3 Top 10 Practical Training Programs
The University of Denver Sturm College of Law knows the vital importance of developing practical skills during law school and we have been innovating experiential education since welcoming our first class in 1892. Our three practical training programs—clinical training, legal writing and trial advocacy— have ranked in the Top 10 by U.S. News & World Report four of the last five years, establishing Denver Law as a leader in experiential learning.
#6 Legal Writing
During the very first semester of law school, the Lawyering Process Program (LP) at the Sturm College of Law introduces our students to the critical research, writing, analytical thinking and oral advocacy skills needed for a successful legal career. Denver Law's legal writing program has ranked in the Top 10 for nine years, illustrating the commitment of our LP faculty members and the high-quality feedback our students receive. We also have a long-standing tradition of working hand-in-hand with judges and practicing attorneys, providing a continuous connection to the real-world practice of law that our students are preparing to join.
Our LP team is also proud to host the annual Online & Hybrid Learning Conference at the Sturm College of Law. Legal writing experts from across the nation have come together to share their modern learning practices since 2019.
#8 Clinical Training
The University of Denver has been providing experiential learning opportunities to law students since 1904, when we opened the nation's first legal aid dispensary. The rich history of our Student Law Office continues today with 7 in-house clinics, including the recently established Immigration Law & Policy Clinic, providing students invaluable real-life client representation.
This year, our Civil Rights Clinic obtained a $300,000 settlement from the Federal Bureau of Prisons to resolve their client’s claim that prison officials denied adequate medical care.
#10 Trial Advocacy
Denver Law has ranked in the Top 20 best Trial Advocacy programs for the last 8 years. Our Center For Advocacy (CFA) sponsors teams competing in 12 moot court competitions and 10 national trial advocacy tournaments annually. In addition to 6 tournament titles in the past 4 years, our National Trial Team has advanced 6 teams to the National Trial Championships in the past 3 years, putting our students in a courtroom setting on the national stage.
The CFA is also highly regarded by our peer schools and tournaments earning #2 for The Gavel Rankings (Deane School of Law at Hofstra University), #3 in the National Performance Rankings (Fordham University’s Law School), as well as #2 in the Tournament of Champion Rankings.
