September 9, 2005
Access to Justice Commission
Meeting Minutes for September 9, 2005
Present: Dave Butler, JoAnn Vogt, Elizabeth Steele, Barney Iuppa, Jim Peters, John Zakhem, Darla Benford, Constance Talmage, Alesia McCloud-Chan, Pam Gagel, Ryan Call, Dan Taubman, Kate Arganese, Kathleen Schoen, Jon Asher, Jim Peters. Call-In: Lynne Sholler, Bill Alexander, Angela Arkin, Meredith McBurney.
I. Introductions
JoAnn Vogt introduced and welcomed Kate Arganese and Alesia McCloud-Chan to the Commission. Both briefly spoke about their background, and expressed their excitement at being a part of the Commission.
II. Approve Minutes of July 8, 2005 Meeting
Meredith McBurney stated that the sentence, “Meredith will explore disseminating to individual legislators information about the use of legal services in their districts,” was incorrect and should be deleted.
A. The minutes were approved as corrected.
III. Report on the Annual On The Rocks Golf Tournament
A. Ryan Call’s Report
1. Ryan displayed pictures from the event and gave special thanks to all volunteers involved with event.
2. Overall, there were 23 4-somes at the tournament.
3. It raised over $2,500 that will be donated to the Access to Justice Commission.
4. Ryan will email Kate Arganese pictures and a brief synopsis of the golf tournament. Kate will then publish this in the Bar News section of The Colorado Lawyer.
B. JoAnn Vogt’s Report
1. On behalf of the Commission, JoAnn thanked John Zakhem for donating the money from the tournament to the Commission.
2. A use for the funds generated from the tournament will be decided at the next meeting. Dan Taubman suggested the funds be used for an Access to Justice Conference (see Local Access to Justice Support Committee report below).
IV. Committee Reports
A. Education Committee
1. Ryan Call gave report for Ilene Bloom. Ilene and JoAnn had lunch with Nancy Cohen, the Chief Deputy Regulation Counsel, who agreed to include information about ATJ-related issues at the professionalism courses to be held this winter.
2. The Committee is still exploring ways to integrate itself into the President’s Visits to local bars next year, and is preparing to participate in the CBA’s Legislation 101 Seminar sometime in October.
B. Resource Development Committee
1. Meredith McBurney gave the report. The Resource Committee and the Education Committee are working together on how to effectively educate legislators about the provision of legal services in Colorado. They have talked to CBA Lobbyist, Michael Valdez. Ryan Call volunteered to speak with the legislators at the Legislation 101 Seminar. John Zakhem and Jim Peters also volunteered to speak. The Commission decided to provide written materials.
2. Currently, the Committee is working on collecting raw data from the Colorado Legal Services and, hopefully, they will employ an intern to categorize the information.
3. Pam Gagel suggested that individual legislators be recognized, either at the Seminar or in some other forum for work they have done to advance access to justice.
C. Local Access to Justice Support Committee
1. Dan Taubman gave the Committee’s report for Aaron Clay. Recently, the Committee’s main focus has been on developing new Local ATJ Committee’s throughout the state. Committees have been started in Summit County, the Ninth Judicial District, Weld County, Alamosa, Pueblo, and Larimer County (Larimer already has 13 members on the Committee).
2. Jane Gill-Kellenberger suggested modifying the ATJ Model Local Committee Charter to include a domestic violence service provider representative to participate on the local committees. The Commission members agreed.
3. The Committee discussed the idea of a Statewide Conference for the Access to Justice Commission, ATJ Committees, and Local Access to Justice Committees.
a. The conference’s purpose would be to provide a forum for Local Access to Justice committee members and members of the Commission and Committees to meet and establish relationships.
b. After discussion, Constance Talmage made a motion that the Local Access to Justice Support Committee submit a proposal to the Access to Justice Commission that details how and where the funds would be spent before any decision on the matter is reached. The motion passed.
D. Courthouse Committee
Barney Iuppa gave the report for the committee. The Committee’s main focus is currently on interpreter services in the courtroom, especially in civil cases. Judge Iuppa invited Melinda Gonzales-Hibner to elaborate on the current state of interpreters at the Access to Justice Courthouse Committee’s meeting that will take place after the Commission’s meeting. Her input will be discussed at the next meeting of the Commission.
E. Ad Hoc Committee
1. Constance Talmage gave the report for Justice Gregory Hobbs. Currently, the State Court Administrators Office is attempting to initiate an automatic waiver of all fees, including computer filing fees, for pro bono cases.
2. The Committee is trying to encourage more law firms to initiate pro bono programs. They are hosting two focus groups that will meet with 13 firms on October 7 and 11, 2005. They will solicit information about the best way to get these law firms and other law firms involved in more pro bono cases.
V. Chair’s Report
1. The Access to Justice Commission Retreat
a. The Retreat will take place in the Executive Conference Room at the CBA offices (1900 Grant St., Suite 900, Denver, CO 80203) on November 11, 2005. The Retreat will begin at 11:00 a.m. The Commission is expecting extended, presentation-like reports from each of the Committees, and encourages those that normally call-in to the meetings to attend the Retreat.
b. Six members of the Access to Justice Commission will have their terms expire this year: Yolanda Fennick, JoAnn Vogt, Dan Taubman, Lynn Scholller, Meredith McBurney, and Gregory Hobbs. JoAnn asked these members to consider whether they will serve additional terms for the Commission and contact her about their willingness to serve again.
VI. Other Business
A. Michelle Miller, the former CBA Liaison, was recently a victim of Hurricane Katrina’s wrath. She lived in New Orleans and lost everything: her house, her new law school books, her clothes, etc. However, she is currently on her way to Chicago to begin law school (again) at Loyola Law School. She is doing much better, and, thanks to all her friends on her old committees, we have raised over $1,300 to help her get back on her feet.
B. Kathleen Schoen discussed Elder Financial Exploitation by People in Positions of Trust: Tips, Tools, and Techniques to a Better Case! This multi-disciplinary training will focus on using pro bono civil law lawyers to assist with stopping elder exploitation. This CLE event will take place at the Adams County District Attorney’s Office in Brighton, on October 7, 2005, at 8:30 a.m.
VII. The Next Meeting of the Access to Justice Commission is: November 11, 2005. It will be located at the CBA offices (1900 Grant St., Suite 900, Denver, CO 80203), and will begin at 11:00 a.m.
