When organizers launched the Colorado Pro Bono Summit last year, they were on a mission to create a place where judges, attorneys, legal aid organizations, bar leaders, court personnel, licensed legal paraprofessionals and community partners could come together to tackle one of Colorado’s most persistent legal challenges: expanding access to legal services.
That mission returns July 31, when the second annual Colorado Pro Bono Summit convenes at the Penrose House in Colorado Springs.
“A big goal of ours isn’t just to have the presentations and discuss the core issues but also to put all of these people in the same room so they can truly have conversations with one another, make connections within their communities and outside of their communities,” said Toni-Anne Nuñez, director of development for Court Appointed Special Advocates of Jefferson and Gilpin Counties and former director of access to justice for the Colorado and Denver Bar Associations.
This year’s theme, “Uniting Access to Justice Advocates for a Stronger Colorado,” reflects what organizers say is a growing need for statewide collaboration as Colorado’s legal community works to close the justice gap.
The challenge is significant. According to summit organizers, 25 of Colorado’s 64 counties have 10 or fewer attorneys. Approximately 75% of parties in domestic relations cases and 98% of county court civil defendants appear without legal representation.
“The numbers are staggering,” Nuñez said. “There is a real problem, and we need to continue to promote pro bono and make sure people see it, that they’re aware of it.”
While bar associations, courts and nonprofit legal aid providers all work to address those needs, Nuñez said the summit provides something different: a chance for the people leading those efforts to coordinate strategies and learn from one another.
The collaborative approach reflects the summit’s origins. The summit was directly established because leaders from Wheeler Trigg O’Donnell, Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, Metro Volunteer Lawyers, the Colorado Lawyers Committee, Colorado Access to Justice Commission, the Colorado Lawyers Trust Account Foundation and the Legal Aid Foundation of Colorado began discussing the need for a statewide gathering devoted to pro bono and access to justice.
Because Colorado is geographically large and many communities are rural, Nuñez said, access-to-justice conversations can easily become isolated. Organizers intentionally moved the summit from Denver to Colorado Springs this year to broaden participation across the state.
The agenda of the 2026 summit includes a keynote address from former Colorado Supreme Court Justice Melissa Hart and remarks from Colorado Court of Appeals Judge Timothy Schutz.
Four concurrent panel discussions will feature primary concerns of pro bono providers.
One panel will explore how emerging technology can support pro bono work while raising questions about appropriate safeguards. Another will examine how pro bono programs differ among large firms, small firms and solo practitioners.
Perhaps the most provocative discussion asks whether pro bono should be mandatory. Colorado attorneys are encouraged through Rule 6.1 of the Colorado Rules of Professional Conduct to provide 50 hours of pro bono legal services annually, but neither pro bono service nor reporting those hours is required. Nuñez said the lack of reporting makes it difficult to measure attorney participation and identify where additional volunteer efforts are needed.
Beyond the panel discussions, attendees can earn ethics CLE credit during a lunch session on Rule 6.5, which governs legal clinics and conflicts of interest. The event also includes short presentations from pro bono organizations, a workshop on developing a statewide pro bono resource directory and an optional all-day Email-a-Lawyer Project, where volunteers answer legal questions from Coloradans seeking assistance.
The summit will address, too, initiatives designed to strengthen Colorado’s pro bono infrastructure.
Among the most significant is the Equal Justice Fund, a source of civil legal aid funding created through legislation passed in 2024. Financed by a portion of court filing fees, the fund distributes grants to qualifying legal aid organizations across Colorado.
Nuñez, who serves on the fund’s board, said the program awarded about $2 million during its first year. This year, nearly $4 million will be distributed. “We’ve never had state funding before,” she said. “It’s really exciting.”
Other initiatives include ProBonoCO.org, a new platform that matches attorneys with volunteer opportunities, and a searchable statewide directory of legal resources, currently under development by the Colorado Access to Justice Commission.
For attorneys with little experience providing pro bono services, Nuñez hopes the summit offers practical ideas, as well as a reminder of the profession’s broader responsibility. “Under our oath that we take, it is our obligation to give back to the community,” she said. “Personally, it is the most rewarding part of what I do.”
The Colorado Pro Bono Summit is free to attend thanks to sponsorships from A2J Tech, Cooley, Morrison Foerster, Wheeler Trigg O’Donnell, Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, the Colorado Lawyers Trust Account Foundation, the Legal Aid Foundation of Colorado and the Colorado Lawyers Committee.