Denver Law Providing Extra Support for Students

For a lot of us, summer is synonymous with relaxation and leisure. But for most students at the Sturm College of Law, summer provides an opportunity for valuable work experience through a legal externship. Joaquin Gallegos, an incoming second-year at Denver Law, worked at Michigan State University’s Indian Law Clinic because he knew he wanted experience in the public sector.

Through its externship program, the Sturm College of Law has long fostered opportunities in public interest law. However, many students who arrive at law school with idealistic notions of changing the world by serving in the public sector often stray from their initial path. “It’s known as ‘public interest drift,’” says Alexi Freeman, associate professor of the practice of law and director of Externships and Public Interest Initiatives at the Sturm College of Law.

Beginning this year, the school endeavored to help students follow the path toward the public sector by providing summer funding for externships to 26 of them. “I want every student who envisions themselves as a public sector lawyer to have the opportunity to do so, and public sector externships are a perfect avenue to be reminded of one’s passions and purpose in the midst of the challenging atmosphere of law school,” Freeman says.

Gallegos was one of the recipients. “Historical investment in public interest law has often been neglected, despite the high need around public issues,” Gallegos says. “Unfortunately, students from areas most impacted by public law — whether they’re from Indian nations, communities of color or the disabled community — are often unable to work in their own communities.