The Colorado Lawyers Committee is a nonpartisan group of more than 70 Colorado law firms dedicated to increasing opportunities for disadvantaged communities through pro bono legal work. Each year, the organization hosts a luncheon and honors local attorneys, judges and law firms with awards that demonstrate their dedication to the community and to pro bono service.
In a preview article last week, Law Week Colorado covered the nominees for Individual of the Year and Law Firm of the Year. At the CLC’s award luncheon on Thursday, Sept. 26, the committee named Fennemore’s Tasha Power the organization’s Individual of the Year. The Harris Law Firm was the recipient of the organization’s Law Firm of the Year award.
Power has been involved with CLC’s education task force, including the school discipline subcommittee and pro bono school expulsion project. In 2023, the organization created a pilot program to represent students facing expulsion hearings. The CLC noted exclusionary discipline disproportionately burdens students of color, students with disabilities and students who identify as LGBTQ+.
The nonprofit’s project focuses on providing legal representation to students across Colorado facing expulsion who may not be able to afford legal assistance. Power made a significant impact in the project last year.
The CLC also noted Power volunteers with the Small Business Legal Assistance Program. Specifically, Power helps small businesses with questions about drafting contracts and negotiating lease agreements.
During 2023, 21 attorneys and staff at The Harris Law Firm, or 88% of the firm’s lawyers, participated in 15 projects and donated 143.7 hours of time. Rich Harris also served on the CLC’s board of directors.
Erika Carter, Dan Droege, Katy Ellis, Ursula Honigman, Taylor Jordan, Rachael Kamlet, Lara Rausch, Marivette Rivera and Jason Thacher participated in Denver Legal Night to provide advice and referrals to low-income clients who didn’t otherwise have access to legal services.
Niceta Bradburn, Peter Goldstein, Tiffany Pelham Webb and Jennie Wray participated in the children’s task force, which examines issues impacting children in Colorado to determine if there are legal issues that would benefit from legal advocacy.
Ellis and Wray participated in the education task force. Honigman participated in the criminal justice task force and Wray participated in the special education subcommittee of the education task force and the racial justice task force. Wray also led the school discipline subcommittee and the school expulsion project. Bradburn and Pelham Webb participated in the school discipline subcommittee.
Hannah Cope, Honigman, Barbara Johnson-Stern and Eric Limegrover participated in the school expulsion project. Carter participated in the election task force.
Nine of the firm’s attorneys were members of the Young Lawyers Division: Carter, Cope, Al Dudley, Honigman, Jordan, Emily Olson, Rausch, Heather White and Jennifer Workman.
The luncheon’s keynote speech was delivered by Amber McReynolds, who is on the board of governors for the U.S. Postal Service. She serves as vice chairman for the board of governors and chairs the board’s election and government mail committee.
As the former director of elections for the City and County of Denver, McReynolds led the implementation of a first-in-the-nation ballot tracking, reporting and communication program to increase accountability and enhance security for mail ballots. According to the CLC, her efforts garnered national and international awards and helped shape Colorado’s vote-by-mail expansion in 2013.