Educational Programming & Materials

General Information

  • Please RSVP even if you cannot attend.
  • Guests: If you bring a guest, you’re responsible for their meal ($__.00) at check-in which can be paid by cash, check, or credit card.
  • Location: unless otherwise stated, our Inn meets here: University Club, 1673 Sherman Street Denver, CO 80203.
  • Cocktail Hour starts at 5:45 PM (Cash Bar).
  • Dinner begins promptly at 6:30 PM.
  • NEW! CLE Information: Members must log into the Inn’s website to access the CLE code/form and printed materials.

2021-2022

March 3, 2022 – Professionalism in the Era of COVID-19

An open discussion between the bench and the bar about professionalism since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. This discussion will also address methods for handling bad and sometimes unprofessional behavior, with recommendations from the head of the Office of Attorney Regulation, Jessica E. Yates. Inn members will have a chance to ask questions to Ms. Yates at the end of the program. CLE Credit: This presentation has been submitted for 1 General CLE credit.

February 3, 2022 - Lawyer Well-being in the Age of COVID – a virtual presentation

The Honorable Monica Márquez, Justice of the Colorado Supreme Court, and Amy Phillips, Associate Director of COLAP, will each be speaking about how Covid has impacted lawyer well-being and mental health over the past couple of years. Ms. Phillip’s presentation will briefly review the neurobiology and neurophysiology of stress and trauma, why and how stress is contagious, and provide strategies on how to capitalize on this information to build resilient transitional strategies to carry you forward in 2022. CLE Credit: The presentation will be submitted for 1 General CLE Credit.

 

November 2021 - A New Day: How the Pandemic Has Changed the Office
Please join the Judge Welling Group for a panel presentation from three different legal organization perspectives.  Experts from the areas of: private law, mediation, and government will discuss how their organizations have changed during the pandemic and how they are moving forward.  They will explain how their organizations have grappled with remote work, onboarding new attorneys, new uses for technology, and how they have planned for future pandemic outbreaks.  Inn members will be able to ask questions following the presentation. CLE Credit: This presentation has been submitted for 1 General CLE credit.
October 2021 - The Summer of 1951: the Trial of Brown v. Board of Education
Please join the Judges Buchanan and Klein group as we explore the NAACP’s strategic litigation campaign against one of the most persistent forms of institutional racism, segregated public schools, culminating in the Supreme Court's decision in Brown v. Board of Education. There will be a PowerPoint presentation, and Inn members will have an opportunity to discuss the constitutional issues involved, whether such a campaign would be possible today, and the legacy of Brown. CLE Credit: This presentation has been submitted for 1 General CLE credit.

 

May 2021 - "The Sanction Zone" 
Please join the Judge Starrs Group for a presentation of three skits related to attorney representation. Each skit will present a scenario which will raise ethical questions – “cautionary tales to amuse, terrify, and perhaps educate.” Inn members will have the opportunity to discuss each scenario and determine whether sanctions against the attorneys should be imposed and if so, which ones. Inn members will be able to ask questions following the presentation. CLE Credit: This presentation has been submitted for 1 General CLE credit.

 

March 2021 - "Courts, Cops, and Consequences: The Colorado Edition" (A special, virtual event. Jointly presented by Rhone-Brackett and Sonia Sotomayor Inns)
This program will be presented by the Rhone-Brackett and Sotomayor American Inns of Court using the Zoom.com platform. With the increasingly mainstream visibility of racial equality movements, such as Black Lives Matter, public interest and discourse around qualified immunity has grown. The doctrine is an automatic defense in a civil lawsuit, unless a plaintiff can show that there has been a case in the U.S. Supreme Court or in a relevant Federal Appeals. Court where the precise conduct at issue was held unconstitutional. Last June, Colorado’s state legislature enacted Senate Bill 217. How and why the passage of this legislation impacts the concept of qualified immunity in Colorado is the subject of discussion. We have invited Mari Newman of Kilmer, Lane & Newman, LLP and Rebecca Wallace Senior Staff Attorney & Senior Policy Counsel at the ACLU of Colorado for a conversation about Colorado’s new law enforcement reform legislation (SB 217). CLE Credit: This presentation has been submitted for 1 General CLE credit.

 

March 2021 - "The Attorney General's Office as a Force for Good" 
Please join the Judge Englert Group for a presentation by lawyers from the Colorado Attorney General’s Office regarding how their work has served as a force for good. Senior Assistant Attorney General Mark Bailey will explain his efforts to enforce Colorado’s consumer protection laws during the COVID-19 pandemic. Assistant Attorneys General Joel Minor and Kyle Davenport will explain the regulatory and legislative process that led to the development of innovative changes to Colorado’s regulation of oil and gas development. First Assistant Attorney General Stephanie Scoville will discuss the Office’s defense of legislation, including public safety laws. CLE Credit: This presentation has been submitted for 1 General CLE credit.

 

February 2021 - "Problem-Solving Courts in the 18th Judicial District" 

Please join the Judges Kramer/King/Baum Group for a presentation by Judge Bonnie McLean. Judge McLean will discuss the history of the problem-solving courts and the various problem-solving courts in the 18th Judicial District, including Recovery Court, Sobriety Court, Veterans Court, and Wellness Court. Inn members will have the opportunity to ask questions and learn about how the problem-solving courts have operated and have pivoted during COVID. CLE Credit: This presentation has been submitted for 1 General CLE credit.

 

2019-2020

December 2020 - "Fast and Fraudulent" Screening and Discussion

Please join the Judge Klein/Johnson Group in the screening of one episode from the documentary series “American Greed: Biggest Cons” entitled, “Fast and Fraudulent.” This episode involves the Colorado Attorney General’s investigation and lawsuit regarding internet payday lending by Native American tribes. Following the screening of the episode, there will be a discussion with the show’s producer, Lance Hori, a Chicago-based writer and producer of TV documentaries. Inn members will have the opportunity to ask questions and learn about internet payday lending and Native American tribal sovereign immunity. CLE Credit: This presentation has been submitted for 1 General CLE credit.

 

November 2020 - "LYRIC - Helping Kids Understand Their Rights"

In the spirit of “Lawyers Doing Good,” please join the Judge Freyre Group in welcoming speakers Hannah Seigel Proff and Michael Juba, who will discuss their non-profit, “Learn Your Rights in the Community” (LYRIC). This presentation focuses on the 4th, 5th, and 6th Amendments and empowering youth to safely and effectively assert these rights when interacting with the community. Inn members will have the opportunity to ask questions and learn how they can get involved to help youth in Denver understand their rights. CLE Credit: This presentation has been submitted for 1 General CLE credit.

 

October 2020 - "Wait, Wait . . . Don't Tell Me!" 

Please join the Judge Terry Group for a special, virtual Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me!-styled podcast about the legal implications of COVID-19. Questions will be posed in rounds of the hilarious and entertaining "Bluff the Listener," "Not My Job," and "Lightning Round" categories. Pupillage groups will be able to discuss the questions in break-out rooms and then come back together where the Judge Terry Group members will provide answers and explanations. CLE Credit: This presentation has been submitted for 1 General CLE credit.