2025 Awards Luncheon
On September 17, 2025, 400 lawyers, judges, and community leaders gathered at The Ritz-Carlton, Denver, to celebrate the accomplishments of Colorado Lawyers Committee volunteer attorneys and law firms, many of which were honored at the CLC annual Awards Luncheon. During 2024, 1,340 volunteers donated 12,480 hours through the Colorado Lawyers Committee’s 29 active projects in the areas of Children’s Rights & Education, Civil & Criminal Law, Poverty & Public Benefits, Community Development, and Immigration.
This year’s Keynote Speaker was David Hinojosa. David is recognized as a national leading litigator, advocate, and thought leader in civil rights, specializing in education and immigrant rights. He currently serves as the Co-Director of Litigation at the National Center for Youth Law, where he helps guide the organization's litigation strategy to protect the interests and rights of children and youth across the nation. Previously, David worked in USDOJ’s Civil Rights Division, where he oversaw work in education and policy. At the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, he spearheaded the organization’s racial justice litigation, policy, and advocacy work in education. There, David served as lead counsel for students defending race-conscious admissions in SFFA v. UNC and SFFA v. Harvard, where he argued before the Supreme Court.
Another highlight of the luncheon was the announcement of this year’s award recipients:
Legal Legacy Award. Connie Talmage (Talmage Consulting) received the Legal Legacy Award, honoring her legacy of dedicated service and leadership that has fostered a culture within the legal community, elevating the importance of pro bono work.
Law Firm of the Year Award. The Board of Directors selected Womble Bond Dickinson (US) LLP as the Colorado Lawyers Committee Law Firm of the Year. Other nominees for the 2025 Law Firm of the Year were Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, LLP, Cooley LLP, and Husch Blackwell LLP. CLC appreciates the strong dedication of all these attorneys.
Individual of the Year Award. The Board of Directors selected Won Lee (Cooley LLP) as the CLC 2025 Individual of the Year for his pro bono service to CLC’s Immigration Clinics, Nonprofit Legal Audit Clinic, and Denver Legal Night.
A Special Recognition Award was presented to the Nonprofit Legal Audit Clinic through which over 1,000 volunteers have assisted nearly 400 nonprofits since 2006.
The 2025 recipients of the Impact Award were Andrew Valencia and Lexi Chapman of Ballard Spahr LLP for the impact they have made on the community in the San Luis Valley through their work on behalf of access holders in the historic Taylor Ranch case.
To see information on previous Awards Luncheons, click here.
2025 AWARDS LUNCHEON (PHOTOS COURTESY OF BEAR GUTIERREZ PHOTOGRAPHY)
2025 AWARDS LUNCHEON VIDEOS
2025 sponsors
Thank you to our many sponsors and partners who support our Awards Luncheon and help us further our mission to increase opportunities for children and other disadvantaged communities through pro bono legal advocacy, negotiation, and litigation.
platinum sponsor
Holland & Hart LLP
gold sponsors
Connelly Law LLC
Cooley LLP
Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP
Judicial Arbiter Group, Inc.
Bartlit Beck LLP
Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, LLP
Colorado Lawyer Trust Account Foundation (COLTAF)
The Morrison & Foerster Foundation
Polsinelli PC
Snell & Wilmer L.L.P.
Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP
silver sponsors
Anderson Hemmat, LLC
Ballard Spahr LLP
Davis Graham & Stubbs LLP
Garnett Powell Maximon Barlow & Farbes
Hogan Lovells US LLP
Stinson LLP
Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP
The Harris Law Firm
University of Denver Sturm College of Law
Womble Bond Dickinson (US) LLP
Ireland Stapleton Pryor & Pascoe, PC
Olson Grimsley Kawanabe Hinchcliff & Murray LLC
Otten Johnson Robinson Neff + Ragonetti PC
Richards Carrington, LLC
Friend Sponsors
Fennemore.
Fox Rothschild LLP
Gene Commander Inc.
Haynes and Boone, LLP
Husch Blackwell LLP
Alvarez & Marsal
Arnold & Porter
Colorado & Denver Bar Associations/
CLE in Colorado, Inc.
Kilpatrick Townsend &
Stockton LLP
Reed Smith LLP
Tierney Lawrence Stiles LLC
keynote sponsor
Holland & Knight LLP
DESSERT SPONSOR
Hutchinson Black and Cook, LLC
VIDEO SPONSOR
Perkins Coie LLP
OTHER CONTRIBUTORS
Colorado Asian Pacific American Bar Association
Colorado Women’s Bar Association Foundation
Firehouse Subs
FirstBank
Hill & Robbins, P.C.
Institute for the Advancement of the American
Legal System (IAALS)
Metro State University of Denver
special thanks
Cuttlefish Arts for layout and design of the Awards Luncheon Program and Annual Report
Hartmannphoto, LLC and Bear Gutierrez Photography for providing pro bono photography service for the Colorado Lawyers Committee
Trey The Video Guru for preparing the special video presentations for today’s event
Xerox Business Solutions Southwest for printing the Awards Luncheon Program and Annual Report