Colorado Lawyers Committee

Lawyers Committee Announces Unpaid Summer Internship

admin — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 00:24:43 +0000

The Colorado Lawyers Committee announced today an unpaid summer internship for a first or second year law student. Applications are due March 1, 2012. Click here to download the announcement.

Pro Bono Lawyers Serve 12,000 Families at Legal Night

admin — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 00:00:30 +0000

Congratulations to all the volunteers and interpreters who have participated in the Denver Legal Night Clinics at Mi Casa and Centro San Juan Diego. Since the Colorado Lawyers Committee started Legal Night in 2006, we have served more than 12,000 families, providing legal advice and information primarily in the areas of family law, immigration, real estate/housing, credit/consumer/bankruptcy, employment, criminal, SSI/worker’s comp, and disability.

After Five-Week trial, Judge Rules Low Funding for Colorado’s Schools is Unconscionable

admin — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 00:00:15 +0000

Congratulations to the School Finance Litigation Team. Last Friday, Denver District Court Judge Sheila Rappaport issued an order in the school finance litigation holding that Colorado’s system of financing K-12 education does not meet the “thorough and uniform” requirement of the Colorado Constitution. The case was a massive undertaking that involved a 5-week trial, 180 depositions and trial testimony from 80 witnesses. More than 20 lawyers from 10 different law firms participated in the case. Click here for a copy of the order.

Court Approves Settlement Granting Access to La Sierra

admin — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 00:00:49 +0000

Congratulations to Larry Treece and his team of volunteers at Brownstein, Hyatt, Farber, and Schreck, LLP for successfully settling the Torcido Creek Road litigation. The settlement restores the right of the plaintiffs to use Torcido Creek Road to access La Sierra, a parcel of land in and around San Luis, Colorado that has been the subject of a decades-long “Taylor Ranch” litigation (Lobato v. Taylor). Click here for a copy of the order.

Lawyers Committee Welcomes New Associate Director

admin — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 05:15:39 +0000

The Colorado Lawyers Committee is pleased to introduce the new Associate Director of the Colorado Lawyers Committee, Liza Prado (pronounced Lisa). Liza received her law degree from Stanford Law School in 1999 and practiced law for three years at Cooley Godward LLP in San Francisco. She left the firm to pursue a travel writing opportunity, which led to her authoring over a dozen guidebooks, and living and working for five years in Latin America. Liza moved to Denver in 2009, where she continued to work as a freelance writer. Most recently, she has written feature articles for DU Law School’s alumni magazine. We are delighted Liza has joined the Colorado Lawyers Committee staff. She brings a high level of skill and enthusiasm to the position and we are sure she will make a tremendous contribution to the Lawyers Committee and the communities we serve.

Jail Wait Complaint Filed

admin — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 00:00:17 +0000

Volunteers from the Mental Health Task Force filed a complaint in Federal District Court in late August, challenging the failure of the Colorado Mental Health Institute at Pueblo to provide timely evaluations and treatment for individuals in jail. Currently, individuals charged with a crime and awaiting competency evaluations remain incarcerated, often without restorative treatment, for periods of time that can exceed the possible sentences for their crime. Click here for a copy of the complaint.

Pro Bono Lawyers Represent 100 Small Nonprofits Since May 2009

admin — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 00:00:59 +0000

Hearty congratulations to the Nonprofit Working Group. In less than two years, working closely with the Colorado Nonprofit Association, the pro bono lawyers on this Task Force have provided transactional type assistance to more than 100 nonprofit organizations that would not otherwise be able to afford legal services.

Colorado Lawyers Committee 32nd Annual Lunch

admin — Tue, 17 May 2011 11:19:54 +0000

Colorado Lawyers Committee Annual Luncheon to be held on May 17, 2011. The 32nd Annual Awards Luncheon will be held at 11:30 on May 17, 2011 at the Marriott Denver Center. For details on luncheon honorees and to purchase tickets and sponsorships, click here.

Settlements Approved in Public Benefits Cases

admin — Sun, 01 May 2011 00:00:44 +0000

The Court recently approved settlements between public benefits applicants and two State agencies responsible for processing federal benefits. The settlements grew out of a lawsuit originally filed in 2004 on behalf of individuals whose essential public benefits were improperly denied or whose applications and redeterminations for public benefits were slowly processed by the State. The settlements require the State to take steps to improve benefit processing and report on its progress. Click here for the settlement with DHS. Click here for the HCPF settlement.

Task Force Members File Lawsuit to Protect Sixth Amendment Rights

admin — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 00:00:18 +0000

Members of the Colorado Lawyers Committee Sixth Amendment Task Force filed suit in U.S. District Court on December 2, 2010, challenging the constitutionality of the Colorado statute that requires misdemeanor defendants to meet with the prosecutor before counsel is appointed. During this meeting, the prosecutor often engages the defendant in plea discussions and many defendants agree to a plea agreement without requesting or benefiting from the appointment of counsel. The complaint alleges that the statute violates the Sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution. Click here for a copy of the complaint. Click here for a copy of the Amended Complaint filed on February 25, 2011.