The Virtual Pro Se Clinic (VPC) was established in 2013 by the late Ric Morgan, an attorney in Elbert County who sought to address the justice gap by setting up a virtual clinic in local public libraries. The clinic had expanded to 87 public libraries before Mr. Morgan’s untimely passing in February 2024. The Colorado Access to Justice Commission and the Colorado Lawyers Committee have partnered to relaunch the VPC. 

The Colorado Access to Justice Commission sponsors free monthly legal clinics at the Elizabeth Library!  Colorado Access to Justice Legal Facilitators are licensed attorneys who can offer legal information and advice to community members during 20-minute consultations. This is a great opportunity for people without an attorney to get their legal questions answered for free.  Please help spread the word to members of the community who may be in need! (See Flyer Here). 

Law Day 2025 – Annual Meeting

Date of meeting:
Friday, May 2, 2025

Lunch and Annual Meeting:
12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Presentation of member awards, newly elected DEBA Treasurer, and high school scholarship essay winners. FREE LUNCH.

Presentation:
1:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. “The Constitution’s Promise: Out of Many, One.”
Presented by Colorado Supreme Court Chief Justice Monica Marquez

Location:
Douglas County Courthouse
Jury Assembly Room
4000 Justice Way
Castle Rock, CO 80104

Registration:
Event is free to the public, but space is limited. Please RSVP by emailing jcox@bfwlaw.com.

What is Law Day?
Law Day, held annually, is a national day set aside to celebrate the rule of law. Law Day provides an opportunity to understand how law and the legal process protect our liberty, strive to achieve justice, and contribute to the freedoms that all Americans share. -ABA website.

2025 Theme: “The Constitution’s Promise: Out of Many, One”
The 2025 Law Day theme will be “The Constitution’s Promise: Out of Many, One.” We invite everyone to join us to celebrate Law Day by lifting their voices to strengthen our democracy.

Why this topic now?
The Constitution enshrines our collective responsibility to one another, and the 2025 Law Day theme urges us to take pride in a Constitution that bridges our differences to bring us together as a united nation. Our civic lives tie us together as one “We,” whether through legislative efforts that serve the common good, through military service, or by working together, every day, to fulfill the promise of E pluribus unum, or “Out of many, one.”

What is the Rule of Law?
The Constitution is a dynamic document, as it not only outlines a blueprint for government, but also delegates power, articulates rights, and offers mechanisms for change. It is neither perfect, nor exhaustive, as our nation’s history makes clear. Legislation, court rulings, amendments, lawyers, and “we the people” have built upon those original words across generations to attempt to make the “more perfect Union” more real. That effort continues today, as contemporary leaders and everyday citizens raise their voices as loud as ever to fulfill the promise of the Constitution. Defining and refining those words of the Constitution might be our oldest national tradition, and how each of us works—together—toward a more perfect Union. – ABA website.

2025 Law Day Essay Contest
Essay Question – All entries must address the prompt:
Essay entries should reflect the student’s interpretation of the 2025 Law Day theme by responding to this prompt:
“E Pluribus Unum” literally translates to, “out of many, one,” in Latin. Using current and past events as examples, explain how, and to what extent, our current society and government reflect this maxim.

Contest Rules:

1. All applicants must be a high school junior or senior currently enrolled in a Douglas County or Elbert County high school.
2. Each essay must be the student’s original work.
3. Each essay must be 750 words or fewer, typed, double spaced and one sided.
4. Each student shall submit only one entry.
5. Each entry MUST include the following:
   a) A cover sheet stating:
   1) The student’s name, home address, telephone number, and email;
   2) The school name, address and phone number; and
   3) The essay word count.
   b) An essay meeting the requirements of this contest.
   c) An official school transcript with the student’s GPA or an official or unofficial transcript transmitted directly from a school official; and
   d) Two letters of recommendation.
6. The deadline for entries is Monday, April 1, 2025 at 5 p.m. No late entries will be accepted.
7. Entries must be received via email on or before the deadline, as follows:
   VIA EMAIL:
   • wsmith@sbfl-law.com
   • All documentation and information required for entry MUST be included.
   • In the subject line of the email, you must write: “DEBA ESSAY CONTEST SUBMISSION”.
   • Emailed submissions must be submitted in PDF form.
8. Essays will be judged on format, clarity, style, reasoning, creativity and overall effort.
9. The Douglas Elbert Bar Association will select one contest winner, based on several factors, including the student’s essay, the student’s GPA and classes, letters of recommendation, and extra-curricular activities.
10. Submitted entries will not be returned.
11. The Douglas Elbert Bar Association retains the right to reproduce any essays submitted, in whole or in part, and the names, schools and photos of award recipients.
12. Award recipients should plan to attend this year’s Law Day Event on May 2, 2025 from 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM and may stay for a presentation from 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM.

Prize:
One $5,000 scholarship for payment of college tuition paid directly to the educational institution will be awarded to the winner.

The Judiciary and the Douglas Elbert Bar Association are looking forward to celebrating the beginning of the 23^rd Judicial District with a special inauguration ceremony on January 14, 2025. Please click here for more information, and please forward this information to anyone else who may be interested in attending.

As humanity evolves, the Constitution evolves with it. We are not the same people as the Founding Fathers were when the Constitution was created in the 1700s.