Labor Day Holiday Hours

The Law Library will be open regular hours during the Labor Day holiday:

Friday, September 2
7:30am - 10pm

Saturday, September 3
8am - 8pm

Sunday, September 4
8am - midnight

Monday, September 5
7:30am - midnight

The Reference Desk will be closed Saturday - Monday. If you have a question that is not urgent, please contact us at 303-871-6206 or refdesk@law.du.edu and we will get back to you on September 6.

Starting Your Own Law Practice

Interested in opening your own solo or small firm? Take a look at the Library's new resource guide to help you reach your goal. This indepth guide provides information and resources on law office management, ethics, CLE's, marketing, betworking and technology related issues that will help your new firm to be successful.

Europa World Database

The Westminster Law Library has a new research database called Europa World. This is an online version (plus some additional features) of the Europa World Yearbook which we have cancelled in print. Europa World covers political and economic information on over 250 countries and territories as well as international organizations. It also allows a statistical comparison across countries on a variety of topics.


You can find it listed under Databases / indexes – A-Z & also through the International & Foreign sub-category. It is available to all DU patrons and does allow for remote alumni access. There is also a link from the library catalog record.

Bankruptcy Research

Are you trying to do some research for yourself or someone else on bankruptcy laws? Check out our new research guides on Bankruptcy for Individuals and Bankruptcy for Small Businesses. Developed as part of the Colorado Law Project for use by pro se individuals and public librarians helping patrons, these guides join others on topics as diverse as senior law, victim's rights, small claims and workers' compensation.

DU Law Clinics: Practical Experience

Any well-rounded legal education must strive not merely to teach students theory and how to "think about" the law, but also must equip them with some practical skills that can be readily applied to work outside of academia. There are a number of ways that law schools can help students develop those skills, but one of the very best is through the availability of clinic programs. Clinic programs generally allow law students - under the supervision of faculty mentors - the chance to work on real-world cases from start to finish. Here at the University of Denver, Sturm College of Lawwe are fortunate to have one of the oldest and very best clinical programs in the nation.

Always at the forefront of clinical legal education, the University of Denver was responsible for starting the very first legal aid clinic in the United States. As recounted by Reginald Heber Smith in Justice and the Poor: a Study of the Present Denial of Justice to the Poor and of the Agencies Making More Equal Their Position Before the Law, With Particular Reference to Legal Aid Work in the United States,
"… in Denver a departure was made of much interest in the field of legal education, when the local law school started "The Legal Aid Dispensary of Denver." The instructor in practice was made the attorney and the senior students were used as his assistants. The plan was too successful and had to be abandoned. The character of the service given was so high that hundreds of persons applied. The rising cost entailed thereby exceeded the funds at the disposal of the law school, and as neither the lawyers nor the charities would help, the project was discontinued in 1910."

Before too long, the DU clinic program returned, and as it now stands the program represents interests of the pubic across a range of topics. There are today six specialized in-house clinics at DU:

- Civil Litigation Clinic
- Civil Rights Clinic
- Community Economic Development Clinic
- Criminal Defense Clinic
- Environmental Law Clinic
- Mediation and Arbitration Clinic

For more information on any of the clinics, including how to get involved as a student or apply for assistance as a member of the community, visit the appropriate link to the specialized clinic above. To keep abreast of developments in all of the clinics, be sure to check out the Denver Law Clinical Programs Clinical Review published every semester.

See the Sturm College of Law History Exhibit for historical photos and articles about the Clinic. We also have a video from the 1970's that shows students explore issues of law and social change through internships and “practice programs” sponsored by the College of Law. Various settings described include the Urban Center, area high schools, legislative and model cities committees.

1L Research Guide

The Westminster Law Library is pleased to announce the release of a new online research guide specifically for first-year law students – the 1L Guide. This guide was created to provide first-year law students with basic information regarding the law library and its services; study, exam, and stress tips; and database information. Additionally, the 1L Guide contains a section on each of the first year required courses including relevant hornbooks, treatises, and study aids; CALI lessons; and audio resources. Lastly, the guide has information regarding the Lawyering Process course, including links to flow charts, resource maps, other on-point research guides, and research tips and tutorials.

We hope the 1L Guide supports you during your first year of law school. Welcome to the University of Denver Sturm College of Law!