2020 LAW DAY AWARDS AND ANNOUNCMENTS
The Law Day 2020 theme:
Advancing the Rule of Law Now: Access and Accountability, A Call to Action
How might we advance the rule of law in the United States? During a time of division, polarization, civil unrest, the rule of law provides opportunities to sustain the nation and implement real change. Program will explore contemporary domestic issues and how each contributes to “advancing the rule of law now.”
PLEASE JOIN US IN CONGRATULATING THIS YEAR’S WINNERS OF THE DOUGLAS/ELBERT BAR ASSOCIATION’S LAW DAY AWARDS!
Outstanding Young Lawyer
Ashleigh N. Beck, Law Office of Opfer, Campbell Beck, P.C.
Ashleigh received her Juris Doctorate from the Regent University School of Law in Virginia Beach, Virginia in May 2015 and was admitted to practice law in Colorado in May of 2016. While in law school, Ashleigh interned for the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute, a nonprofit organization focused on raising awareness about children in need of families, which led to her interning for U.S. Senator John Boozman (AR) and U.S. Representative J. Randy Forbes (VA-04) where she worked on issues affecting children and constituent relations. A Colorado native, Ashleigh returned to Colorado in July 2016 to be closer to her family after working in government affairs in Washington, D.C. Beyond an impressive resume, what is impressive about Ashleigh is that she started life as a foster child who has seen first-hand the issues facing children in care. That inspired her to continue her education to be able to help children and families in the courtroom. Clearly, working with children and families is her passion. Her experience and education as a social worker, work with legislation and her law degree, Ashleigh is a wonderful example of exactly what you would hope for in a young lawyer. Ashleigh lives in the mountains with her husband and their two dogs, Monty (a husky) and Moose (a Berne doodle).
Professionalism
C. Darin Jensen, Nixon Shefrin Ogburn Drew
Darin earned his law degree from the University of Denver College of Law in 2003 and began his legal career as a judicial law clerk. Before law school, Darin double-majored in sociology and history at Southwestern Oklahoma State University, and then went on to the University of Oklahoma where he was a graduate teaching fellow and supplemental instructor and tutor. Darin Jensen has dedicated his entire legal career exclusively to domestic relations and family law. Darin is well respected by his colleagues, the courts, and other professionals within the legal community, as evidenced by his receipt of the professionalism award. In his practice, Darin embraces the roles of advisor, ally, and advocate. Darin is an active member in organizations that improve and advance the service and professionalism of lawyers, including the Colorado Bar Association-Family Law Section, the Arapahoe and Douglas-Elbert Bar Associations, the Metropolitan Denver Interdisciplinary Committee, Colorado Collaborative Divorce Professionals, and the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals. Darin enjoys everything Colorado has to offer for outdoor activities, particularly snowboarding, mountain biking, and hiking and climbing in Colorado’s mountain playground. Darin and his wife are nearing completion of their first lap of Colorado’s 14ers, having stood atop 42 of the state’s highest summits so far (some multiple times), and they’ve already started on their second lap with new routes and approaches. Darin is also a die-hard Rockies fan.
Outstanding Volunteer
Ric Morgan, Ric N. Morgan, LLC.
Ric Morgan has long been deeply involved in Access to Justice programs, and was the founding co-chair of the 18th Judicial District’s Access to Justice Committee. Over the past dozen years, he developed and supported Pro Se Clinics and Domestic Violence programs in four nearby counties. In 2011, he coordinated efforts to set up a new Veterans Treatment Court in the 18th Judicial District, which was funded, established, and had its first graduates in 2015. In 2013, he founded the Virtual Pro Se Clinic (VPC) program, which is a public-private collaboration delivering free monthly legal clinics to local libraries in 35 Colorado Counties, all by computer link. Ric also provides pro bono legal counsel for various local non-profit organizations, including farmers & ranchers organizations, veterans groups, municipal districts, local citizens groups, and governmental bodies. Ric is a graduate of Denver University Law School, and has an MS from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California, and his BS from Colorado State University. He and his wife operate a small dairy goat farm in rural Elbert County, and they have two grown sons, and three grand-daughters. In addition to goat farming, he enjoys genealogy, shooting sports, carpentry, beekeeping, and is an avid student of history.
Outstanding Court Judicial Assistant
Jamie Stark, Division 3, Douglas County District Court
Jamie began with the Colorado courts in June 2016 and has served the 18th Judicial District for nearly five years now. In her current assignment in Division 3 she is the most senior Domestic Relations Division clerk in Douglas County. However, her service is not limited to the domestic divisions – Jamie routinely volunteers to assist in the training of new division clerks in Douglas County, including most recently, the new staff in Division 7 which hears both Dependency Neglect and Domestic Relations dockets. Jamie also has experience with juries and previously served in as a division clerk in Elbert County and in the Douglas County Clerk’s Office. Jamie also completed the specialized Criminal Academy Training in 2018 to ensure she could cross-train other clerks as well as serve criminal divisions. It is indisputable that Jamie’s strongest attribute is her remarkable customer service skill. Regardless of whether she is engaged with the most experienced domestic relations attorney or is assisting a struggling pro se party – Jamie truly cares that she provide the most efficient and accurate communication possible. Ms. Stark is an amazing woman with an infectiously positive attitude. She has a kind and giving heart and her humor even with her professionalism, is second to none. Jamie is a proud member of the Choctaw/Chickasaw Tribe and prior to moving to Colorado Jamie served as an Assistant Court Clerk to the Ho-Chunk Nation-Judiciary in Wisconsin. her son serves as a Corporal in the U.S. Marines and her daughter serves as a Staff Sergeant in the U.S. Air Force.
DEBA Treasurer Election Results
Stuart k, Skok, Cox Baker & Page, LLC
DEBA is happy to welcome Stuart K. Skok as the incoming Treasurer for 2021-2022. Stuart is a graduate of the University of Denver and returned to Colorado in the Fall of 2020 after practicing exclusively in family law in Maryland and Washington, D.C. for the past 25 years. Stuart has always enjoyed bar leadership throughout her career. Some of her positions include past President of the Montgomery County, Maryland Chapter of the Women’s Bar Association, past President of the Collaborative Divorce Association, Inc., twice past Co-Chair of the Family Law Section for Montgomery County, Maryland, earning Co-Chair of the Year Award for each term, and past Barrister of the Montgomery County Maryland Inn of Court. She also served on the Peer Review Committee for the Attorney Grievance Commission of Maryland for the past 20 years. She is currently a member of the Colorado Bar Association (CBA), Colorado Women’s Bar Association (CWBA) and h Douglas Elbert Bar Association (DEBA).
DEBA Law Day Essay Scholarship
This year we had applicants from ten different schools in both Counties whose essays addressed the question “Can one person have an impact on advancing the rule of law? Why or why not?”
As a board, we selected winners based on the quality of the essay, the student’s school performance, letters of recommendation, community involvement and extracurricular activities.
The winner of this year’s contest is Alaina Deville from Thunder Ridge High School. As an 11th Grader, Alaina has a near perfect GPA. She has taken a rigorous load of AP Classes and also studies photography, fashion design and Spanish.
Beyond her success in classroom, Alaina is advancing the rule of law in the Courtroom. She is a Peer Panelist on Lone Tree’s Teen Court, a voluntary diversionary program that seeks rehabilitative justice for youth accused of misdemeanors. In addition to her service in that capacity, Alaina was accepted on the Student Leadership Board for Teen Court and is working help make the program even more effective for the students and the community.
Alaina is an aspiring lawyer, and attended C.U.’s “Mini Law School Program.” Based on what she learned about the topics covered, Alaina was asked to make a presentation to the Lone Tree City Council.
Alaina embodies the ideal of servant leadership by serving as a tutor in the community. She has put her Spanish learning to good use by serving as a tutor for English as a Second Language learners who are also experiencing poverty. Further, she has served as a tutor for the CASA program, assisting court impacted youth to overcome the educational challenges that often accompany the other challenges they face.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Alaina Deville from Thunder Ridge High School
2021 Law Day Essay Entry
Equitable rule of law in a modern society is a quality mechanism that provides
significant benefits to all persons. Furthermore, an individual can definitely make an
impact on advancing the rule of law. As John F. Kennedy said, “one person can make a
difference, and everyone should try”. Proven time and time again by history, a single
person is enough to create impact. Individuals such as Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr, and
Elizabeth Cady Stanton all initiated change in the rule of law by influencing others. These
people empowered the world into progressive advancement through their actions, words,
and beliefs. In the legal cases that changed our nation, like Roe v. Wade, Brown v. Board
of Education, and Miranda v. Arizona, it took just one person to believe something was
wrong, and that belief completely altered the course of the future. Similarly, the tragic
death of George Floyd impacted America’s current rule of law. His death exhibited that
America’s current rule of law was not equitable among all American citizens. Due to this,
the topic of systematic racism is now centerstage because of its unjust cruelty on targeted
peoples. These controversies, woven into the history of our nation, are remembered
because of the individuals who rose up to the challenge of fighting for equality, fairness,
and accountability for all people under law.
My perspective on this has been notably developed because of my volunteer service. I
have taught children in hard socioeconomic situations where English is their second language
and tutor children in abusive home situations through Advocates for Children CASA. This has
helped me understand the significance of an individual’s actions in developing younger
generations’ perception of right and wrong and fair and unfair. A stable role model for a child
with a difficult home life can be the difference between them overcoming or succumbing to their
current situation. My individual actions can shape not only my future but the future of others and
in turn the ever changing rule of law. My participation in Lone Tree Teen Court has also
influenced my beliefs. I sit on peer panels for teens who have committed misdemeanors and
then the other panelists and I create a personal restorative justice sentence for them. This helps
them recognize how their actions negatively affected the community and how they can become
a positive influence because of a negative experience. A teen understanding his or her actions
raises their sense of accountability. They then better comprehend the social responsibility that
each and every person has and must uphold in order to have a just and equitable society. These
experiences have helped me see how meaningful and powerful one person’s actions can be. All
of us have the strength to influence and impact the world so it’s important to remember that
while there’s only one Martin Luther King Jr or one Ghandi, there’s also only one you. A person
whose mere choices can shape society and in turn shape the rule of law.
