The CU-Boulder School of Law is the No. 1 state law school in the country and fourth overall for placing graduates in judicial clerkship positions.
Out of the top 50 law schools listed in U.S. News & World Report聮s "Best Graduate Schools, 2001 edition," CU-Boulder, with a 24 percent placement rate, trails only Yale (46.3 percent), Harvard (27.1 percent) and Stanford (24.2 percent). Judicial clerkships are a key educational quality indicator.
"Obviously we are pleased with this distinction," said Anthony Bastone, assistant dean for the CU law school's Office of Career Services. "It further demonstrates the quality of our law school and our students."
According to Bastone the 1999 clerkship figure represents a 10 percent increase from the previous year.
Clerkship positions are offered to law graduates and are usually temporary, lasting one to two years. Bastone points out that as a judge's clerk a young lawyer fresh out of school gets invaluable experience learning first hand the legal profession from a skilled jurist.
"Clerks have an opportunity to further refine their developmental research and writing skills," said Bastone.
Judicial clerkships are available at the federal and state level, in bothappellate and trial courts. Appellate courts stress research and writing while trial courts expose graduates to trial practice and procedure.