News

Faculty, Staff Celebrate Completion of Fourth Floor Renovations

Emily Battaglia — Wed, 03 Dec 2025 19:32:27 +0000

Faculty, Staff Celebrate Completion of Fourth Floor Renovations Emily Battaglia Wed, 12/03/2025 - 12:32

Fourth floor flex space

On October 20, faculty and staff convened on the fourth floor for a small celebration in honor of the newly renovated multi-use space. This renovation includes the Colloquium room, a flex space, kitchen, and two rooms available for reservation by faculty and staff. In addition, plenty of comfortable seating and new AV technology have provided significant upgrades to the area.

The need for updating the space was initially recognized by Dean Lolita Buckner Inniss, who noticed that there was no communal gathering space for faculty and staff.

Dean Inniss shared: “When I first arrived at Colorado Law in May 2021—before I formally assumed the deanship—I was seated on the fourth floor among my new colleagues. During breaks and in the in-between moments of the day, it quickly became clear that there was no real gathering space where faculty and staff could come together informally to talk, collaborate, or simply build the everyday relationships that make an academic community strong. That early observation stayed with me, and it underscored the importance of creating a shared environment that supports connection, creativity, and the sense of belonging that our mission demands.”

Faculty and staff are incredibly grateful for the refreshing update and the new collaborative space provided by the renovation. We look forward to the chance to use the space to connect with colleagues, host trainings and events, and build community amongst faculty and staff.

On October 20, faculty and staff convened on the fourth floor for a small celebration in honor of the newly renovated multi-use space.

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AILP Welcomes Heidi Todacheene as Visiting Practitioner

Emily Battaglia — Wed, 03 Dec 2025 16:05:18 +0000

AILP Welcomes Heidi Todacheene as Visiting Practitioner Emily Battaglia Wed, 12/03/2025 - 09:05

The American Indian Law Program (AILP) at the University of Colorado Law School welcomes Heidi Todacheene as Visiting Practitioner in Residence. Todacheene (Navajo) recently concluded her Presidential appointment as Senior Advisor on Indigenous and international issues to Deb Haaland, former Secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior and first Native American to serve as a U.S. cabinet secretary. Todacheene will spend six months with the AILP, from November 2025 to April 2026, mentoring students in professional development, while working with faculty on Indigenous Peoples’ issues, as they arise in tribal, state, federal, and international contexts.

“The AILP is thrilled to host such an accomplished expert in the areas of American Indian and Indigenous Peoples’ law and policy,” said Kristen A. Carpenter, the AILP’s Director. “Ms. Todacheene’s willingness to share insights about work in the federal government, where so much of Indian law practice occurs, presents an incredible learning opportunity for our students and faculty alike.”

During her 2021 to 2025 appointment, Todacheene successfully facilitated U.S. negotiations in the first international treaty for Indigenous Peoples’ intellectual property protections at the United Nations, and oversaw high-level policies and programs implementing legislation she previously drafted in Congress. These efforts included the U.S. Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative and the Not Invisible Act Commission on the missing and murdered Indigenous Peoples crisis, among others. Todacheene also served as the Department’s first Executive Director of the Secretary’s Tribal Advisory Committee (STAC) where she oversaw government relations with the 574 federally recognized Tribes.

Previously, Todacheene served in the 116^th U.S. Congress as the Director of the bipartisan Congressional Native American Caucus, and as Legislative Counsel for former Rep. Haaland (NM-01) where she helped secure more than $10 billion in COVID relief for Tribes. She has also worked as an associate judge, civil litigation attorney, at the country’s first state-level cabinet Indian Affairs Department, and for her Tribe, the Navajo Nation.

Todacheene is the first in her family to attend law school, graduating with honors from the University of New Mexico School of Law. She is licensed to practice law in Washington, D.C. and New Mexico.

Learn more about Heidi Todacheene in the Q&A below:

What inspired you to pursue a career in Indian law?

HT: In my early 20s, I was the victim of a domestic violence incident that nearly took my life. When the case went to court, I didn’t have the resources to hire an attorney and had to represent myself leaving me in a vulnerable position. Being revictimized in court was one of my worst experiences, but it motivated me to apply to law school a few months later. I was the first person in my family to go to law school, and graduated with honors.

Looking back, I’m thankful for that experience because it gave me deep compassion for the people that my work impacts, especially the missing and murdered Indigenous people crisis (MMIP) where victims are often ignored. I know what it’s like to be voiceless in a system that treats you like you don’t matter. I feel very fortunate to have helped draft the victim resources amendments and criminal jurisdiction expansion for the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act (VAWA) that the President signed into law in 2022. This is also why I worked so hard on the bipartisan Not Invisible Act legislation in Congress, and the Not Invisible Act Commission at the Interior Department. It shows that we’ve reached a turning point where we have the ability to change outdated laws that perpetuate violence as a step forward towards a fairer system. There’s still a lot of work to do, but it’s an option that didn’t exist for Indigenous people a few generations ago.

What are you most looking forward to during your time at Colorado Law?

HT: It’s an honor to be invited to partner with AILP as one of the top American Indian law and international Indigenous rights programs in the country. I’m looking forward to working with the dedicated �鶹��Ѱ��faculty who are passionate about their students and the future of federal law and policy. I am most excited to work with students who are interested in pursuing a career in Indian Country and/or international Indigenous issues. Coming from a family that didn’t have legal or political connections, I understand how daunting it can be navigating a career in these sectors. I’m looking forward to passing on my unique experience and lessons learned at the tribal, state, federal and international levels and hopefully serve as a stepping stone to anyone who wants to fight the good fight.

What did you enjoy most while working with Former Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland?

HT: It was humbling to be selected to lead the Indian Country portfolio for Deb when she was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2019 as one of the first Native American women in Congress, including Sharice Davids. After 230 years, we finally had Native women in the same institution that tried to exterminate us! I am extremely grateful that I had the opportunity to shape federal Indian and international policies as her Legislative Counsel in Congress and as her Senior Advisor when she made history again in 2021 as the first Native American Cabinet Secretary in U.S. history.

Serving under a historic figure has so many enjoyable moments because you get to witness your community break barriers for the first time, which is rare to witness in two branches of government. But what I enjoyed most during these 6 years was growing legislative seeds in Congress into national initiatives that she championed at the Department of the Interior.

There are two pieces of legislation that I worked especially hard on to draft in Congress that ultimately grew into national movements that I helped implement at the Interior Department included the U.S. Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative and the Not Invisible Act Commission addressing the missing and murdered Indigenous people crisis. Public service jobs are tough, but when you have these once-in-a-lifetime opportunities to uplift underrepresented communities, and work with talented teams of people who personally identify with the cause, it gives you hope that resolving structural inequities is achievable.

There were so many other domestic and international policies that we worked on to advance Indian Country that I can’t name them all. For example, the Department of Veterans Affairs Tribal Advisory Committee Act; PROGRESS Act; Native American Business Incubators Program Act; and the Not Invisible Act, were her bills in Congress that the President signed into law then executed after her appointment. Or the Interior tribal co-stewardship initiative, voting registration designations, or even appointee-level Indigenous representation at the United Nations was critical for our international relations.

Serving for Deb over the years showed me how much representation matters. None of this would have happened without Deb Haaland in office to lift up our voices and I am extremely privileged to have been part of teams that cared so deeply in the mission.

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Cass Garner’s Story Featured at KWIP’s Stories of Innocence Gala

Emily Battaglia — Mon, 01 Dec 2025 17:59:31 +0000

Cass Garner’s Story Featured at KWIP’s Stories of Innocence Gala Emily Battaglia Mon, 12/01/2025 - 10:59

In April, the District Court vacated the conviction of Korey Wise Innocence Project client James “Cass” Garner and ordered his immediate release. After 15 long years, Garner is now free—released from Sterling Correctional Facility. He is no longer imprisoned for a crime he did not commit. This past October at KWIP’s Stories of Innocence Gala, attendees had the opportunity to hear Garner’s story in greater detail through a video featuring his children, attorneys Kathleen Lord and Jeanne Segil, and Garner himself. View the full video below.

Garner was wrongfully convicted in connection with a 2009 nonfatal shooting at a local bar—the same night he was there celebrating his birthday. In the initial months after the shooting, none of the three victims (all brothers) identified Garner in photo lineups. But nearly three years later at trial, all three pointed to him in court—a setting that was highly suggestive, especially with Garner being the only man seated at the defense table alongside two female attorneys. To strengthen their case, Lord and Segil brought in nationally recognized experts on human memory and eyewitness identification, both of whom concluded that the trial identifications were unreliable.

Garner has always maintained his innocence. This life-changing outcome was made possible through the work of KWIP attorneys Kathleen Lord and Jeanne Segil with the assistance of Colorado Law students and alumni, including Ileana Jiménez '21, Chrysten Pacheco '27, and Jefferson Caldwell '27. Their case focused on discrediting the unreliable eyewitness identifications that had played a central role in Garner’s conviction.

We invite you to watch the video and learn more about Garner’s story.

This past October at KWIP’s Stories of Innocence Gala, attendees had the opportunity to hear Garner’s story in greater detail through a video featuring his children, attorneys Kathleen Lord and Jeanne Segil, and Garner himself. View the full video below.

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How a Colorado law school dug into its history to celebrate its unsung Black graduates

Cecelia Tecu — Mon, 01 Dec 2025 17:05:43 +0000

How a Colorado law school dug into its history to celebrate its unsung Black graduates Cecelia Tecu Mon, 12/01/2025 - 10:05

Rebecca Ciota

This article was published in The Conversation on November 14, 2025. View the original piece here.

Class portraits line the hallways of the University of Colorado Law School, the faces of former students gazing down at the building’s current inhabitants. In a dimly lit recess in the library hangs the 1899 class portrait. Its year is incorrectly labeled as 1898, and the students are left unnamed.

In the photo, 20 men stand. Only one of them is Black. I can tell you that he was Franklin LaVeale Anderson, a successful Boulder, Colorado businessman and landowner who entered the law school in 1896 as the university’s first known Black student.

But until recently, people working or studying at the university knew little of his story.

It’s not much different for subsequent Black law students, whose names and accomplishments also remain largely unknown to the Colorado Law community. Many of the earliest Black students’ portraits are in the back of the basement. Their accomplishments were known by their families and their communities, but their former law school had done little to record these individuals who are part of its history.

Then, in 2024, inspired by an article published by Boston College Law School, Colorado Law decided to explore its own Black history.

I’m a librarian with more than nine years of professional experience in academic settings – and I never shy away from challenging research questions. I agreed to take on the project.

Searching the archives

Like Anderson, most of the Black alumni prior to 1968 were unknown to current law school staff who were hired after they graduated.

Due to student privacy regulations as well as a lack of demographic data prior to 1970, there is no easy way of identifying all students of a certain ethnic or racial background. So my research project began with those old class portraits hanging throughout the school.

I spent several hours squinting in dark corners and climbing onto study tables to find photographs and record class years. It was an imperfect science: Some of the class photos were missing, and not all students were photographed. In the end, I identified more than 210 Black students who had attended Colorado Law from 1899 to 2024.

Among them was Franklin LaVeale Anderson. A quick internet search yielded his name.

I turned next to the university’s archives, where I pored through yearbooks and boxes of law school papers. In the archives, I read the memo to the Board of Regents recommending the students from the class of 1899 receive the Bachelors of Law degree.

Anderson’s name did not appear on the list. I never did discover why he did not receive his degree.

My visit to the archives brought about invaluable partnerships: One of the archivists, David Hayes, provided me with his unpublished research on marginalized groups at the university. This provided me with important context for what was happening at the university while each individual attended.

I was also put in touch with the interim director of the University of Colorado Heritage Center, Mona Lambrecht, who has identified historical Black students that were not pictured in the class photos, including Colorado Law’s first known Black graduate, Franklin Henry Bryant, a member of the class of 1907. The Heritage Center has also done research on Black students from 1896 through the 1920s.

At this point of the research process, I had many names, biographical information and some context about the presence of marginalized groups at the university. I still needed more biographical information, so I began searching beyond the university.

The search continued

Franklin Henry Bryant earned his law degree from the University of Colorado Law School in 1907. He was the law school’s first known Black graduate and became the third Black attorney to pass the Colorado Bar Exam. Bryant went on to establish a firm in Denver. Courtesy of University of Colorado Law School

First, I collected genealogical information – birth and death dates, marriage certificates and places of residence – from FamilySearch, a subsidiary of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I chose FamilySearch because it provides resources similar to the better-known Ancestry.com, but for free.

The genealogical information began to tell a story.

I learned that Anderson, the university’s first known Black student, was born a free person in Missouri in 1859 while slavery was legal in Missouri. He took up barbering while still in Missouri. He moved to Minnesota at the age of 26 and married his first wife there. The couple moved to Boulder in 1892, where they purchased multiple lots in town. Anderson continued his work as a barber. Around 1900, he spent a few years in Fort Morgan and then moved to Sheridan, Wyoming, before settling in Los Angeles. He died there in 1918.

Next, I searched historical newspapers, primarily the Colorado Historic Newspapers collection, in hopes of finding more details about Colorado Law’s Black students. The student newspaper, The Silver & Gold, revealed that Anderson joined his classmates for a party at law professor William A. Murfree’s home.

Clarence Edward Blair earned his law degree from the University of Colorado Law School in 1956 and passed Colorado’s bar exam the same year. Courtesy of the University of Colorado Law School.

Recounting history

Using the information I had gathered, in February 2025, I produced biographies about six of Colorado Law’s Black students from the law school’s beginnings in 1892 and the beginning of affirmative action at the university in 1968.

I continued my research toward the present and published “Uncovering What Was Always There: Black History at Colorado Law in October.

I hope that this research restores Anderson and other historical Black students to Colorado Law’s history. Perhaps, in the years to come, more staff and students at Colorado Law will know the name of the Black student in the 1899 class portrait. They will know he was the first known Black student at the university, and that he was a successful businessman and landowner.

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ICYMI: Faculty Publications, Media Mentions, and Faculty & Staff Activities

Cecelia Tecu — Mon, 01 Dec 2025 15:51:08 +0000

ICYMI: Faculty Publications, Media Mentions, and Faculty & Staff Activities Cecelia Tecu Mon, 12/01/2025 - 08:51

Widely recognized for its intellectual diversity and originality, the faculty at Colorado Law encompasses an array of prominent legal scholars who are widely cited, both in academia and throughout the national media landscape. We invite you to catch up on the latest faculty publications and media mentions with this weekly round up.

Media Mentions

[Harry Surden], Megan Cartwright, Kim Kardashian's Failed Bar Exam Reveals 'Dangerous' Trend, Experts Warn, Newsweek (Nov. 15, 2025).

[Andrew Schwartz], Molly Cruse, A Decade-Old Aurora ICE Detention Center Lawsuit Reaches the Supreme Court, Colorado Public Radio (Nov. 12, 2025)

[Scott Moss], Kate Tornone, Mailbag: Should We Follow EEOC's Lead on Gender Identity Policy?, Industry Dive (Nov. 19, 2025).

[Ann Lipton], Andrew Ross Sorkin, et al, A War on Top Investor Advisors is Growing, NY Times Dealbook (Nov. 13, 2025).

[Dean Inniss], Linden Butrym, Legacy in the Making: Lolita Buckner Inniss, Boulder Lifestyle Magazine (Oct. 2025).

Faculty and Staff Activities

Sloan Speck, TaxProf Blog posts available here, including Speck Reviews Silver's The Tax Insurance Trap (Nov. 14, 2025).

[Amanda Parsons], Andrew D. Appleby, Parsons Presents "Taxing Social Data" Today at Boston College, TaxProf Blog (Nov. 17, 2025).

[Former AAP director Gregor MacGregor], Gretchen Mimekine, Faces of Community-Engaged Scholarship: Gregor MacGregor, �鶹��Ѱ�� Outreach and Community Engagement (Nov. 19, 2025).

Ann Lipton, Business Law Prof Blog, blog posts available here.

Corporate Governance Authoritarianism (lecturer), Inaugural Tamar Frankel Lecture Featuring Ann Lipton, Boston University School of Law (upcoming, Nov. 24, 2025).

[Margot Kaminski], Emily Battaglia, Professor Margot Kaminski Named Moses Lasky Professor of Law, Colorado Law (Nov. 17, 2025)

[Rebecca Ciota], Kevin R. Johnson, The Conversation: How a Colorado Law School Dug Into Its History to Celebrate Its Unsung Black Graduates, TaxProf Blog (Nov. 14, 2025).

Paul Campos, Lawyers, Guns, & Money, blog posts available here.

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Professor Margot Kaminski Named Moses Lasky Professor of Law

Cecelia Tecu — Mon, 17 Nov 2025 16:06:22 +0000

Professor Margot Kaminski Named Moses Lasky Professor of Law Cecelia Tecu Mon, 11/17/2025 - 09:06

Emily Battaglia

Colorado Law Professor Margot Kaminski has been named Moses Lasky Professor of Law, one of the school’s highest faculty distinctions. With this honor, Professor Kaminski joins previously named Moses Lasky Professors including Suzette Malveaux, Sarah Krakoff, and Charles Wilkinson.

“It's a true honor to be awarded the Moses Lasky Professorship, and a responsibility I don't take lightly,” Kaminski said. “Lasky was one of our most distinguished alumni, who combined high intellectual achievement with a dedication to civic involvement and public service. I understand and value this legacy and am grateful for the recognition and support for my ongoing work."

Kaminski began her time at Colorado Law as Associate Professor and Director of Silicon Flatirons’ Privacy Initiative in fall 2017. She was granted tenure in 2020 and promoted to Professor of Law in 2023. Prior to joining Colorado Law, Professor Kaminski was an Assistant Professor at the Ohio State University Moritz College of Law (2014-17) and served for three years as the Executive Director of the Information Society Project at Yale Law School (2011-2014). She is a co-founder of the Media Freedom and Information Access (MFIA) Clinic at Yale Law School, and previously served as a law clerk to the Honorable Andrew J. Kleinfeld of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in Fairbanks, Alaska.

As a leading scholar in law and technology with a focus on information governance, privacy, and freedom of expression, it may be surprising to some that Kaminski's career began at a literary agency in New York, before she even began her law school career.

“I started getting interested in the intersection of the digital economy and copyright law, because we were doing a lot of contracts at a time that envisioned what eventually became the era of e-books,” Kaminski said. “There was also a Supreme Court case that came down [at that time] about author's rights and digital copies, and that is basically why I ended up applying to law school...that got me interested more generally in the pacing of regulation to technological and social change.”

Kaminski eventually delayed her entrance into Yale Law by a year, moving to San Francisco to work in publishing and for Larry Lessig’s Creative Commons nonprofit – further solidifying her interesting in law and technology.

Her plan to focus on copyright law gradually shifted, as many of the copyright conversations Kaminski witnessed in law school related to privacy online. The political and economic landscape also set the stage for this shift, as many of the major rights holders at the time were pushing for intermediaries, such as telecommunications companies, to monitor web and personal download traffic for copyright piracy. Additionally, many of Kaminski's friends and colleagues were wrestling with post-9/11 national security issues, repeatedly raising the topic of privacy.

“This led me to wonder, what exactly is happening with privacy on the internet?”

Kaminski’s shift to privacy law solidified after a summer internship with the Electronic Frontier Foundation in San Francisco, setting her on the path to becoming a leading legal scholar working at the intersection of privacy, AI, and freedom of expression.

“One of the reasons it is important to me to share my origins in publishing is because we have a lot of students that see some of these fields as inaccessible without a technology or engineering background,” Kaminski shared. “I had a humanities background and an interest in the history of science. You can really come at these careers with a wide variety of backgrounds. I encourage students to not get discouraged by some of the perceived barriers to working in law and technology.”

Kaminski’s work has received the 2025 Sandgrund Award for Best Consumer Rights Work; the 2022 Jules Milstein Scholarship Award for excellence in legal scholarship; the Future of Privacy Forum's 2020 Privacy Papers for Policymakers Award; the 2019 University of Colorado Provost's Faculty Achievement Award for Pre-Tenure Faculty; and the 2016 Junior Scholar Award at the Privacy Law Scholars Conference. Two particularly noteworthy moments in her career came when she was awarded two Fulbright scholarships – the first in 2018 and the second in 2024.

The 2018 grant—a 6-month Fulbright-Schuman Innovation Grant–provided Kaminski with the opportunity to conduct research on policies in the European Union (EU). The time at which she applied proved to be a critical moment for the EU, as they were in the middle of massively rehauling their data privacy laws. While her intention was to look at the EU framework regarding privacy law and drones, the resulting research took a different turn.

“Rather than producing a series of papers about drones, privacy, and free speech, I came out of that experience with a deep set of questions around regulating autonomous systems and artificial intelligence (AI). I then spent the next 5-6 years doing comparative work on that subject.”

During that time, several U.S. states passed data privacy laws. Consequently, for her sabbatical in 2023-24, Kaminski applied for and was granted a second Fulbright-Schuman Grant, and a Fernand Braudel Senior Fellowship at the European University Institute (EUI), allowing her to return to Europe to research the EU AI Act.

“Having the time to do that [research] and be around experts in European law gave me the ability to understand the law more from a European perspective, and to better explain it to people in the U.S.” Kaminski said.

Kaminski's Fulbright experiences have been foundational in positioning her as a leading legal scholar researching AI policy. In fact, over the past two years, she has been co-authoring a casebook on AI law with Paul Ohm (Georgetown Law Center) and Andrew Selbst (UCLA School of Law). The book is slated to be submitted to the publisher (Foundation Press/West) in early 2026, with the hope that it will be ready for new adopters in the coming academic year.

“It has been such a treat for me to work with Paul and Andrew, who are at the top of their game in their field and who bring different things to the table,” Kaminski said. “We have this shot to figure out how to understand the logic of these [AI] questions and to influence countless attorneys in practice and in policymaking roles and help them think about what questions matter in this emerging field.”

In addition to her research and scholarship, Kaminski has also supported policymaking efforts in a variety of capacities. She has served on Columbus, Ohio’s Body Cam Task Force Community Group, Colorado’s Task Force for the Consideration of Facial Recognition Services, and the Colorado AI Act Task Force.

“Throughout the entirety of my career, policy impact has really mattered to me. I might write stuff that is highly theoretical, but for me it all has the end goal of figuring out why the pieces fall into place the way they do. As a participant in policymaking, my job is to consistently offer what information I have gleaned from research and try to steer us a steady course as the waves of politics move around us.”

For one of her upcoming projects, Kaminski is working on a piece on data privacy and the First Amendment that aims to offer judges and litigants a workable and doctrinally defensible framework for how to think about First Amendment challenges to data privacy laws.

Kaminski’s impact on both the broader legal community and Colorado Law cannot be overstated. Her work has been published in publications such as the Yale Law Journal, Columbia Law Review, UCLA Law Review, Minnesota Law Review, and Boston University Law Review. Through it all, she remains incredibly grateful for the steadfast support she has received here at Colorado Law.

“I just love my colleagues. This community is a balance of incredibly intellectual, bright, driven, and kind people. We are super supportive of each other, and when my colleagues have career accomplishments, it feels like the whole team has won.”

Kaminski also noted the importance of work-life balance, remarking that her fellow faculty truly understand that life is bigger than a computer screen, and make room for each other’s families, quirks, and ongoing serious hobbies. She even shared one of her own – working as a PSIA-certified ski instructor for the past 20 years.

“I never thought I would be in a position in life where I could continue to have that secret identity and have this career.”

It is with great pride that we share the news of Professor Kaminski’s named professorship. Our heartiest congratulations go out to her, and we look forward to the continued impact of her exceptional teaching, scholarship, and vision.

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STUDENT ORG SPOTLIGHT - Sports and Entertainment Law Student Association

Cecelia Tecu — Mon, 17 Nov 2025 15:53:23 +0000

STUDENT ORG SPOTLIGHT - Sports and Entertainment Law Student Association Cecelia Tecu Mon, 11/17/2025 - 08:53

Cecelia Tecu

The Sports and Entertainment Law Student Association (SELSA) provides students with the chance to explore career opportunities and learn from lawyers actively working in sports and entertainment law.

In this interview, we hear from Katrina Chavez ’26, the President of SELSA.

What are the primary goals of SELSA?

SELSA at the Law School Student & Campus Organization Fair

KC: Our biggest goal is illuminating opportunities in the spaces of Sports and Entertainment law. They're both growing fields, and they're becoming their own fields of law, even though they're both just an amalgamation of every other type of law that exists. But, those laws from these other areas are applied to sports and entertainment differently. Specifically with things like antitrust. We’re trying to bring to light what exactly sports law means and how many different routes you can take just within those two large buckets.

How does this student organization help members to reach their career goals?

KC: All of the board members are part of the Sports Lawyers Association, which is national. Typically, the board members attend the conference at the end of the year in May. We find connections, and we stay up to date on the hot topics in sports law and entertainment law as much as we can. We're building more of the entertainment side, especially since Sundance is coming to Boulder. We're trying to work with the undergrad and any other connections in the Boulder area. Our sports side is more developed currently. If there are networking opportunities with the Colorado Bar Association, or any webinars that we think would be interesting that are free for students to attend, we'll send those opportunities out to our club members. We also bring in speakers for our lunch meetings. We directly connect our students with people who practice in those fields in the Colorado area.

What kinds of outreach does SELSA engage with?

KC: A couple days ago, we had two people from the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee come and speak at lunch. And that was super cool. I think it was great for people to hear more about how the games are run, and how the Olympics run as a nonprofit organization. So I think the coolest thing, and the most rewarding part of outreach,is being in the position to bring these really, really cool and awesome speakers to all these 1Ls and 2Ls. Obviously, it's still exciting for the 3Ls, but we're more set in our immediate future. For the 1 and 2Ls, the opportunities are truly endless, and so to be able to bring in these speakers, it reinforces the idea of, “This is why I came to law school,” because that's how I felt when I was in those years. Being on the other end of it now is really cool.

How has SELSA impacted your law school experience?

KC: Well, I've gotten two free vacations out of SELSA. I got to go to Baltimore and Nashville for the conference, which is awesome. I don't think I have felt imposter syndrome as much as I have felt at those conferences. Being in the presence of these people who hold your dream job, it’s very humbling seeing that they're just normal people. I think being part of the organization has brought me imposter syndrome like no other, but also has shown me that lawyers are just people. As I stepped into the leadership position, I do a lot of outreach, and I have my board members do a lot of outreach - it's so scary at first. But then, the lawyers come speak to us, and they're just so helpful. You just realize they were in your shoes before.

It's also impacted my time here, because we're growing our sports program at Colorado Law, and it's just so cool to be on the forefront of that. We’re at the precipice of Colorado Law breaking into more sports related endeavors. Specifically, I'm also part of the Name Image Likeness (NIL) practicum. So huge shout out to that with Leigh Augustine, and that has been great. So a lot of our club kind of work, we're trying to teach people about the practicum as well to keep that going.

Alongside Chavez, the SELSA Executive Board includes Vice-President Sidney Lawless ’27, Treasurer Ethan Wheeler ’27, Secretary Caroline Montierth ’27, and Special Advisor Miles Gilbert.

To get involved with SELSA, students can email SELSA@colorado.edu.

Colorado Law is home to nearly 50 active student organizations. These organizations empower law students to increase their knowledge, gain leadership experience, network, and collaborate with the legal community—all while building connections with classmates that will last throughout their careers and beyond.
The Sports and Entertainment Law Student Association (SELSA) provides students with the chance to explore career opportunities and learn from lawyers actively working in sports and entertainment law.

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ICYMI: Faculty Publications, Media Mentions, and Faculty & Staff Activities

Cecelia Tecu — Mon, 17 Nov 2025 15:45:16 +0000

ICYMI: Faculty Publications, Media Mentions, and Faculty & Staff Activities Cecelia Tecu Mon, 11/17/2025 - 08:45

Media Mentions

[Chris Winter], Ishan Thakore, As Colorado River Deadline Looms, Here's What at Stake for Colorado, Colorado Public Radio (Nov. 10, 2025).

Ishan Thakore, States Blow Past Colorado River Deadline, Arizona Wants Feds to Order Water Cuts, Colorado Public Radio (Nov. 12, 2025).

[Blake Reid], Louise Newstead, Supreme Court Ruling Could Give White House "Unusual" Control Over Copyright Office, World Trademark Review (Nov. 12, 2025).

Scott Nover, Brendan Carr Should Ditch Speech-Chilling Policy, Former FCC Chairs Say, Washington Post (Nov. 13, 2025).

[Scott Moss], Seth Klamann, Colorado Lawmakers Face Ethics Complaints Over Vail Retreat- And How it Was Paid For, Denver Post (Nov. 5, 2025).

Shaun Boyd, 16 Colorado State Lawmakers Face Ethics Complaints After Political Organization Paid for Vail Hotel Rooms, CBS New (Nov. 5, 2025).

Rebecca Ciota, How a Colorado Law School Dug Into its History to Celebrate its Unsung Black Graduates, The Conversation (Nov. 14, 2025).

[Jonathon Booth], Brandon Lowrey, Can States Prosecute ICE Agents? It Depends, Law360 (Nov. 7, 2025).

Faculty and Staff Activities

Sloan Speck, TaxProf Blog posts available here.

Brad Bernthal, Dean Inniss, Blake Reid, 21 Back, 21 Forward, Silicon Flatirons (upcoming, Nov. 19, 2025).

Govind Persad (speaker), Fairly Allocating Scarce Medical Resources: Should We Consider Age and Health Status, University of Houston Law Center, Health Law & Policy Institute (upcoming, Nov. 17, 2025, 11am MST), Zoom option available here.

Ann Lipton, Business Law Prof Blog, blog posts available here.

Legal and Financial Questions of Pfizer-Novo-Metsara, Shareholder Primacy (Nov. 12, 2025)(with Mike Levin, Apple podcasts link).

Paul Campos, Lawyers, Guns, & Money, blog posts available here.

Rabea Benhalim (speaker), Jewish and Islamic Law and the Relations of Jewish and Islamic Scholars, Greater Washington Coalition for Jewish Life (upcoming Nov. 23, 2025).

GWC Works with Law Professors Across the West to Weigh in on Public Lands Rule, GWC (Nov. 12, 2025).

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Honoring our Student Veterans

Emily Battaglia — Tue, 11 Nov 2025 19:40:47 +0000

Honoring our Student Veterans Emily Battaglia Tue, 11/11/2025 - 12:40

Cecelia Tecu

Kelly O’Neill ’27, Tracey Elder ’27, and William Ostlund ’27 are just three of our students who have spent time in service. Learn more about their journey from the military to law school in the Q&A below.

What inspired you to pursue a law degree?

KO: I was originally an Air Traffic Control officer in the Marines. After I had completed some time in that billet, I was temporarily assigned to be my squadron’s legal officer. That was the first time in my life I enjoyed my job and enjoyed reading. Being presented a legal problem, either by a Marine or by my Commanding Officer, and then having to figure out how to adjudicate that problem gave me a sense of purpose I hadn’t felt in awhile. In one instance, a Marine’s appeal process had not been honored and he was about to get kicked out of the service. I was able to advocate for him and his situation which actually led to him staying in the service. When he asked me to be his promoting officer, that’s what really solidified my decision to go to law school.

Kelly O'Neill

TE: For me, pursuing a law degree is a career pivot. I have served in the Army Reserve for over 20 years and have had various jobs including FEMA liaison, intelligence officer, paralegal, and a “travel agent” for munitions. Prior to law school, I was a stay-at-home mom for ten years (while also serving as a Reservist and volunteer ski patroller at Eldora). I began pursuing a law degree as a career pivot. I see law as a versatile field that will provide new opportunities and help me transition into a different career path with more growth potential than what's available with my current credentials.

WO: I served in the Army for a little over 5 years as an Engineer Officer. Most of that time was spent in various roles across 299 Brigade Engineer Battalion down at Fort Carson, Colorado, with some of the most rewarding experiences coming from my time as a Route Clearance Platoon Leader and Ground Movement Team Leader in Iraq. The Army introduced me to phenomenal people who helped mold me into who I am today, and I remain grateful for the opportunity I had to serve this country.

When I graduated from West Point, I never thought I would be back in school – let alone back in school pursuing a law degree. I planned to stay in the Army for a career. However, when I was nearing the end of my Lieutenant years, I understood that I was at a critical career juncture. My favorite part of the military was working with soldiers, and after an officer’s Lieutenant years, routine opportunities to work with and lead soldiers start to fade. With that in mind, I started looking for career paths where I could continue serving others in some capacity while continuing to challenge myself.

During that time, I deployed to Iraq. While deployed, I regularly interacted with not only American JAGs but also with legal experts from across the international team to solve complex problems. Impressed with their critical thinking skills and their insane work ethic, I sought their mentorship on how to become an attorney. Soon after, I ordered a few LSAT study books to start studying in Iraq, and the rest is history.

How has serving in the military impacted your preparedness and experience as a law student?

KO: Nothing here ever feels as bad as some of my worst days in the Marines, and that makes me appreciate being a law student. I felt more than prepared for cold calls and the work load because of how the Marines trained. When school does get really busy and stressful, I trust that all my past effort and learning thus far will get me through it—that’s what always helped me succeed in the military. And knowing the situation could always be way more miserable helps put law school into perspective at the end of the day.

TE: Serving in the military exposed me to a variety of personal, professional, physical, and mental challenges. While law school is the most difficult academic challenge I have faced, I reassure myself that I have done difficult things before and therefore, I can do the difficult things that law school puts before me.

Tracey Elder

WO: The military thoroughly prepared me for law school in several ways, but a few key experiences stand out. First, the military prioritizes establishing a routine and doing “routine things routinely.” As soon as I arrived at Colorado Law, I organized my classes and my reading windows to fit a typical work week. I also deliberately blocked off time to go to the gym and time to cater to administrative tasks. All of that allowed and continues to allow me to maximize my time off on the weekends. On that note though, two other critical skills from the military are flexibility and resilience. Sometimes, those time blocks are infringed upon by competing priorities, but in remaining flexible, it is easy to shift blocks of time around to other available free spaces.

Another important ideal that carried me through the Army was the idea that nothing is possible without the people around you. During my time in service, soldiers, NCOs, peers, supervisors, and close friends pushed me and pulled me every step of the way. Similarly, some of the highlights of my time here have been conversations with friends, professors, and mentors who have pushed and pulled me through the first three semesters of this experience. Law school can be an isolating experience, but having the right people in your corner can and will pay dividends.

Lastly, I benefitted from an excellent mentor who emphasized that we “get to” have opportunities in life. Those opportunities range from awesome and exciting opportunities like going skiing with friends at a slope that is within driving distance of the law school to less awesome and exciting opportunities like reading case law. Regardless of the excitement in each opportunity, we all get to be in law school here in Boulder. That little mantra serves as a healthy reminder of how much there is to be thankful for at any given time during these law school years.

What are your plans/goals for after graduating from Colorado Law?

KO: I plan to work in IP/patent law. My goal is to be the best I can be at my job, and to help contribute to a good life with my soon-to-be husband and dog.

TE: I entered law school wanting to pursue work in the federal government. Considering the federal government is currently firing instead of hiring, I am exploring other options like state government or areas of law that I find interesting such as employment law and intellectual property. Who knows where I’ll end up- that’s part of the adventure!

William Ostlund

WO: After graduation, I plan to pursue a career in patent law. Although that route does not necessarily involve working as a JAG, I hope to find alternative ways to continue to serve the veteran community.

Colorado Law students come from a wide variety of backgrounds and experiences, bringing their unique perspectives to our legal community. This Veterans Day, we are proud to highlight just a few of our incredible students who have served in the military. Kelly O’Neill ’27, Tracey Elder ’27, and William Ostlund ’27 are just three of our students who have spent time in service. Learn more about their journey from the military to law school in the Q&A below.

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ICYMI: Faculty Publications, Media Mentions, and Faculty & Staff Activities

Cecelia Tecu — Mon, 10 Nov 2025 15:50:14 +0000

ICYMI: Faculty Publications, Media Mentions, and Faculty & Staff Activities Cecelia Tecu Mon, 11/10/2025 - 08:50

Faculty Publications

Jonathon Booth, Stop Cop City's Deep Roots, Inquest (Nov. 6, 2025)

Media Mentions

[Chris Winter], Hank Lacey, The Unlikely Culprits Behind Population Collapse in a Colorado National Park, SF Gate (Oct. 30, 2025).

[Helen Norton], Jesse Barron, A Teen in Love with a Chatbot Killed Himself. Can the Chatbot be Held Responsible?, NY Times (Oct. 24, 2025).

[Ann Lipton], Lucy Hooker, Tesla Plans to Pay Musk $1tn- Do They Really Need Him That Much?, BBC News (Nov. 7, 2025).

Lily Jamali, Liv McMahon, Osmond Chia, Elon Musk's $1tn Pay Deal Approved by Tesla Shareholders, BBC News (Nov. 7, 2025).

Faculty and Staff Activities

[Sloan Speck], TaxProf Blog posts available here.

[Matt Schmit, SFC], Matt Schmit Joins Silicon Flatirons as New Executive Director, Colorado Law (Nov. 3, 2025).

Ann Lipton, Business Law Prof Blog, blog posts available here.

Relationship of Federal and State Corporation Law, Shareholder Primacy (Nov. 5, 2025) (with Mike Levin, Apple podcasts link).

Charlie Duffield, Will Elon Musk Become the World's First Trillionare? The Standard Podcast (Nov. 7, 2025).

[Kristen Carpenter], �鶹��Ѱ��Designates Seven New Distinguished Professors, �鶹��Ѱ��Connections (Nov. 6, 2025).

Indigenous Approaches to International Law, Peoples Places Planet Podcast (Oct. 2025)(Youtube link).

Paul Campos, Lawyers, Guns, & Money, blog posts available here.

[Byron White Center], Colorado Law 3L M.R. Dickey, Byron White Center Hosts Annual Constitution Day Project, Colorado Law (Nov. 3, 2025)

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