At Colorado Law, our commitment is to respect the dignity and humanity of all members of our community. We strive to create a welcoming, respectful, and supportive environment for all our members so each member can contribute to their fullest potential. We provide ongoing education and professional development that address antiracism, implicit bias, microaggressions, and other critical adverse social and behavioral issues.
Our C.A.R.E. Pledge is modeled after the successful Public Service Pledge, and requires individuals to complete 50 hours over their three years of law school on educational activities about social justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion. We aim for 100% voluntary participation in the Pledge. Participation in the Pledge helps shape CU Law’s culture of inclusivity, racial justice, and social justice.
Many events and activities at CU Law count for Pledge hours, and these activities are highlighted in our calendar of events. Â鶹ÒùÔº are also encouraged to seek out opportunities in the broader legal community which they may submit for approval. The approved activities are broad and extensive, and can be tailored to students’ personal interest. Activities may include, but are not limited to: working through a reading list, perhaps in conjunction with faculty led book groups; attending legal conferences or speaker events; volunteering at various events; or other opportunities highlighted on the C.A.R.E page.
By learning together, we make CU Law a better place.
By signing the Colorado Law , students commit to at least 50 hours of educational activities about social justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion, during their time at the Law School. Ìý
Pledge Guidelines
- When to Sign: We encourage students to signÌýthe Pledge during 1L Orientation, but students can sign the Pledge anytime during law school. This is100% voluntary participation.Ìý
- Qualifying Work: To count toward the Pledge, work must be:
- Completed by a current, enrolled Colorado Law student
- Uncompensated and uncredited
- Supervised andÌýlaw-related
- This list is not exhaustive. If you have questions about whether your hours qualifyÌýtowards the C.A.R.E. Pledge, please email: Assistant Dean Fernando Guzman
- Examples of Qualifying work include:
- Volunteer hours for Colorado Law projects, including: working through a readling list in conjunction with faculty led book groups, attending legal conferences, speaker events, or volunterring at various events.
- Volunteer hours forÌýnonprofit organizations, public interest law firms, local government agencies, public defenders, legal services offices, private firms with pro bono projects.
- Deadline to Log Hours: Â鶹ÒùÔº report their own hours.ÌýGraduatingÌý3L studentsÌýmust submit hours by April 1 (11:59 p.m. MST)Ìý.Ìý3L December graduatesÌýmust submit theirÌýhours by November 15 (11:59 p.m. MST).Ìý
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Instructions for Logging Your C.A.R.E. Pledge Hours
You are responsible for logging your own C.A.R.E. Pledge hours.ÌýWe encourage students to log C.A.R.E.Ìýhours as they are earned throughout their law school career. To log your hours, plese fill out this .
As in all activities, students undertaking the C.A.R.E. Pledge are subject to the Honor Code.
Frequently Asked Questions for CurrentÌýÂ鶹ÒùÔº
Will students be disqualified from counting their C.A.R.E. hours if they didÌýnot first sign the Pledge?Ìý
Â鶹ÒùÔº are strongly encouraged to sign the Pledge at Orientation. However, students can do so at any point during their law school career and have the hours count towards the C.A.R.E. Pledge as long as the hours are logged by the deadline.ÌýÌýÌý
If students are required to do trainings before beginning their volunteer work, doÌýthe training hours count towards the C.A.R.E. Pledge hours?Ìý
Yes, as long as the trainings are to prepare students for the law-related pro bono work.Ìý
Does work that students do as volunteer legal interns and externs over the summer countÌýtowards their C.A.R.E. Pledge hours?
Absolutely! The summer is a great time to do volunteer legal work. As long as studentsÌýare not being compensated or receiving academic credit, fellowships, scholarships,Ìýstipends, or vouchers for their summer work, the hours may be counted.ÌýHowever, if you completed hoursÌýabove and beyond the hours for which you received academic credit or other compensation, then you mayÌýcount the additional hours. For example, if a student works for the public defendersÌýoffice as an extern and receives 3 academic credits (working a total of 150 hours), butÌýactually works 200 total hours, this student may count 50 hours towards their C.A.R.E. Pledge hours.
Can clinic hours be used towards Public Service Pledge hours?
No. Since students are already receiving academic credit for their work, and there is noÌýway to quantify the exact number of clinical hours done, we do not allow students toÌýcount any of their clinic hours towards the C.A.R.E. Pledge program.