From Boulder to Washington, D.C., across the nation and around the world, Colorado Law graduates working in government are making a difference in their communities. On the following pages, we shine a spotlight on just a few of the many Colorado Law alumni who have chosen this highly rewarding career path. We selected these graduates to show a range of roles across local, state, and federal government.
As you will read, the alumni we spoke to report a deep sense of satisfaction from serving their communities. And Colorado Law, where they each began their legal journey, offers a plethora of opportunities for students interested in pursuing government work. The school鈥檚 proximity to Denver, Colorado鈥檚 capital and the largest city in the Rocky Mountain region, offers students unmatched opportunities with the Office of the Attorney General and dozens of state and federal government agencies headquartered in the Denver/Boulder metropolitan area.
Colorado Law participates in a regional government and public interest career fair that annually hosts 40鈥50 government employers, including federal, state, county, and municipal law opportunities for students to explore internships and jobs with government agencies. The law school supports unpaid government internships with a robust Public Service Summer Fellowship program and one-year postgraduate fellowships in partnership with the Denver City Attorney鈥檚 Office and Colorado District Attorney鈥檚 Counsel.
鈥淭he most meaningful aspect of government work for me is the gratifying feeling one gets from serving the public and the satisfaction knowing my work contributed to the betterment of the community I was serving,鈥 said John McKee, director for government and public interest in Colorado Law鈥檚 Career Development Office, who has worked for federal, county, and city employers. 鈥淚 am proud that Colorado Law is so uniquely well-positioned to help aspiring lawyers achieve their dreams of positive change through public service.鈥
For law students interested in pursuing government work, McKee advises building a strong public interest record of internships and volunteer experiences that serve government or nonprofit legal employers, as well as taking courses such as Administrative Law that offer transferable skills applicable to many government roles.
鈥淓xploring the many different levels of government work can be invaluable in helping guide students towards fulfilling public interest careers,鈥 he said. 鈥淣etworking with attorneys from different levels of government to learn more about the details of government attorney work among the many different federal, state, county, and city settings is an ideal tool to help students navigate a fulfilling government career.鈥
About the Cover Photo
The cover photo of this issue honors one of Colorado Law鈥檚 distinguished alumni in government: Penfield 鈥淧en鈥 Wallace Tate II (鈥68). In August 2021, the city of Boulder paid tribute to Tate by renaming the Municipal Building in his honor. Tate, who died in 1993, was the first, and so far only, African American mayor of Boulder and first African American person elected to Boulder City Council in 1971. He is also recognized in a mural on the north side of Boulder Public Library.
Tate, who served on Boulder鈥檚 City Council from 1972 to 1974 and as mayor from 1974 until 1976, was a humanitarian and strong advocate for the rights and protections of minority groups, including the LGBTQ+ community. He supported a then-controversial amendment to Boulder鈥檚 Human Rights Ordinance that included protections from discrimination based on sexual orientation. Unfortunately, Tate faced a negative community response, receiving hate mail and death threats, and failed to win reelection.
After serving in local government, Tate remained active across Colorado. He served as a founding member and board member of the National Black Caucus of Local Elected Officials; a member of the American Psychological Association Accreditation Committee; a legal advisor for the University of Colorado Black Law Student Alliance; a founding member of the Boulder Hospice; and a member and chairman of the board for the Colorado Housing and Finance Authority.
Colorado Law honored Tate at the Law Alumni Awards Banquet in 1991 with the Small Practitioner Award, and again in 1993 with the Centennial Award.
Photo courtesy Carnegie Branch Library for Local History, Town & Country Collection.