The March edition of The Colorado Lawyer included a compelling article about the Associates Campaign and the important work of CLS’s Specialized Immigrant Services unit.
“The Legal Aid Foundation of Colorado kicks off its annual Associates Campaign for Justice on March 1. Now in its 12th year, the Associates Campaign has become a spring tradition at law firms around the state—and for good reason. The Associates Campaign provides an important funding source for Colorado Legal Services (CLS), the only agency in Colorado that offers free civil legal services to indigent clients and underserved populations in every single Colorado county. The Associates Campaign is also an opportunity for younger and newer attorneys to step up and assume a leadership role in supporting CLS and its 100-plus person staff, who are dedicated to serving the nearly 900,000 Coloradans who are income-eligible for CLS’s services.
This article highlights the important work of CLS’s Specialized Immigrant Services unit, as generously shared by CLS attorneys Karina Arreola and Patricia Medige. Arreola and Medige’s clients are among the most vulnerable and least visible victims of crime, violence, and exploitation in our communities. And yet they play an essential role in local, state, and national law enforcement efforts. Without competent representation by CLS attorneys like Arreola and Medige, individuals and businesses that prey on the powerless will escape prosecution and their victims will never see justice.
By combating human trafficking and aiding noncitizen crime victims in obtaining legal status and testifying against their perpetrators, CLS helps strengthen Colorado communities, making them safer and more secure. You can support CLS through participation in the 2016 Associates Campaign by visiting legalaidfoundation.org and selecting “Donate Now.”