SPRING 2018

A quarterly newsletter of the Office of Attorney Regulation Counsel
Promoting Professionalism. Protecting the Public.
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THE NUMBER

Two hundred
The number of speeches and presentations delivered by the Office of Attorney Regulation Counsel in 2017. From Yuma, all the way to Singapore, the Office covered a wide geographical area to provide information about what we do, why we regulate, and how we achieve our mission of promoting professionalism and protecting the public.

National and global outreach continued in March 2018 as various members of the Colorado legal community lectured at the Beijing Institute of Technology School of Law about mentoring, lawyer assistance, regulation, and the Court.

Then, in April 2018, Jim Coyle, Attorney Regulation Counsel, also presented the National Task Force Report on Lawyer Well-Being alongside Patrick Krill, Anne Stafford and Bree Buchanan (pictured above) to the 400 members in attendance at the National Conference of Bar Examiners annual meeting in Philadelphia. Mr. Coyle and Ms. Buchanan gave a similar presentation earlier that week to the ABA Section on International Law at their annual conference in Manhattan.

The 2017 Annual Report can be found here: Office of Attorney Regulation Counsel 2017 Annual Report.

The Attorneys' Fund for Client Protection publishes a separate report, found here: Attorneys' Fund for Client Protection 2017 Annual Report

NEW RULE
Exemption from CLE requirements changing from age 65 to age 72.
The Colorado Supreme Court adopted a new Rule Change on March 15, 2018 that affects Mandatory Continuing Legal and Judicial Education. Effective July 1, 2018, the rule on mandatory continuing legal education requirements under C.R.C.P. 260 will be replaced by the new C.R.C.P. 250.

The most notable change is that the age exemption from CLE requirements will change from 65 to 72 for actively licensed lawyers and judges. Please note, this does not affect lawyers who are authorized to practice under the Pro Bono Counsel Certification rule, C.R.C.P. 204.6, who are exempt from mandatory CLE.


How will this work?
If you are currently exempt from mandatory CLE based on your age and are not yet 72 years old, you will again become subject to the requirements and your compliance period begins this year and ends December 31, 2021. For those of you who will be turning 65 this year or in 2019 and have not yet become exempt, your compliance period will automatically be extended to December 31, 2021. Once you turn age 72, you will again become exempt from the CLE requirements.


What happens if you turn age 72 before December 31, 2021?
You will become exempt during your first re-entry compliance period, and therefore it is up to you to what extent you wish to enter your CLE activities on your official transcript. Additionally, pursuant to the new rule, even once you become exempt, you will continue to be able to enter your CLE activities on your official transcript. This will allow you to continue to track your CLE, even though not required, for your own use. The Office of Continuing Legal and Judicial Education will be making changes to your CLE record over the next few months and will be ready for the July 1, 2018 effective date, so that you may begin entering your CLE credits online at that time.


Have any questions?
Please feel free to reach out to our office at cleinfo@csc.state.co.us.

WINDS OF CHANGE 
Notable leadership changes coming in 2018.
Several leaders of the legal community are set to retire effective June 30, 2018. Colorado Supreme Court Chief Justice Nancy Rice announced her retirement in March 2018. Her tenure spans nearly two decades as a member of Colorado's highest court, with four-and-a-half of those serving as chief justice. Justice Nathan B. Coats was selected to head the Court as the next Chief Justice.

A change at the helm is also coming to the Office of Attorney Regulation Counsel. Jim Coyle, Attorney Regulation Counsel, will be retiring at the end of June, concluding a 28-year tenure at the Office, including five years as Attorney Regulation Counsel. Five Questions with Jim Coyle: the past, present, and the future. The Colorado Supreme Court will announce the name of the new Attorney Regulation Counsel on May 1.

Barbara Ezyk, Executive Director of the Colorado Lawyer Assistance Program (COLAP), also plans to retire on June 30. Ezyk has extensive experience as both a licensed attorney and licensed registered nurse, and has served as executive director since the program's inception in 2011. Five Questions with Barbara Ezyk: the here and now, and the future. Sarah Myers, currently the Clinical Director of COLAP, was chosen last week by the Selection Committee as the next Executive Director, and will begin her position on July 1, 2018.

Colorado State Public Defender Douglas Wilson will also be retiring, bringing a 37-year legal career to a close. Wilson has more than 30 of those years spent with the Office of the State Public Defender, including 17 years in Pueblo and 12 years as the State Public Defender. 

BUILDING BETTER BUSINESS 
Better Business Bureau offers accreditation opportunities to lawyers and their practices.
The Better Business Bureau (BBB) Denver/Boulder office has nearly 800 lawyers in its network, 75 of which are accredited with a BBB seal that provides consumers added confidence in their business practices while demonstrating that they meet and support BBB Standards of Trust.

"I often hear that people have checked out my firm's BBB profile, and I believe that's due to the timeliness and consistency of the BBB's quality control," said Georgine Kryda, an attorney who owns a BBB Accredited Business.

Kryda, who also works closely with the BBB Denver/Boulder office as a volunteer arbitrator, said the value of a BBB Accredited Business comes from a willingness by the BBB to actively monitor and assist involved businesses. 

Continue the full story here: Building Better Business through BBB Accreditation.

COLAP CORNER 
Are you experiencing exhaustion or fatigue?
There could be many reasons you are feeling run-down or tired. Regardless of the cause, there are several quick, easy ways to mitigate it. Sarah Myers, Clinical Director of the Colorado Lawyer Assistance Program, provides six quick tips on how we can take care of ourselves.

MOVING MOUNTAINS
Strategic plan, a first in CAMP's history
The Colorado Attorney Mentoring Program (CAMP) recently celebrated its five-year anniversary and reported record-breaking growth in 2017.

CAMP has already started taking steps to implement its strategic plan for the next three years, which include a Partner Program Handbook, new Mentoring Circles, and a 2018 Marketing & Communications Plan.

IMPROVE YOUR PRACTICE
An opportunity for professional growth, renewal, and learning.
Change and growth are central to a program that the Office of Attorney Regulation Counsel unveiled last year: the Colorado Lawyer Self-Assessment Program. The program consists of a series of ten self-assessments on professionalism topics.

Since this is a season of change and new growth, consider using the Colorado Lawyer Self-Assessment Program to review your practice’s procedures when it comes to client service, law office management, and ethical obligations.


Prefer to print the survey and complete it? A downloadable print, PDF form is available. Is an online survey more flexible for your workload and schedule? The assessment is also available online.

Looking for additional information about procedures in your practice? The program offers a range of educational resources from opinions published by the Colorado Bar Association's Ethics Committee to template forms like model engagement letters.

Just too busy to complete the one-and-a-half hour survey in one sitting? Assessments can be completed in sections and returned to at a later time. Three general and three ethics credits have also been approved.

SHARE YOUR STORY
#ProfessionalismMatters
To kick-off the new year, Chief Justice Nancy Rice issued a letter announcing the launch of a Twitter-based initiative to expand Legal Professionalism Month within the Colorado Supreme Court. 

The initiative has been growing steadily and features numerous contributions, including posts about the state's largest online collaborative resource, upcoming CLE opportunities, and the Colorado Attorney Mentoring Program.

However, there's still plenty of opportunity to share your story about why #ProfessionalismMatters to the legal community in the State of Colorado.
James C. Coyle
Attorney Regulation Counsel

 
IMPORTANT DATES

CLEs & OFFICE PRESENTATIONS

Apr. 9  Professor Dan Vigil's class presentation on what it means to become a Colorado lawyer, Sturm College of Law of University of Denver in Denver, CO (Jim Coyle)

Apr. 10  Karl Ranous Awards Presentation - a co-presentation with COLAP Executive Director Barbara Ezyk on the new Colorado Lawyer Self-Assessment Program, and Lawyer Well-Being in Gunnison, CO (Jim Coyle/Barbara Ezyk)

Apr. 10  Ethics and Negative Online Reviews, First Judicial District Bar Association in Golden, CO (James Wilder)

Apr. 12  Practicing with Professionalism, CBA-CLE in Denver, CO

Apr. 13  Trust Account School taught by the Office of Attorney Regulation Counsel and open to all attorneys and legal staff.

Apr. 16-17  ABA International Lawyers Section presentation on the August 2017 report from the National Task Force on Lawyer Well-Being in New York City, NY (Jim Coyle/Bree Buchanan)

Apr. 18  Succession Planning for Lawyers and Law Firms, Larimer County Bar Association's Ethics CLE Annual Ethics seminar in Fort Collins, CO (Greg Sapakoff)

Apr. 20  National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE) (plenary presentation) in Philadelphia, PA (Jim Coyle/Bree Buchanan/Patrick Krill/Anne Stafford)

Apr. 21  National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE) presentation on how to determine rehabilitation from an underlying mental health disorder in admissions matters in Philadelphia, PA (Jim Coyle/Patrick Krill)

Apr. 30  Lawyer Well-Being: Finding the Right Balance, CBA Young Lawyers Division CLE program, Colorado Bar Association in Denver, CO (Jim Coyle)

May 1  Pueblo County Bar Association, in Pueblo, CO (April McMurrey/Jonathan White/Sarah Myers)

May 8  The Fine Line Between Legitimate Support Activities and the Unauthorized Practice of Law, Colorado Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Webinar (James Wilder)

May 8  Ethics of Pro Bono Representation, Colorado Hispanic Bar Association in Denver, CO (James Wilder)

May 11  Modern Representation 101: A Win-Win for Lawyers and Clients, CBA-CLE in Denver, CO (Ryann Peyton/April McMurrey/Jonathan White)

May 14  Practicing with Professionalism, CBA-CLE in Denver, CO

May 15  Wisconsin Supreme Court presentation - a co-presentation to the Wisconsin Supreme Court with Justice Nathan (Ben) Coats on Colorado's and other states' approaches to lawyer regulation in Madison, WI (Jim Coyle/Justice Coats)

May 15  Practicing with Professionalism, CBA-CLE in Denver, CO

May 16  Ethics of Social Media, Denver Bar Association Member Appreciation Month, Denver Bar Association in Denver, CO (Sara Van Deusen)

May 18  The Fine Line Between Legitimate Support Activities and the Unauthorized Practice of Law, Rocky Mountain Paralegal Association in Denver, CO (James Wilder)

Jun. 13  Notario Fraud in Domestic Relations Matters, 2018 Annual Judicial Domestic Relations Institute in Denver, CO (Jim Coyle)

Jun. 20  Professor Dan Vigil's ethics class, Sturm College of Law of University of Denver in Denver, CO (Jim Coyle)

Jun. 21  Practicing with Professionalism, CBA-CLE in Denver, CO

Jun. 22  Ethics: Using Social Media and the Rules of Professional Conduct Together, Federal Practice Update, CBA-CLE in Denver, CO (Sara Van Deusen)

Jun. 19-22  Municipal Law: Living and Working in the Same Community, Colorado Municipal League Summer Conference in Vail, CO (Jacob Vos)

Jun. 28  Coffee Talk: Lawyer Self-Assessment Program, CBA-CLE in Denver, CO (Jonathan White)

Jul. 17  The Colorado Lawyer Self-Assessment Program: Promoting a Thriving Law Practice, CBA-CLE in Denver, CO (Margaret Funk/April McMurrey/Sarah Myers/Ryann Peyton/Sara Van Deusen/James Wilder/Jonathan White)

Jul. 20  Trust Account School taught by the Office of Attorney Regulation Counsel and open to all attorneys and legal staff.

Jul. 26  Practicing with Professionalism, CBA-CLE in Denver, CO
 

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