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This Issue: Outstanding Legal Professionals
This week, Law Week interviewed some of the best and brightest legal professionals at Colorado law firms. These outstanding legal professionals were submitted by Law Week subscribers, and they regularly go above and beyond to help their firms, coworkers and clients.
LOCAL NEWS
Colorado AG’s Office Appoints Attorneys for CDPHE Whistleblower Investigation
The Colorado Attorney General’s Office announced attorneys of the firm Trout Pepper will act as Special Assistant Attorneys General in an independent investigation into allegations that the Colorado Department of Public Health and the Environment ordered modelers, and created policies, to hide air pollution violations. Allegations include CDPHE urging staff to ignore violations of air quality standards in issuing permits, and the CDPHE enacted a rule on March 15 prohibiting staff from reviewing compliance. Law Week Reporter Avery Martinez explores the background of the case and the appointment.
OSHA Emergency Standard in Effect for Health Care Employers, Offers Guidance
Tuesday was the deadline for health care employers to comply with most requirements in the OSHA’s COVID-19 emergency temporary standard. Attorneys say the narrowly tailored standard is likely to be OSHA’s last enforceable measure for dealing with the pandemic, but all employers should continue to look for guidance. Reporter Jessica Folker discussed the impact with sources, while looking to how the guidance could affect reopening.
July Bar Exam Will Be Remote
Following a tradition started during the pandemic, the upcoming July bar exam will be administered remotely, the second remote exam in the history of Colorado. The Colorado Supreme Court cited continuing uncertainty around COVID and large groups as reasons for continuing with remote administration. Law Week’s Avery Martinez rounds up some of the key information about the upcoming exam.
5Q
5Q is our new weekly feature here at Law Week. The premise is simple: Each week, a local lawyer gets the chance to answer five questions highlighting their interests, personality, passions, and views on major issues facing the legal community and on the practice of law. Questions can range from what advice you’d give a loved one thinking of entering law school, to naming the hardest thing about your first year practicing law. Interested? Contact Hank Lacey.
NATIONAL NEWS
Reporter Raises Questions on Military Commander’s Ability on Legal Decisions
Evidence is coming out that military commanders may not be prepared to handle complex legal decisions under their view, such as knowing when to prosecute a crime. A report from the Government Accountability Office found that the military services were unable to account for legal training that military commanders took. The report is connected to two bills with heavy bipartisan support currently in Congress, which would take nonmilitary crimes out of the chain of command and give them to an independent prosecutor to handle. (Federal News Network)
Poland Looks to Challenge EU Legal Supremacy in Two Court Cases
Warsaw and Brussels have clashed over the rule of law since a series of contested judicial reforms five years ago, and the conflict is coming to a head this week in two cases that could challenge the European Union’s legal order. The country’s constitutional court is set to rule on whether certain EU treaties provisions are compatible with the Polish constitution and whether the EU’s top court can force the country to suspend part of the judicial reforms. (Financial Times)
Pfizer Set to Speak with US Officials on Vaccine Booster Today
A meeting with top U.S. health officials and Pfizer is set to take place today over the drugmaker’s request for federal authorization for a third dose of the COVID vaccine. President Joe Biden’s chief medical adviser described a booster of the vaccine as “conceivable, maybe likely” and possibly needed. Pfizer claims that boosters for their vaccine will be needed within 12 months, and company doctors claim that a booster shot causes a person’s antibody levels to jump from five-to-ten-fold against the virus after a booster. (Associated Press)
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