From the courtroom to the Capitol, the Denver-based nonprofit Towards Justice takes on corruption in corporate and government power, and its lawyers are busier than ever, said Executive Director David Seligman.
Founded in 2014 to advance economic justice, Towards Justice empowers working people
and their communities through impact litigation, policy advocacy and collaboration with workers and organizers. The team, which consists of about 12 attorneys, partners with counsel nationwide to advance its missional belief: Every worker deserves fair compensation, freedom from discrimination, workplace safety and a voice for basic rights on the job.
Towards Justice was named in reference to a quotation by Martin Luther King Jr., who said, “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.”
At one time, Seligman felt uncomfortable with the certainty of King’s statement; then he learned it was inspired by abolitionist pastor Theodore Parker, who said, “I do not pretend to understand the moral universe. The arc is a long one. My eye reaches but little ways. I cannot calculate the curve and complete the figure by experience of sight. I can divine it by conscience. And from what I see I am sure it bends toward justice.”
Seligman said, “Towards Justice is litigating for people who work, for the renter and the small businesses. We fight back with bold and courageous lawyering. That’s how we can nudge the universe in the direction we want it to go.”
The nonprofit pursues a wide-ranging approach, using wage-and-hour laws, anti-discrimination statutes and competition and consumer protection statutes to challenge systemic workplace injustices. Seligman said, “We look for cases that can shift the law by a bold and imaginative way of reframing the issues and hopefully spur, by winning our case, broader change.”
In Bautista v. Carl Karcher Enterprises, for example, Towards Justice challenged “no-hire” agreements that kept fast-food workers in low-paying jobs with limited advancement. The lawsuit drew national attention, leading in 2018 to the elimination of “no-poach” agreements across multiple fast-food chains, including Carl’s Jr., whose parent company is CKE Restaurants Holdings, Inc. (previously, Carl Karcher Enterprises).
In his roles as litigation counsel and executive director with Towards Justice, Seligman has confronted wage theft, labor trafficking, junk fees, unsafe workplaces, unfair debt collection, whistleblower retaliation and wage and price fixing, among other corporate wrongdoings. Towards Justice is known for pushing the boundaries of traditional legal remedies by applying competition and consumer protection laws alongside labor standards and tort claims.
Corruption is “never not with us,” Seligman said. “The common theme is there is an outrageous amount of lawlessness. We’re trying to make the law real in people’s lives.”
The organization also supports attorneys and advocates through its Collaborating Attorney Network and offers resources to help workers understand and enforce their rights.
Drawing on his experience with Towards Justice, Seligman announced last May his candidacy for Colorado attorney general in the 2026 election, entering a competitive Democratic primary field.
Seligman’s campaign, like his life’s work, emphasizes enforcing the law in ways that protect working people, consumers, small businesses and the environment. “I’m sick and tired of leaving the most important part of this fight up to other people,” he said. “This office is one of the most important tools we have at a time of outrageous corruption. The office gives states the opportunity not just to pass laws but to enforce those laws.”
Following his work at Towards Justice with immigrants and guest workers, Seligman has vowed to establish an ICE Accountability Unit within the Colorado attorney general’s office to “prosecute ICE agents who violate our rights, investigate and pursue private contractors like GEO Group that exploit immigrants held in detention and investigate local governments and state agencies that collaborate with ICE,” according to his campaign.
GEO Group, Inc., operates a detention center in Aurora on behalf of the U.S. Department of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. In a case filed in 2014, plaintiffs represented by Towards Justice and its partners alleged that detainees at the facility were subjected to forced labor and unjust enrichment. The case moved forward in 2022 after a federal court rejected GEO’s motion to dismiss. The Supreme Court agreed to hear GEO Group’s appeal over a procedural issue in 2025, but a ruling has not yet been issued.
Referring to litigation and the office of attorney general, Seligman said, “This will be the front lines of the fight, and Colorado is positioned to have an important place in it, with what we do here having a ripple effect.”
He added, “It can’t be business-as-usual lawyering. We need lawyers who are bold and courageous and imaginative.”