Denver Bar Association Honors Attorneys for Volunteer Work and Holland & Hart as "Pro Bono Law Firm of the Year"
For their extraordinary efforts in supporting free legal services to the poor, four attorneys and one law firm will be honored at the Denver Bar Association’s 15th Annual Barristers Benefit Ball on April 26 at the Hyatt Regency Tech Center.
These lawyers donated their time and services to Metro Volunteer Lawyers (MVL), a program established by the Denver Bar Association in 1966, which is committed to providing pro bono, or free, legal services. MVL serves residents of Denver, Adams, Arapahoe, Douglas, Elbert, Gilpin and Jefferson counties, and is supported by the local bar associations in these counties.
MVL assists clients with civil legal problems. Clients are referred on a no-fee or low-fee basis according to their income. In 2002, more than 1,500 clients were helped.
Attorney honorees Barbara Chamberlain, Jennifer Holt, Stephen McKenna and Tony Yuthas will be recognized for supporting free legal services to the poor. Holland & Hart is the “Law Firm of the Year.”
Barbara Chamberlain is recognized for her work as director of MVL for five years, and taking pro bono referrals simultaneously. She perfected the Family Law Court Program, which has become a national model, allowing hundreds of clients access to attorneys and the courts who would otherwise have had to represent themselves.
Jennifer Holt, in private practice, has handled 15 domestic cases as a sole practitioner since she joined the MVL program in 1998. She has generously worked on the Family Law Court Program when MVL staff needed her on an emergency basis.
An attorney at Gibson, Dunn, and Crutcher, Stephen McKenna volunteered for an extremely difficult case this past year that took 450 hours to complete. His firm is a long-time supporter of pro bono services in Denver.
Tony Yuthas, in private practice, has participated in MVL for more than 15 years, having represented 36 clients in the last year alone. He has put in 619 hours on three cases. His expertise and dedication are a model for new attorneys everywhere.
The attorneys at Holland & Hart are called upon to handle many pro bono issues by a spectrum of non-profit agencies. Even so, they have consistently contributed to MVL. In addition to handling many cases, the firms’ attorneys have been active on both Colorado and Denver Bar Association legal services committees, which work to find ways to provide legal service for the poor. These attorneys include: Betsy Phelan, Anne Castle, and the current chair, Steve Choquette, who has worked with the program since he was a student. The firm also donates space and other resources for meetings, receptions, etc.