Lawyers in Love
Love has been in the crisp mountain air of Boulder! It probably won't surprise you to read that the University of Colorado Law School has been the setting of more than a few love stories. So, in honor of Valentine’s Day, we invite you to join us as we spotlight just some of the remarkable alumni who found more than a world-class legal education at Colorado Law. They found true love!
Tonya Luna ’13 and Gavin Wolny ’13
“We met on the first day of orientation in August 2010. After two years of friendship, we started dating just before our 3L year. In 2014, we moved to Tonya’s hometown of Pueblo, CO, and got married. We now have two wonderful (if active) daughters. Gavin works at the Pueblo County Attorney’s Office, and Tonya serves as a magistrate. And after all these years, we're still great friends!”
Shelby Dolen ’20 and Bryson Sebold ’20
“We met on the 1L camping trip before classes started and have been inseparable ever since. Law school had its highs and lows, and we weathered them together—with everything culminating in the tumultuous 2020 that cut short our final year due to the pandemic. We graduated on Zoom, took the bar together in masks, and started our legal careers amidst uncertainty that nobody could have predicted. We've tackled every challenge together and came out of the chaos better and stronger. We were engaged in April of 2023 and are set to get married in the Italian Dolomites in September of 2024!”
Jay Trujillo ’20 and Griffin Hay ’20
“Griffin and Jay met on the last day of 1L orientation in 2017 when a group of queer students gravitated towards each other at the end-of-day mixer. They were both placed in Professor Hall’s section and spent the first few weeks of school sitting next to one another in nearly every class. Griffin tried to convince himself that Jay and he were just friends, but Jay - being the braver of the two - asked Griffin out on a Friday after class, suggesting they hike the Flatirons together.
Determined to miss the point of the invitation, Griffin suggested Jay join him for a pickup game of soccer with other friends. Jay bit his tongue, gave a heroic performance as goalkeeper, and again asked Griffin to hike the Flatirons. He accepted, once again convincing himself that Jay was just a friend going on a friendly hike as friends. Still, Griffin couldn’t deny his interest in Jay - an interest that had been nagging at him since the orientation mixer. And as they joined a house party later that evening, Griffin felt the need to pull a friend aside and tell her, “Don’t let me hit on Jay tonight.” A few hours later at the Sundown Saloon, that directive was in the garbage, and Jay could not be pried away from Griffin. They spent the rest of the weekend together. Jay moved into Griffin’s apartment on Marine Street a few short weeks later, even joining Griffin’s family for Christmas (and every Christmas since).
Through all three years of law school, the pandemic, the bar exam, and a brutal period of depression and unemployment, Jay and Griffin prioritized their love for one another, finding happiness together each day. Jay’s internships with the Office of the State Public Defender led to him accepting an offer to work for the Pueblo office as soon as he was licensed, and Griffin was lucky enough to follow him there. With Jay gently pushing him towards public defense, Griffin joined that same office a year later.
The boys now make their home in Pueblo, zealously advocating for the indigent, mentoring the incoming classes of young defenders, cooking Julia Childs’ recipes, singing Third Eye Blind, skiing, and traveling the world’s best little-known beaches. After 6 years together and three years after graduation, Jay and Griffin still spend every free day they can hiking Mount Sanitas, indulging at the best new spots on Pearl Street, and watching Dead and Company shows at Folsom Field. Boulder - and especially Wolf Law - will always be home ❤️”
Taylor Smith ’19 and Mirko Kruse ’18
“We locked eyes the night before Taylor’s first law school final while studying in the basement. Taylor spilled coffee all over her laptop, and it went black. Mirko rushed to help. The rest is history! Getting married June 29, 2024!”
Robert L. Hernandez ’78 and Dolores "Doey" Martinez Hernandez ’78
“Bob and I met in the summer program. Becky Medina, Rebecca Koppes Conway, Maria Lopez, Maria R., Bernadette Maes, Bob, and I would get together for lunch frequently. Toward the end of the summer program, we decided we would set up Bob and Maria, so Bob was asked to pick up Maria and bring her to a party sponsored by Professor "Skip" Chase. Bob brought her to the party but the set up didn’t go any further.
When we returned to begin our first year of law school, Bob asked me to see a movie, "Casablanca." I just assumed all of our friends would be there. I asked Bob, "Where are the others?" Bob mumbled something about how they just couldn't make it. Bob and I continued to go to lunch with the same group, but we also spent a lot of time together. Eventually, we started holding hands in the classroom while we ferociously took notes. Bob was 28 and I was 22. I thought it was so embarrassing, but I was not going to give up holding hands with the man I loved. We got engaged in November, took classes with Fr. Tom Adrians, and got married in Pueblo on January 10, 1976, during Christmas break. Our classmates from the summer program were there, along with about 300 guests and relatives. Fr. Tom, Fr. Robert and Deacon Tom officiated, and a Mariachi played for the Mass. We had a meal, a dance and an "entriega." I told Bob I was only getting married once.
Today, we continue to hold hands whenever possible. We have 3 daughters, Dolores, Roberta, and Maria. I also have my Ethiopian son, Teklebrhan. His mother back in Ethiopia asked him to find an American mother, so I accepted. Bob and I celebrated our 48th wedding anniversary in California last January.”
Alex Finch ’15 and Leah Finch ’17
“Leah and I met during her 1L and my 3L year. I offered her some advice and class notes which she found utterly useless and largely illegible. Nonetheless, a combination of regular ThAC attendance and a birthday date at the Chinese restaurant across the street from the law school sealed the deal. Now we're married with a kid and another on the way. Whether attending Colorado Law was the proximate cause of it all? CU is absolutely liable.”
Rachel Clark ’76 and Cheryl Hutchison
“My wife [Cheryl] and I met when we were both students at CU in Boulder. I was in law school, and she was in the French department. We moved to Washington D.C. together, but our relationship did not last. Subsequently, we each married, and Cheryl moved to France, where she has lived most of her adult life. My marriage ended in divorce after 32 years. Cheryl's husband of nearly 20 years died at around the same time.
Two and a half years ago, I tracked Cheryl down on the internet and wrote her a long email in French. She replied (in French). I soon moved from Denver to Saint-Étienne, France to be with her. Both of us speak and write excellent French, and we share a love of France. In fact, we speak to each other almost exclusively in French. This September, we married in a civil marriage in Saint-Étienne. In October, we had a religious wedding in Boulder. We live nine to ten months of the year in Saint-Étienne, returning to Denver twice a year, where I still have a house.”