All we need is the name and email address for at least one associate who is willing to represent the firm and ask their colleagues for their support. Sign up using this form. 

Yes! We hold a kickoff event each February to train firm reps on how the Associates Campaign works. We’ll even help you practice asking your colleagues to donate. 

The 2024 Associates Campaign Kickoff will be on February 15th from noon to 1 pm at Faegre Drinker. Lunch is provided for firm reps. Please be sure that all of your firm’s reps are listed below so that we know how many people to expect at the kickoff. 

Can’t make it in-person? We can share written materials to help you prepare. 

All firms that participate are recognized on this page. 

We also present awards to firms that go above and beyond. Awards are presented at a celebration event in April. 2024’s celebration event will be held on April 10th from 5 to 7 pm at Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner. Below is a list of awards that firms can compete to receive. 

• Highest Grand Total Gift
  • Small Firm (1-9 Associates)
  • Medium Firm (10-19 Associates)
  • Large Firm (20+ Associates)
  • This category includes all gifts made, including by partners, support staff, friends, and family. Donors must indicate which firm should get credit for their gift.
• Highest Per Capita Associate Gift
  • Small Firm (1-9 Associates)
  • Medium Firm (10-19 Associates)
  • Large Firm (20+ Associates)
• Highest Number of Non-Associate Donors
  • Small Firm (1-9 Associates)
  • Medium Firm (10-19 Associates)
  • Large Firm (20+ Associates)
  • This category includes all gifts made by non-associates, including by partners, support staff, friends, and family. Donors must indicate which firm should get credit for their gift.
• Most Growth Year Over Year
  • Small Firm (1-9 Associates)
  • Medium Firm (10-19 Associates)
  • Large Firm (20+ Associates)
• 100% Associate Participation
• Most Creative Fundraising

Yes! We welcome firms of all sizes to participate, whether you have one associate or 50. We even have awards specifically for small firms. 

The suggested donation is half the associate’s hourly fee–we hope this makes participation achievable for everyone.

Ways to give:

• Online. Click here to give online. Please use your firm email address to ensure the firm gets credit for the gift. 
• Check. Mail checks payable to the Legal Aid Foundation of Colorado to 1120 Lincoln Street, Suite 701 Denver, Colorado 80203. Please include your firm’s name in the memo line to ensure the firm gets credit for the gift. 

Online donations must be received between midnight on March 1st and midnight on March 31st to count for awards purposes. Similarly, checks must be dated no earlier than March 1st and postmarked no later than March 31st and received no later than April 5th to count for awards purposes. 

Many firms create internal competitions or incentives to make the Associates Campaign fun for everyone involved. Below are some of the ideas that firms have shared with us.

• The associate who donates the most gets to pick a partner who has to share an embarrassing photo from their teenage years.
• The firm rep wears a silly outfit if the firm meets its giving goal. Examples have included firm reps dressing up as cats, wearing tutus, etc.
• A firm rep had a life-sized cutout of a beloved partner giving a thumbs-up made. As associates gave, the cutout appeared in front of their office.

If you come up with a fun incentive or competition, please share it with us!

To count for awards purposes, donations must be made during the month of March.* Anyone employed by a firm can donate, including associates, partners, and support staff. Friends and family can also give and designate their gift to count for a particular law firm. The firm may also match gifts made by its employees.

The suggested gift for an associate is half of their hourly fee, but gifts in any amount are welcome. 

*Online donations must be received between March 1st and March 31st to count for awards purposes. Similarly, checks must be dated no earlier than March 1st and postmarked no later than March 31st, and received no later than April 5th to count for awards purposes. 

We suggest that associates give an amount equal to half of their hourly fee. For attorneys who do not bill by the hour, we ask for an equivalent amount that is meaningful to them. This gift can be given all at once or divided up into a monthly gift that adds up to that amount over a year. 

Although we have a suggested gift amount, donations in any amount are appreciated and provide hope and help to low-income Coloradans. 

The Associates Campaign benefits Colorado Legal Services. Their attorneys provide free legal help to Coloradans facing a crisis like domestic abuse or homelessness.

Colorado Legal Services has only 85 lawyers on staff, but nearly 700,000 Coloradans qualify for their help. By contrast, there are 535 public defenders in the state. For every person served by legal services, at least one income-eligible person is turned away because of inadequate resources.

Generally, Colorado Legal Services helps people who are living at or below 125% of the federal poverty level. For a single person, that amount is $18,225 and for a family of four, it is $37,500. 

Colorado Legal Services’ clients face problems that threaten their basic needs, like income, housing, food, and physical safety. 

Colorado Legal Services helps low-income families with problems that affect their basic needs. Case types include:

• Family–Domestic violence, guardianship, child custody, child support, etc.
• Housing–Eviction defense, foreclosure defense, landlord/tenant disputes, etc.
• Elder–Wills, powers of attorney, elder abuse prevention, etc.
• Consumer–Bankruptcy, garnishment, debt collection defense, small claims, etc.
• Other–Record sealing, disaster relief assistance, obtaining IDs for unhoused Coloradans, etc.