Colorado’s Access to Justice Commission has begun creating a legal self-help portal and secured a grant to help address “legal deserts” in rural Colorado, the commission recently announced in its 2023 year-end report.

The commission, which started in 2003 and advocates for removing barriers to access in the civil justice system, also scored a victory when the General Assembly enacted legislation enshrining the commission in state law last year. That move, according to the 2023 report, signifies the commission is a “policy-advising partner” to elected officials.

“With little or no access to legal help, everyday legal issues are derailing lives. Now more than ever, creative and collaborative solutions are desperately needed,” wrote Elisa Overall, the commission’s executive director, in December.

According to the report, members of the commission and its eight committees volunteered 1,700 hours last year, and law students spent 400 hours learning about access to justice. Approximately 2,500 people received help from various legal clinics across the state.

With the assistance of U.S. Sens. Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper, the commission received $627,000 in federal grant money aimed at bringing resources to “legal deserts” in rural areas that lack affordable representation. 

The commission also received $283,600 to help develop a legal help website where self-represented litigants can access legal tools.

Going forward, the commission announced the formation of a legislative policy committee that will collaborate with lawmakers to enact access-to-justice policies.

The commission’s priorities stemmed in part from a 2021 listening tour that Overall and Justice Melissa Hart conducted. They heard about problems ranging from bewildering court forms, a lack of broadband thwarting the effectiveness of virtual court hearings, the scarcity of lawyers outside metro areas, and the needs of the disabled and non-English speakers being overlooked in existing judicial processes.

Hart, speaking to a group of attorneys in Denver earlier this year, stressed the importance of inviting local leaders to weigh in on access-to-justice hurdles.

“We, sitting here in this room, will not be able to figure out what’s the best way to get someone to a courthouse in Alamosa. It’s not gonna happen,” she said.