Yesterday, we gathered with over 200 friends, colleagues, and partners from across Colorado’s legal community to celebrate a truly historic milestone: the 100th anniversary of Colorado Legal Services (CLS). The Champions of Justice event, co-hosted by the Legal Aid Foundation, CLS, and the Legal Services Corporation, honored a century of unwavering commitment to ensuring access to justice for all, regardless of income or background, and called upon us all to recommit ourselves to the next 100 years of justice.
We began the day with a Forum on Increasing Access to Justice, featuring a fireside chat with current and former CLS Executive Directors Matt Baca and Jon Asher, moderated by Jaclyn Allen of Denver7 News, as well as a panel discussion around closing the rural justice gap featuring Aracely Gutierrez, CLS’s first practicing LLP, Chad Keiser, CLS Alamosa’s Managing Attorney, and Elisa “Emo” Overall, Executive Director of the Colorado Access to Justice Commission, moderated by Ron Flagg, President of LSC. The forum also included a moving testimonial video from a former CLS client, who spoke about the transformative power of legal aid in her and her children’s lives.
During the evening Anniversary Reception, we enjoyed a keynote address from Colorado Supreme Court Chief Justice Monica Marquez, as well as remarks and the delivery of a congressional proclamation recognizing this milestone anniversary from Congresswoman Diane DeGette.
This remarkable evening gave us the opportunity to lift up and recognize many of the Champions of Justice who make this work possible. Their dedication reflects the spirit that has fueled CLS since its founding in 1925: that access to justice is not a privilege, but a right.
The awardees included:
- Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser – Champion of Justice Award
- Marilyn Billings, longest-serving employee of CLS – Champion of Justice Award
- Tina Smith, CLS Board Chair – Champion of Justice Award
- Jon Asher, Former CLS Executive Director – Champion of Justice Award
- Steve Koerner, CLS Colorado Springs – Pro Bono Award
- David Sipiora, CLS Boulder – Pro Bono Award
- William “Buck” Mann, CLS Denver – Pro Bono Award
- Wes Hassler, CLS Pueblo – Pro Bono Award
- Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck – Pro Bono Firm Award
But as much as the event was a celebration, it was also a call to action. The challenges facing Colorado communities remain significant—housing insecurity, consumer debt, access to healthcare—and the need for civil legal aid is greater than ever. The Legal Aid Foundation and CLS will continue to stand alongside those who need help most and we invite you to stand with us. Your support ensures that CLS can continue this work to protect vulnerable Coloradans and strengthen our communities for generations to come.
Your gift ensures that a veteran living on the streets of Denver can get an ID and access housing, healthcare, and job opportunities, sends a legal aid attorney to court in Colorado Springs so that a survivor of domestic violence won’t be alone as she confronts her abuser, and helps a child in Pueblo get adopted by a family member and stay out of the child welfare system.
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