Programs and Events

Photo of Professor Anthony Aguirre

On March 19, 2024, the Collegiate Program and Silicon Flatirons welcomed Professor Anthony Aguirre for his fascinating presentation, “Ethical Horizons in Advanced AI Development,” in which he examined the rapid advancements in artificial intelligence over the past decade, and delved into the profound ethical considerations associated with the development of the next frontier in AI development: superhuman AI. 

photo of panelists at AI Ethics event October 24, 2023

On October 24, 2023, the Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative Collegiate Program at Colorado Law, in partnership with the Colorado Access to Justice Commission and Silicon Flatirons Center for Law, Technology and Entrepreneurship, sponsored an AI ethics speaker event and panel discussion entitled "ChatGPT Should be Admitted to Practice Law in Colorado. Talk Amongst Yourselves." The panel discussed the ongoing problem of access to justice in Colorado, and considered whether Generative AI tools should be used as part of the solution. The panel was introduced by Prof. Brad Bernthal, Director of Silicon Flatirons, and moderated by Prof. Harry Surden, Associate Director of Stanford CodeX Center for Legal Informatics (CodeX). Featured on the panel were Elisa Overall, Executive Director, Colorado Access to Justice Commission; Prof. Lois Lupica, Visiting Professor of the Practice of Law, University of Denver Sturm College of Law; Jason Lynch, General Counsel and Chief Operating Officer, Foundry; and Prof. Melanie Kay, Director, Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative Collegiate Program at Colorado Law.   

Photo of Rumman Chowdhury

The Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative Collegiate Program at Colorado Law, in partnership with Silicon Flatirons, hosted Rumman Chowdhury on Feb. 27, 2023 for her talk "Building AI Responsibly: Understanding and Mitigating the Risks of AI Systems."

Photo of Representative Joe Neguse at Colorado Law

United States Congressman Joe Neguse talks with Colorado Law students about ethical leadership in fall 2019 as part of the Dean's Ethical Leadership lunch series

Photo of John Carreyrou

Our 2019 Annual Lecture featured John Carreyrou, the prize-winning investigative reporter at The Wall Street Journal who first broke the story of multibillion-dollar biotech startup Theranos

Photo of Melanie Kay and John Carreyrou

Melanie Kay, Director of the Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative at Colorado Law, moderates a discussion with John Carreyrou during the 2019 Annual Lecture

CO Law team with graduate advisors

First year law students compete in the Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative Consortium Case Competition in Denver in April 2019, supported by faculty advisors

Photo of student winners of ethics writing competition

Student winners of the fall 2019 Writing Competition enjoyed a celebratory lunch with Jeff Steepleton, Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative Manager (far left) and Bo Peretto, Senior Vice President of the Ethics Initiative and Communications at the Daniels Fund (second from left).

Colorado Law's membership in the Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative Collegiate Program Consortium enables us to create a diverse array of opportunities designed to help students understand ethical principles in practice as a framework for decision-making and leadership as attorneys. Methods include courses, curriculum components, competitions, trainings, programs, events, and assessments throughout the academic year.

Curriculum

Master of Studies in Law in Ethics and Compliance: In fall 2016, we began our one-year Master of Studies in Law (MSL) degree program in Ethics and Compliance, which trains students for careers as ethics and compliance professionals and offers a unique perspective on the intersection of law and business. 

New Ethics Courses and Course Components: Through the Collegiate Program at Colorado Law, we have developed several new courses, seminars, and course components to bring a deeper focus to ethics, cultures, leadership, and decision-making. 

Faculty grants: Funds to provide new course components or guest lecturers on ethics topics.

Competitions and Hands-on Learning

Ethics Writing Competition: During the fall semester, the Collegiate Programs at Colorado Law and the CU Boulder Leeds School of Business partner to offer a writing competition based on a complex, real-world ethics problem. Students provide recommendations and guidance from the perspective of a practicing lawyer facing a potential organizational crisis.  At the conclusion of the competition, students from Colorado Law and Leeds gather to discuss how they analyzed the case problem, and to celebrate their work with representatives from the Daniels Fund. 

: In April, law students from a Legal Ethics, Professionalism, and Creative Problem Solving seminar serve as legal advisors to undergraduate teams from the Collegiate Program Consortium schools. 

Interdisciplinary Ethics Tech Competition:  The Collegiate Programs at Colorado Law and the CU Boulder Leeds School of Business team up to hold an annual Interdisciplinary Ethics Tech Competition.  This event brings together students from not only Colorado Law and Leeds, but also from the College of Engineering and Applied Science, the Department of Information Science, and others across campus.  Working in interdisciplinary teams, students are tasked with responding to an ethical challenge. Students prepare oral and written presentations to a team of experienced judges, showcasing their understanding of ethical principles, technical subject knowledge, and professionalism. 

Colorado Law Student Ambassadors Program: This group of 30-40 law students receive orientation training in ethics, professionalism, and networking skills in order to represent the law school at a variety of events throughout the academic year. The program aims to demonstrate to students how values such as integrity, accountability, and respect can play a role in small, day-to-day interactions—not just pivotal career-defining moments. 

Ethics Speakers and Series

Annual Lectures: Each year, the Collegiate Programs at Colorado Law and the CU Denver Business School partner to welcome an accomplished business leader to share his or her stories of ethical leadership.  These inspirational lectures have featured a renowned ground-breaking investigative journalist, leaders from private industry including the telecom and finance sectors, and a leader in ethics and compliance from higher education. 

Dean's Ethical Leadership Lunch series: Dean Anaya hosts a series of leadership lunches each semester for a small group of students to engage with a successful legal professional and community leader on topics ranging from ethical leadership to professional identity. View a list of the distinguished professionals who have joined us for a Dean's Leadership Lunch in recent years.

Special Collaborations:  Colorado Law is proud to partner with the other schools in the Collegiate Program consortium to strengthen and expand ethics programming throughout the region. 

Community and Faculty Engagement

Conferences: By attending ethics conferences and competitions throughout the year, including the , faculty and students extend the relevance of ethics and professionalism in both the legal and business worlds.

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