office of attorney regulation counsel

Intervention v. punishment: Justice William Hood speaks about assistance to struggling lawyers

Sep 16, 2025

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Michael Karlik

A member of the Colorado Supreme Court spoke to attorneys on Thursday about the ways in which lawyers and judges have a duty to intervene when they notice their colleagues struggling to meet their professional obligations. “I tried to search back in my own memory banks. I can remember being a young lawyer and seeing…
Colorado Supreme Court’s rules for disability accommodations on bar exam face criticism

Mar 27, 2025

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Michael Karlik

The Colorado Supreme Court last week adopted new rules for applicants to receive disability-based accommodations when taking the standardized test to become an attorney or legal paraprofessional, but advocates for revamping the process remain concerned about the hurdles for doing so. Last year, the General Assembly enacted a law to address concerns that professional licensing examinations were failing to…
Colorado justices uphold sanction against lawyer for being a ‘bully’ to school employees

Mar 24, 2025

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Michael Karlik

The Colorado Supreme Court agreed on Monday that a public censure with a medical evaluation was an appropriate sanction for an attorney who, in his own words, acted like a bully toward school employees in the presence of his teenage client. Igor Raykin had appealed the punishment imposed by Colorado’s presiding disciplinary judge, arguing in…
Colorado Supreme Court overrides regulators, orders admission of attorney despite concerns

Oct 14, 2024

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Michael Karlik

The Colorado Supreme Court last month ordered an attorney be admitted to practice law over the recommendation of a regulatory board that concluded his “gamesmanship” during the admissions process continued to raise concerns about his character. Matthew Tobin Arnold sought to join the Colorado bar following his 2022 law school graduation. However, during multiple stages…
Allegations against ex-Arapahoe County judge encompassed sexual comments to staff, improper influence in case

May 24, 2024

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Michael Karlik

Documents provided by the Colorado Supreme Court revealed in detail the cascading allegations against former Arapahoe County District Court Judge John E. Scipione, who resigned last year and was censured earlier this month for misconduct towards staff and colleagues. The Colorado Commission on Judicial Discipline initiated multiple investigations against Scipione, beginning after two 18th Judicial…
Disciplinary judge approves lawyer’s suspension for using ChatGPT to generate fake cases

Dec 2, 2023

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Michael Karlik

A Colorado lawyer has received a suspension for using artificial intelligence to generate fake case citations in a legal brief and then lying about it. The presiding disciplinary judge’s imposition of punishment on Zachariah C. Crabill is apparently the first to implicate the improper use of AI. The head of Colorado’s attorney regulation office, Jessica…
Federal judge, lawyers discuss consequences of misconduct at U.S. District Court

Sep 22, 2023

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Michael Karlik

Although the Colorado Supreme Court has a staffed office dedicated to investigating complaints of attorney misconduct, the federal trial court based in Denver has its own, smaller operation to respond to rule breaking – even when it occurs outside of the state. On Sept. 15, members of the U.S. District Court’s Committee on Conduct appeared alongside…
Ethics opinion: Judge may testify in misconduct investigation into DA

Sep 21, 2023

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Michael Karlik

A trial judge may testify in misconduct proceedings involving an elected district attorney and their office without automatically needing to recuse from any criminal cases, the Colorado Supreme Court’s ethics panel concluded earlier this month. The Judicial Ethics Advisory Board, which consists of attorneys, judges and one non-lawyer, confirmed it is a judge’s duty to…