“The Legal Aid Foundation’s Associates Campaign fundraiser saw more than $231,000 donated from 62 firms around Colorado for the organization providing legal services to indigent Coloradans.
The fundraiser, which has been running since 2005, brings young attorneys into the fold raising money for the organization. The campaign asks associates to donate half the amount of one billable hour, putting the fundraising goal at a mark that is expected to be affordable for associates.
“The Associates Campaign has grown by leaps and bounds since it started in 2005, thanks to the leadership demonstrated by young lawyers on behalf of legal aid,” said Kelly Bossley, associate director of Legal Aid Foundation.
And while she said the competition aspect of the campaign is an easy way to get attorneys involved, that’s not the focus of the campaign. Getting young lawyers involved and committed to legal aid early on in their careers is the key part of the campaign, she said.
“More important than the actual dollars raised is the education and exposure of a younger generation of lawyers as they assume the important leadership role played by the private bar in improving access to civil justice for those who cannot afford counsel” Bossley said.
The campaign ended with 40 firms reaching 100 percent participation and 784 associates donating in total. The campaign raised $39,159 more than in 2018 and well over the goal of $200,000, Bossley said. “We had phenomenal results. We couldn’t be happier…that we were not only able to meet that goal but surpass it.”
View the rest of the Law Week Colorado article and the 2019 Associates Campaign results