Page Contents Colorado Judicial Institute County Government Information Federal Government Information Legal Service Organizations Municipal Courts Municipal Government Information Referral Services and Resources Seventeenth Judicial District Judicial Performance Commission Seventeenth Judicial District Pilot Programs State and Federal Court Information State Government Information

Referral Services and Resources

The following web sites may be helpful in gaining information about how and who to retain as your lawyer.  The Metropolitan Lawyer Referral Service will assist you in finding a lawyer in the Denver Metropolitan area who can help you with a specific case.

The Martindale Hubbell directory is a national publication which not only gives basic biographical information about a lawyer, such as the lawyer's date of birth,  academic background, date of acceptance into the bar and areas of expertise, the directory also provides a rating for the lawyer based upon a peer evaluation process.

The Colorado Bar Association Home Page provides very good basic information for lawyers and non-lawyers alike.  In addition, it contains links to other resources which may be helpful to you

Legal Services Organizations

For persons who lack adequate resources to retain the services of a lawyer, the following organizations may be of assistance:

(303) 871-6140

Supreme Court Approved Forms

The following web site connection will permit you to download certain Colorado Supreme Court approved forms for cases such as divorce cases or small claims cases.  In order to download the forms you must have the Adobe Acrobat Reader or Microsoft Word installed on your computer.  The Adobe Acrobat Reader can be downloaded free of charge by clicking the graphic below:

Once you have loaded the Adobe Acrobat Reader software, or if you already have it loaded, you can download the forms, free of charge, at:

Colorado Supreme Court Approved Forms Page

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Colorado Judicial Institute

The Colorado Judicial Institute  is a non-profit corporation organized to promote excellence in the Colorado judicial system. The Colorado Judicial Institute operates through its Board of Directors, a majority of whom are not attorneys, and is supported by individual members, corporations and other organizations. The Colorado Judicial Institute assists in promoting innovation within the judiciary to make the courts more responsive to the communities they serve.  Founded after a group of community leaders, including the then Chief Justice of the Colorado Supreme Court, determined that the lack of trust in, and knowledge about, the legal system, could best be overcome by a citizens organization made up mostly of people outside of the legal and judicial professions, the Colorado Judicial Institute has continued its leadership role in promoting judicial independence, integrity and responsiveness. 

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Seventeenth Judicial District Judicial Performance Commission

Each judicial district throughout the State of Colorado has an appointed  Judicial Performance Commission whose duty it is to evaluate the judges and magistrates in that judicial district and then to prepare and distribute a narrative report of their findings and recommendations to the citizens who vote for the judges' retention.  The commission must look at specific job-related criteria in evaluating a judge's performance including:   integrity; knowledge and understanding of substantive, procedural and evidentiary law; communication skills; preparation, attentiveness, and control over judicial proceedings; sentencing practices; docket management and prompt case disposition; administrative skills; punctuality; effectiveness in working with participants in the judicial process; and service to the legal profession and the public.  The current membership of the Seventeenth Judicial District Judicial Performance Commission  can be viewed in Adobe Acrobat format. 

Seventeenth Judicial District Pilot Programs

The Seventeenth Judicial District previously was involved in three unique pilot projects directed at dealing with a more systematic approach to more effectively resolving current issues of concern in the judicial department.  The pilot programs are:  1) the District Court Simplified Civil Procedure (Proposed Rule 1.1) Project;  2) the Family Court Pilot Project; and 3) the Truancy Pilot Project.  For more information about these innovative programs, please click .

The District Court Simplified Civil Procedure Project led to the adoption of Rule 16.1 of the Colorado Rules of Civil Procedure which permits expedited, cost effective litigation in civil cases.  The Family Court Pilot Project led to the development of the Seventeenth Judicial District Plan for Handling Dependency and Neglect cases which streamlined and expedited cases involving abused and neglected children.  To view the District Plan for Handling Dependency and Neglect cases as well as two studies regarding its efficacy, visit the Juvenile Court page.  The Truancy Pilot Project is now the Truancy Reduction Project and is one of the most effective of such programs in the country.  To review the current Truancy Reduction Project and Education Mentor Programs, visit the Juvenile Court and the Truancy Reduction Project/Education Mentor Program site.

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State and Federal Court Information

Federal Government Information

Information pertaining to the United States Government may be accessed from individual websites dealing with the specific branch of government or office.  Some of those websites are available by clicking on the branch, agency or office's name below.

State Government Information

Information pertaining to Colorado State Government may be accessed from individual websites dealing with the specific branch of government or office.  Some of those websites are available by clicking on the agency's or office's name below:

County Government Information

Information pertaining to Adams County Government can be obtained from the Adams County Government Home Page which can be contacted at:

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Municipal Government Information

Information pertaining to a variety of municipal government services can be obtained by consulting each municipality's web site, where available.  You may access those sites by clicking on the city's name below: