Katie Steefel

Katie Steefel serves as an Assistant Professor of the Practice of Law at the University of Denver's Sturm College of Law, teaching seminars in the Legal Externship Program and Appellate Criminal Law. She is actively affiliated with the Rocky Mountain Collective on Race, Place & Law initiative.

Her educational background includes:

• J.D., Sturm College of Law, University of Denver (Chancellor's Scholarship recipient)
• B.S., Georgetown University School of Foreign Service (International Politics with Latin American Studies focus)

Professor Steefel's research critically examines how state court procedures dilute Federal Constitutional protections in criminal proceedings, with particular attention to appellate mechanisms and federalism tensions. Her scholarship bridges constitutional theory and practical criminal defense applications, while also addressing structural support for public interest careers within legal education.

Her professional recognitions include:

• Chancellor's Scholarship during law school
• National Jurist magazine's Law Student of the Year award

Through the Externship Program, she mentors students in real-world legal settings across criminal defense and civil rights contexts. No verifiable grant funding details are publicly documented in the source material.

She actively contributes to the Rocky Mountain Collective on Race, Place & Law, a research initiative examining intersections of racial justice, geography, and legal systems in the Western United States.