 0 | 0.0% |
| Unknown | 0 | 0.0% |
Timing of Post-grad Jobs
The timing of Colorado Law students accepting post-graduate employment follows a similar pattern each year. By spring break, usuallyone-third or more of students report a post-graduate position. By graduation, at least one half of graduates are employed. While some graduates accept positions over the summer, it is more common for graduates to report accepting jobs in September and October, after the bar exam but before the bar results have been released. Then, by mid-January, we typically hit our high and expectsome fluctuation before March 15.
| Class of 2021 Offer Timing | % Reported |
| Offer received before graduation | 62% |
| Offer received after graduation but before bar results | 24% |
| Offer received after bar results | 14% |
Post-graduate employers
Click here for a list of employers.
Employment Reports
ABA Disclosures
Per Interpretation 509-2 of , 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 areasonable law school student or applicant.” Law schools are expected to use “due diligence in obtaining and verifying such information.” The additional employment outcome data on this page 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 .