Home
News
BRECKENRIDGE — When Silverthorne resident Greg Eckols suffered a head injury in 2005, he spent six weeks in the hospital recovering.
The medical bills quickly began piling up, and the 42-year-old, out of work due to his injury, filed for social security benefits, but was denied twice. Soon, the collection agencies started calling, then suing.
“I felt very intimidated by them,” Eckols said. “I could not afford a lawyer to represent me.”
Eckols’ attorney in his social security claim (who wouldn’t be paid unless Eckols won his suit) gave him the number for the nonprofit Colorado Legal Services, which provides civil legal assistance for low income people at low or no cost. A lawyer there was able to work out a payment plan with Eckols’ creditors before the case went to trial.
“For this, I’m very grateful,” Eckols told panelists during a two-hour Access to Justice hearing at the Summit County Courthouse on Tuesday evening, which aimed to identify gaps in the legal system for poor people.
Eckols was one of about 6,600 people to receive legal assistance through Colorado Legal Service (CLS) last year, but that’s only a drop in the bucket compared with how many people in the state qualify for the services.
To be eligible, Colorado single residents must make below $12,763 a year, or $25,813 for a family of four, which constitutes 11 percent of the state’s overall population, or 500,000 people, said Colorado Legal Services representative Molly Ryan.
“It’s not hard to see when you have 40 attorneys (on the CLS staff) trying to handle the legal needs of a half-million people in the state, it’s not understated to say there’s a crushing need for more support,” Ryan said.
Last year, Northwest Colorado Legal Services, a branch of CLS that covers Summit County, could only help 9 percent of its applicants, said Frisco-based administrator Pat Craig.
CLS takes only civil cases — criminal cases involving low-income people are handled by the public defender — and the majority of its caseload is family-related issues.
More than 50 percent of its clients are Caucasian; another 27 percent are Hispanic. CLS is only legally allowed to assist undocumented immigrants if they’re victims of violent crimes seeking protection, Ryan said.
The state contributes just $500,000 toward CLS' approximately $7 million budget, $2.5 million below the national average, Ryan said.
Because of limited resources, they often handle only the most emergent cases, and often turn away domestic violence cases if children aren’t involved, Ryan said.
To make up for the gaps, Colorado Legal Service is turning to technology to assist more people, like offering more information on the website and setting up self-help kiosks.
Eagle County Judge Katherine Sullivan said most people in the High Country won’t meet income requirements for CLS because it’s impossible to live in the mountains on such meager wages, but people making just over the limit still need legal assistance and can’t afford lawyer fees.
She said she sees a high percentage of default judgments because people are too intimidated or too overwhelmed to deal with the criminal justice system on their own, without legal representation.
Sullivan said part of the solution could be more attorneys offering up pro bono work, something she did as a private practice attorney before becoming a judge.
“They aren’t always the easiest cases for sure, but in the end they’re the most rewarding, and I know in my case they were the most interesting,” Sullivan said.
Former 5th Judicial District prosecutor John Clune turned his volunteer work into a business called Victim Justice Initiative.
Much of Clune’s business revolves around collateral legal issues as a direct result of a crime, such as housing or employment problems. For instance, if a family’s single income earner is arrested and jailed for domestic violence, his wife and kids are often left facing eviction because they can’t pay the rent.
While many of Clune’s victims pay for his legal services — about one-third of his cases are pro bono — he still has to turn away 60 to 70 percent of the referrals he gets.
“The number of calls that we have to turn away is staggering of all types of cases ... because we just don’t have the staff to do it,” Clune said.
Tuesday’s hearing in Breckenridge was one of 10 around the state held by the Access to Justice Commission — a joint venture between the Colorado Supreme Court and the Colorado Bar Association.
The Commission will compile a statewide report from all the hearings for use in asking for more money from the state legislature next session. The report will also be used to determine where needs are not being met in the state what programs could be created or expanded to help narrow the gaps, said commission member Inga Causey.
<i>Nicole Formosa can be reached at (970) 668-4629, or at nformosa@summitdaily.com.</i>
The medical bills quickly began piling up, and the 42-year-old, out of work due to his injury, filed for social security benefits, but was denied twice. Soon, the collection agencies started calling, then suing.
“I felt very intimidated by them,” Eckols said. “I could not afford a lawyer to represent me.”
Eckols’ attorney in his social security claim (who wouldn’t be paid unless Eckols won his suit) gave him the number for the nonprofit Colorado Legal Services, which provides civil legal assistance for low income people at low or no cost. A lawyer there was able to work out a payment plan with Eckols’ creditors before the case went to trial.
“For this, I’m very grateful,” Eckols told panelists during a two-hour Access to Justice hearing at the Summit County Courthouse on Tuesday evening, which aimed to identify gaps in the legal system for poor people.
Eckols was one of about 6,600 people to receive legal assistance through Colorado Legal Service (CLS) last year, but that’s only a drop in the bucket compared with how many people in the state qualify for the services.
To be eligible, Colorado single residents must make below $12,763 a year, or $25,813 for a family of four, which constitutes 11 percent of the state’s overall population, or 500,000 people, said Colorado Legal Services representative Molly Ryan.
“It’s not hard to see when you have 40 attorneys (on the CLS staff) trying to handle the legal needs of a half-million people in the state, it’s not understated to say there’s a crushing need for more support,” Ryan said.
Last year, Northwest Colorado Legal Services, a branch of CLS that covers Summit County, could only help 9 percent of its applicants, said Frisco-based administrator Pat Craig.
CLS takes only civil cases — criminal cases involving low-income people are handled by the public defender — and the majority of its caseload is family-related issues.
More than 50 percent of its clients are Caucasian; another 27 percent are Hispanic. CLS is only legally allowed to assist undocumented immigrants if they’re victims of violent crimes seeking protection, Ryan said.
The state contributes just $500,000 toward CLS' approximately $7 million budget, $2.5 million below the national average, Ryan said.
Because of limited resources, they often handle only the most emergent cases, and often turn away domestic violence cases if children aren’t involved, Ryan said.
To make up for the gaps, Colorado Legal Service is turning to technology to assist more people, like offering more information on the website and setting up self-help kiosks.
Eagle County Judge Katherine Sullivan said most people in the High Country won’t meet income requirements for CLS because it’s impossible to live in the mountains on such meager wages, but people making just over the limit still need legal assistance and can’t afford lawyer fees.
She said she sees a high percentage of default judgments because people are too intimidated or too overwhelmed to deal with the criminal justice system on their own, without legal representation.
Sullivan said part of the solution could be more attorneys offering up pro bono work, something she did as a private practice attorney before becoming a judge.
“They aren’t always the easiest cases for sure, but in the end they’re the most rewarding, and I know in my case they were the most interesting,” Sullivan said.
Former 5th Judicial District prosecutor John Clune turned his volunteer work into a business called Victim Justice Initiative.
Much of Clune’s business revolves around collateral legal issues as a direct result of a crime, such as housing or employment problems. For instance, if a family’s single income earner is arrested and jailed for domestic violence, his wife and kids are often left facing eviction because they can’t pay the rent.
While many of Clune’s victims pay for his legal services — about one-third of his cases are pro bono — he still has to turn away 60 to 70 percent of the referrals he gets.
“The number of calls that we have to turn away is staggering of all types of cases ... because we just don’t have the staff to do it,” Clune said.
Tuesday’s hearing in Breckenridge was one of 10 around the state held by the Access to Justice Commission — a joint venture between the Colorado Supreme Court and the Colorado Bar Association.
The Commission will compile a statewide report from all the hearings for use in asking for more money from the state legislature next session. The report will also be used to determine where needs are not being met in the state what programs could be created or expanded to help narrow the gaps, said commission member Inga Causey.
<i>Nicole Formosa can be reached at (970) 668-4629, or at nformosa@summitdaily.com.</i>
