Colorado Law student graduates with 573 public service hours
Rae Franz-Gilmore and her cat, Obi.
Rae Franz-Gilmoredidn’tnecessarily intendto tally 573 public service hours in her three years as a Colorado Law student.
But one opportunity led to another, and another,and another—and now, to acareer in public servicewith the ColoradoOffice of theState PublicDefenderafter she graduates May 8.
“It’s not for the faint of heart, for sure,” Franz-Gilmore saidof her decision toadvocate for the accused. “But every single person I’ve met has been so encouraging, and the attorneys around me are inspiringme constantly.”
Asa child,Franz-Gilmore,now26,witnessedthe legal system firsthand when her mother was incarcerated.
“Growing up,‘the law’was something that happenedtoyou,not something youparticipatedin under positive circumstances,” she said. “Youdidn’thaveagencyor a sense of hope, even. It was always talked aboutreally negatively.”
Soitwasn’tuntil she started college at 91ý,doublemajoring in classics and political science, that she began to consider a career inthelegal fieldto advocate for underrepresented communities like the ones she grew up in.
After earning her bachelor’s degree in2022, Franz-Gilmoreworkedin Boulderfor a year beforereturning to campus as a law student.
“My freshman dorm is right across the street from the law school, so I was familiar with the area,” she said. “I knew I loved Boulderand that our law school is exceptional."
Despite her familiarity withthe community,Franz-Gilmore’slaw school years offered no shortage ofopportunitiesto explore newand challengingfacetsof thelaw.
She accepted an internshipthe summer afterher1Lyear with the Public Defender’s office in Colorado, learning to writelegalmemos and motionsand inspired by the impact her professional colleagueswere making.She returned to the Public Defender’s office for the summer after her 2L year, where sherepresentedindigent clients inmisdemeanor and juvenile cases under the Student Practice Act.
Alexa Schwartzman, Rae Franz-Gilmore and Megan Mooney stand in front of the Byron White Courthouse in Denver in March 2026 after completing oral arguments for the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals.
Shealsovolunteered starting her first year with theKorey Wise Innocence Projectat Colorado Law, which provides free investigative and legal services toindividualsserving time in Colorado prisons for crimes they did not commit.She continued serving with KWIPher second year while simultaneouslyworking as a student attorneywith the Criminal DefenseClinicandserved as co-president of the Public Interest Student Association.
For the last year, she has worked with Legislation Inside, an innovativeprogramwithin KWIP thatallows incarcerated people in Colorado to propose legislation, give testimony and provide feedback onstate lawthat impacts those in custody—“a voice and perspective that we rarely get to see,” she noted.
Her time at Colorado Law also unlocked an interest in appellate work. Sheinterned with the Public Defender’s appellate division andbecame part of the winning team at the RothgerberMoot Court Competition in2025,a prestigious challenge judged by members of the federal and state appellate benches.
She also worked withAssistantTeachingProfessorMatthew Cushingand only five other students in the AppellateAdvocacyPracticum course, wherethey spent eight monthsworking onan actualemployment discrimination case. Shewrote an opening brief, reply brief and had the “career-defining experience” of arguing before theUnited States Court of Appeals for the10thCircuit in March.
“Rae is so dedicated to public service,” Cushing said. “She worked extremely hard for her client and gave him the best possible shot of winning.”
Severalmoresteps lie betweenFranz-Gilmoreand her professional career—final exams,Commencement,a honeymoon in England with her husbandofnine months, Nathan Franz, andpreparing for the Colorado BarExam.
But to a student who has alreadyaccomplishedso much,what’sa few more hours?
AlthoughRaeFranz-Gilmoretracked the most hoursof any student in the Class of 2026, shewasn’talone in her commitment to public service.More than 30studentsqualified for the Public Service Pledge for completingat least50 hoursof publicservicewhile earning their J.D. (or 25 hours while earning their LL.M.)
“As lawyers we are called to use our knowledge of the law for the betterment of society and the improvement of the legal system,regardless of recognition or reward,” said Gabrielle Daley,director of the SchadenExperientialLearning Program. “Eachof our students whohave done so in any way, big or little,whiletheyhave been here have our gratitude and are part of what makes Colorado Law not just an academic institution but a community that I am proud to be a member of.”
- Patricia Alquiza
- Camryn Anderson
- Iuliana Blakely
- Grace Burchett
- Sofia Carrillo
- Madeline Rose Clark
- Madison Dobson
- Nick Floyd
- Liv Hymowitz
- Emily Jiminez
- Adam Lior-Coll
- Hannah Loiselle
- Camila Vieira Marinho
- CorinneMigliazza
- Megan Mooney
- Machia Mullens
- Samuel Nagle
- OliviaNasatir
- Julia O’Rourke
- Olivia Palizzi
- Bella Pantoja
- Hunter Parnell
- Haley Rimmer
- Olivia Sharp
- JJ Slatkin
- Zach Thompson
- Mac Villagomez-Tapia
- McKale Walker
- Matt Wilkinson
- TamirisWollenweber
- Mathew Yaeger