January 13, 2006
Access to Justice Commission
January 13, 2006 Minutes
Present: Karen DuWaldt, Pam Gagel, Barney Iuppa, Ilene Bloom, Constance Talmage, JoAnn Vogt, Dave Butler, Jon Asher, Dan Taubman, Diana Poole, John Zakhem, Ryan Call, Kathleen Schoen, Kate Arganese, Greg Martin. By Phone: Mary Ann Corey, Aaron Clay, Bill Alexander, and Angela Arkin.
I. Introductions
Access to Justice Commission Chair, JoAnn Vogt, welcomed the Commission to a new year and introduced its three newly appointed Commission members: Mary Ann Corey appointed by the CBA; Diana Poole appointed by COLTAF; and Karen DuWaldt appointed by the CBA.
II. Approve Minutes of November 11, 2005 Meeting
The minutes from November 11, 2005 were approved by the Commission.
III. Reports
A. Constance Talmage reported for Justice Greg Hobbs, Chair of the ATJ Ad-Hoc Committee that in 2005 The Colorado Supreme Court adopted several measures to enhance provision of pro bono services, including the adoption of CRCP 6.1 and Chief Justice Directive 98-01, amended in November 2005. In addition, The Colorado Supreme Court adopted an addition to CRCP 6.1 comment encouraging law firms to adopt a pro bono policy, whereby the law firm will commit to providing an average of 50 hours of pro bono work per attorney per year, The Supreme Court will recognize those firms that certify that they met this goal. A model pro bono policy is included in the comment. A general invitation to all law firms by Chief Justice Mullarkey will be published in The Colorado Lawyer. In addition, the Chief Justice will be hosting a reception to kick-off the law firm pro bono project. All Access to Justice Commissioners are invited to attend, on February 27, 2006 from 3-5 p.m. Also, the Commission discussed reaching out to in-house counsel and government lawyers. The Commission discussed the possibility of having a mentor program for small firms taking pro bono cases that are outside their expertise.
1. The Commission discussed inviting Colorado Attorney General John Suthers to the next Access to Justice Commission meeting on March 10, 2006 to discuss the prospect of government lawyers handling pro bono cases.
2. The Commission discussed reaching out to the American Corporate Counsel Association.
3. The Commission decided to continue to help with the implementation of the law firm pro bono policy as much as possible.
B. Dan Taubman, Chair of the Local Access to Justice Support Committee, reported that the dates for the Local Access to Justice Support Committee Conference have been set for May 19-20, 2006. The keynote speaker for the event will be ABA President-Elect Karen Mathis. Justice Gregory Hobbs has agreed to be a speaker for the event. In addition, the Committee is currently planning on humorous musical entertainment from the Law Club to perform during the dinner portion of the Conference. The CBA’s Pro Bono Awards will also be presented at the dinner. CLE accreditation is expected for the conference. This conference will provide a unique opportunity for Local ATJ Support Committee members to meet with each other, ATJ Commission members, and pro bono coordinators from around the state. Venue and times have yet to be determined.
IV. Other Committee Reports
A. Access to Justice Education Sub-Committee
1. Ilene Bloom, Chair of the ATJ Education Committee, reported that she and Judge Vogt met with Nancy Cohen from Attorney Regulation in order to get Rule 260.8 and legal aid opportunities distributed to all new admittees to the bar.
2. The Committee is preparing for the Colorado Bar Refresher Course to see if they are willing to donate scholarships to the students who have shown an interest in public interest law. She will report at the next meeting.
3. Molly French, Colorado Legal Services, is not able at this time to take the lead on Justice Corps project. The Committee will discuss at their next meeting whether any one else will be able to take the lead on this project.
4. Ryan Call volunteered to be the new co-Chair of the Education Committee and the Committee approved this decision.
5. New Commissioner Karen DuWaldt has volunteered to join the ATJ Education Committee.
6. The Committee informed the Commission that they are actively seeking new members and would welcome new members to their Committee.
B. Access to Justice Courts Sub-Committee
1. Barney Iuppa, Chair of the ATJ Courts Sub-Committee, reported that the Committee has met with Melinda Gonzalez-Hibner, Court Interpreter Program for SCAO, and discussed statewide guidelines for interpreters in civil cases involving indigent parties.
2. The Committee is in the process of creating a Chief Justice Directive in regards to interpreters. Julie Lambert, a Management Analyst from the Colorado Supreme Court, is joining the committee and will be attending the next meeting.
3. SCAO is still negotiating with LexisNexis on waiver of e-filing fees.
4. Angela Arkin volunteered to be the new co-Chair for the Committee and the Committee approved this decision.
5. The Committee informed the Commission that they are actively seeking new members and would welcome new members to their Committee.
C. Access to Justice Resource Committee
The Chair of the Resource Committee has asked her appointing entity, the Legal Aid Foundation, not to reappoint her following the expiration of her term on 12/31/05 to Commission. Diana Poole has informed the Commission that the Foundation will appoint a successor. The Resource Committee will meet at a future date to nominate a new Chair.
V. Chair’s Report
A. JoAnn Vogt, Chair of the Access to Justice Commission, reported that she has submitted her report on the Commission to the appointing entities, and a version of her report will run in the February 2006 edition of The Colorado Lawyer.
B. Over the past two months, JoAnn has been working with the CBA appointing entities on determining the new appointees to the Access to Justice Commission.
C. JoAnn encouraged members of the Commission to attend the 2006 Equal Justice Conference to be held in Philadelphia on April 1, 2006. The CBA has agreed to pay for one of our members to attend (in addition to sending Dan Taubman). Interested members should contact JoAnn at joann.vogt@judicial.state.co.us.
VI. Other Business
A. Kathleen Schoen, CBA staff, reported that the CBA was contacted by the ABA regarding holding the 2007 Equal Justice Conference in Denver. The major responsibility is to host “a party” on Friday evening of the conference. Connie Talmage, Angela Arkin, and Dan Taubman volunteered to participate on the planning committee.
B. Kathleen reported that the ATJC website has a new domain name. The new website domain name is: www.coloradojustice.org.
C. Kathleen Schoen discussed Elder Financial Exploitation by People in Positions of Trust training. This multi-disciplinary training focuses on using pro bono civil law lawyers to assist with stopping elder exploitation. The first training took place in the 17th Judicial District in October with 95 participants. The second training will take place at the Boulder County Courthouse, on March 9, 2006, starting at 8:30 a.m. More trainings are planned for around the state in the next year.
D. Constance Talmage discussed an event called Legal Night at Mi Casa; the Denver Bar Association is sponsoring a CLE on February 9, 2006 from 2:00 to 5:00 PM entitled “Great Opportunities for Pro Bono Work”. This is a free CLE for lawyers interested in volunteering for Legal Night at Mi Casa. The event will take place at 1900 Grant Street. Interested parties should contact Mathew Willis at mewillis@ikon.com.
VII. Next Meeting Date is March 10, 2006 at 12 p.m. The meeting will take place at the CBA offices (1900 Grant Street, Suite 900, Denver, CO, 80203).
