Between flattened state funding, rising tuition, and record inflation, scholarships have never been more vital when it comes to attracting the best and most promising applicants and ensuring that deserving students can pursue a Colorado Law education. As tuition costs have risen considerably, it is more important than ever that we provide financial support to our students and make legal education as affordable as possible. Following nine consecutive years of flat costs, Colorado Law's tuition increased by 3% each year in 2021-22 and 2022-23, and by 4% in 2023-24.

“Notwithstanding the very real fact that Colorado Law has one of the best tuition rates in the country for this amount of excellence, it is still the case that a number of our students simply would not be able to participate in this experience if they did not have the scholarships that were provided by our donors,” said Dean Lolita Buckner Inniss.

Meet a few Colorado Law students and alumni who benefited from scholarships—and see the very real impact that scholarships have.

Supporting the Next Generation of Diverse Lawyers

Colorado Law alumna Ciera Gonzalez '20 is building a future as a leader in Colorado’s legal community—and she credits scholarship funding with helping her get there. Gonzalez received the prestigious Leaders in Law and Community (LILAC) Fellowship, a comprehensive three-year program that educates and cultivates leadership potential in students through scholarships covering law school tuition and fees, mentorship, and community engagement.

Growing up in Florida, Gonzalez always knew she wanted to be a lawyer. A love of reading fueled her desire, and she became the first in her family to attend college. When she visited Colorado Law, she knew immediately it was the place for her to spread her wings.

"I wanted the opportunity to see somewhere new and be on my own to grow independently. I was the first in my family to leave Florida,” she said.

Gonzalez was part of the inaugural cohort of LILAC Fellows. Established in 2017, the program addresses diversity in the broadest sense by recruiting and developing students from backgrounds underrepresented in law schools and in the legal profession. LILAC Fellows are from financially disadvantaged backgrounds, have diverse cultural identities, or are individuals who have overcome significant obstacles. With their experiences, backgrounds, and accomplishments, LILAC Fellows have the potential to use their law degrees to be transformational leaders in law and community. To date, there have been 36 LILAC Fellows.

Gonzalez and her classmates had access to mentors, networking, and community that they might not have had otherwise. The experience instilled a sense that they could succeed—and thrive—in law school, despite not having an existing network of lawyers or extensive prior knowledge of the industry, she said.

“I came in with no legal background and no lawyers in my family to help, so it was helpful to have constant support and attention,” said Gonzalez, who identifies as Hispanic and LGBTQ.

Twice each semester, local attorneys came to the law school to speak with LILAC Fellows one on one. Gonzalez connected with Judge Alfred Harrell, who retired from the Denver County Court bench in 2016, and who's been a mentor to her ever since.

“Those meetings gave us a built-in network early on and helped create those social ties, which got us off on really strong footing,” she said.

The legal profession, which remains predominantly white and male, continues to face calls to better reflect the demographics of the populations it serves. According to the American Bar Association, 85% of active U.S. attorneys were white in 2019. In Colorado, where people of color comprise 34% of the state’s population, they make up just 10% of practicing lawyers.

This begins in law schools. But, in 2019, 62% of law students nationwide were white; 12.7% were Hispanic, 7.8% were Black, 6.3% were Asian, and 4% identified as biracial or multiracial (American Bar Foundation).

“Being a LILAC Fellow taught me about the importance of diversity and committing to it. A lot of law firms preach about it, and all candidates ask about it in interviews, and the experience taught me how important it is to take action and have a voice in crafting DEI efforts at Snell & Wilmer,” said Gonzalez, who served on the firm’s hiring committee. "I’m passionate about spreading that in the community and supporting diverse candidates.”

LILAC also gave her the financial flexibility and freedom to explore her passion for the judiciary. After graduation, Gonzalez went into Big Law, practicing general commercial litigation at Snell & Wilmer. A few years later, she wanted to explore a different area and so took a pay cut to transition to government work. She started as a clerk for Judge Regina Rodriguez '88 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado in fall 2023. "Loans would have kept me in private practice for a lot longer, less able to explore other career options,” Gonzalez said. “If I hadn’t received LILAC, I would have tried to make it work, but it would have dramatically changed the course of my career."

Outside of work, Gonzalez gives back to the community as a volunteer with Law School ... Yes We Can!, where she mentors undergraduate students from underrepresented backgrounds who want to become lawyers.

“The enormous cost of higher education is a huge barrier for the sort of people we talk about wanting more of in the legal community. If you want more diverse viewpoints, but maybe don’t know the right path to get there, donating to LILAC is a great opportunity to create that diverse legal community in Colorado,” she said. “Alumni can take a lot of pride in contributing to LILAC and helping the next generation of diverse students find their way to the law.”

To learn more and donate to LILAC, visit giving.cu.edu/LILAC.

Alleviating the Financial Burden of Law School

Like many law students, Ricardo Zorce '24 and Mel Roeder '23 paid their way through law school primarily through loans. With the average indebtedness of Colorado Law graduates who borrow clocking in at a whopping $100,000, choosing to take out loans is no small decision.

For Zorce, a first-generation law student who did not receive financial support from family members throughout law school, the thought of relying on loans to finance his education gave him pause—but he knew it would ultimately be worth it to pursue his dream of working in government.

“I wanted to go to law school for as long as I can remember. However, my decision to attend law school was set in stone when I was able to intern in a Georgia state court during my undergrad summers. The experience helped me really understand what it meant to practice law and showed me that the practice of law is a lifelong career of learning,” he said.

Between rising rent, tuition, and living expenses, he watched the numbers add up his 1L year. Then, as a 2L, he received a welcome reprieve in the form of a Law Alumni Scholarship, which allowed him to turn his attention to his studies—extracurriculars like law review and serving as treasurer for the Latinx Law Students Association—and his passion for mock trial instead of taking on a job to help with expenses.

The Law Alumni Scholarship is composed of proceeds from the annual Alumni Awards Banquet, which has raised more than $1 million to support Colorado Law since 2005 and supported over 70 scholarship awards.

A member of Colorado Law’s national mock trial team and Barrister’s Council executive board for mock trial division, Zorce recalls his most meaningful law school experience as competing in the American Association of Justice's National Student Trial Advocacy Competition in New Orleans. He also helped a team of 1Ls prepare for their first mock trial competition.

“I would not have been a part of it without the help of the scholarship,” he said.

The financial support showed him that he is not facing this burden alone, and that he has a community of alumni committed to supporting his journey through law school. While he grappled with the decision to go to law school and bear the costs of living on loans, the scholarship made him feel better about his decision.

"While there are many hurdles to overcome throughout the law school experience, scholarships decrease the size of hurdles for us in at least one aspect. Law school is a full-time job, and for students to have the best possibility of success, no student should have to work overtime at a second job just to pay for school and living expenses,” he said.

For Mel Roeder '23, being selected for a Law Alumni Scholarship meant that their third year of law school was significantly more affordable, allowing them to turn their attention to public service.

“I went to law school because I am a helper by nature, and seeing the state of the world made me want to help make change, whether that be on an individual or large scale,” said Roeder, a first-generation college graduate pursuing a career in civil rights and other plaintiff-focused areas of law. With the reduced financial burden, Roeder was able to focus on their studies and participate in unpaid experiential learning opportunities like the American Indian Law Clinic and Natural Resources and Environmental Law Clinic.

Experiences like presenting to the Truth, Restoration, and Education Commission, which works to examine the true history of Colorado and what led to the genocide of Indigenous peoples in Colorado, as a student attorney in the American Indian Law Clinic allowed Roeder the chance to interact with and learn from members of the Indigenous community—a highlight of their law school career.

“I believe scholarships are so important because they help foster opportunities like clinics,” Roeder said. “Not receiving this scholarship would have meant years added to my repayment, and I am eternally grateful to the donors who made it and the other scholarships I have received possible.”

For the majority of Colorado Law students, the need to take out loans is necessary to ensure they are able to obtain a JD. “Our goal is to recruit and support highly qualified students with more financial support in the form of scholarship aid,” explained Kristine Jackson, senior assistant dean of enrollment management.

“Law school is an extremely expensive endeavor to undertake, now more than ever, and scholarships help level the playing field and allow for students of all backgrounds to have amazing experiences like mine,” Roeder said. “Any way to alleviate the financial burden of the next generation of our state and country's leaders will help promote the advancement and equity of all.”