Effective August 31, 2020

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(Corrected for changes RE WebEx participation information for bonded advisements)

1. This is a temporary program designed to provide the parties with an alternative to a jury trial setting during the pandemic.  The program does not apply to situations in which the parties are not entitled to a jury trial, nor to situations in which neither party has requested a jury trial.
2. All parties and the originally assigned judge must agree to use the program.  The court or any party may request to utilize the program, provided all parties agree to waive their right to a jury trial.
3. Once the court and the parties agree to use the program, each litigant will fill out the attached form by placing a check next to the name of each judicial officer the litigant is willing to have hear the case in a court trial.  Once completed, the litigants will deliver the form to the originally assigned judge. 
4. If there are common name(s) on both lists, the originally assigned judge will designate the mutually agreed upon judicial officer who will hear the case. If there is more than one common judicial officer, the originally assigned judge will designate which judge will hear the case. 
5. The mutually agreed upon judicial officer will be promptly notified of the selection and will have the opportunity to accept or decline to hear the case based upon conflicts or workload.  If the judicial officer agrees to hear the case, the parties will promptly report to that judicial officer for setting of the court trial.  If the judicial officer declines to hear the case, and there was another mutually agreeable judicial officer on the completed form, the originally assigned judge will restart the process with the next mutually agreed upon judicial officer.
6. If there is no common judicial officer designated by the parties, the case will return to the jury trial calendar of the originally assigned judge.
7. Even if a judicial officer is not participating as a judge willing to accept cases for the program, that judicial officer may nevertheless elect to utilize the program in his/her division.
8. Presently, the program is only available in district court civil cases.
9. Any judicial officer may agree to hear bench trials.  If selected, a magistrate or county court judge will need specific authorization from the Chief Judge to hear the case.

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See full order here.

July 2020 Bar Exam

The Office of Attorney Admissions will hold the July 2020 Bar Exam on July 28 and July 29. We have taken numerous precautions to ensure the safety of the examinees and those administering the exam. For more information regarding the exam, locations and the testing protocols, click here.

Recent graduates who do not wish to sit for the July bar exam have been allowed to transfer their applications to the February 2021 bar exam and to apply for certification for supervised practice. 

Proposed rule changes
 
The Colorado Supreme Court has proposed amendments to rules governing the attorney regulation process and the unauthorized practice of law, and has requested public comments regarding the amendments. Written comments should be submitted to Cheryl Stevens, Clerk of the Supreme Court. Comments may be mailed or delivered to 2 East 14th Avenue, Denver, CO 80203 or emailed to cheryl.stevens@judicial.state.co.us and received no later than 5:00 p.m. on September 15, 2020. For more information, click here and scroll past the year categories.

The Colorado Supreme Court has proposed amendments to the contingent fee rule, which would move the substance of C.R.C.P. 23.3 Rules Governing Contingent Fees into Colo. RPC 1.5 Fees, among other changes. The Colorado Supreme Court will hold a public hearing regarding the amendments on September 22, 2020 at 3:30 p.m. in the Colorado Supreme Court Courtroom, 2 East 14th Avenue, Denver, Colorado. The deadline for written comments is September 3, 2020.  For more information regarding the hearing and the submission of written comments, click here and scroll past the year categories.

Courthouse Access: the employee/attorney entrance solely for jurors between 7:30 a.m. and 9 a.m. on jury trial days, attorneys will need to use Lane 2 of the Tejon St. public entrance during that time frame.  Did you know that you can get an attorney badge for courthouse access? More info here!

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Summonses have been mailed

                After seeking approval from Colorado Supreme Court Chief Justice Nathan B. Coats, Fourth Judicial District Chief Judge William Bain announced today that jury trials will resume on a limited basis in El Paso County the week of July 6, 2020.

                “Trial by jury is the cornerstone of our judicial system, and there is no way to fairly and effectively effect justice without it,” Chief Judge Bain said. “With the thoughtful planning we have put in place in consultation with our local health experts, I am confident we can conduct these trials in a safe and efficient manner for everyone involved.”

                Chief Judge Bain called upon the expertise of El Paso County Department of Health Deputy Director Dr. Leon Kelly (M.D.) to assist in the development of a plan to safely conduct jury trials in the El Paso County Courthouse. That plan, along with a request for a waiver from the Chief Justice’s order suspending jury calls until July 6, was then forwarded to Chief Justice Coats for consideration whereupon he gave his approval.

If you receive a jury summons and have a vulnerability for COVID-19, have been diagnosed with COVID-19, or have been in direct contact with someone who has been diagnosed with COVID-19 within14 days of your scheduled jury service, the Court asks that you contact the jury commissioner to reschedule your jury service.

Attorneys, court staff, defendants, jurors, media, public, victims and witnesses for these trials will be required to wear masks. The judge will spend approximately 30 to 45 minutes conducting the initial introduction and jury qualification process. The judge will not be required to wear a mask during this process, as long as he or she is at least six feet away from everyone else in the courtroom.

From their tables, the attorneys will conduct questions of the jury panel. The judge and attorneys will use a microphone to amplify their voices. Before each person’s use of the microphone, a new piece of plastic wrap will be placed over it. Social distancing measures will also be implemented throughout the courthouse and courtroom.

The Fourth Judicial District is the first judicial district in Colorado to seek and receive approval from the Colorado Supreme Court to resume jury trials.

Rob McCallum

Public Information Officer

Colorado Judicial Department

720-625-5815

robert.mccallum@judicial.state.co.us

Twitter: @rwmccallum

SUPREME COURT OF COLORADO

OFFICE OF THE CHIEF JUSTICE 

MAY 5, 2020 

Updated Order Regarding COVID-19 and Operation of Colorado State Courts

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See Letter