More than 8,000 low-income Coloradans received help from Colorado Legal Services in civil court in 2024
Annual report honors 100 years of CLS’s work to keep people housed, safe, and healthy
June 18, 2025 (DENVER) – Colorado Legal Services celebrated 100 years of serving Coloradans in February of 2025. In its annual impact report released today, the organization highlights its 2024 data, including the 8,452 cases closed by staff and pro bono attorneys who are dedicated to serving low-income Coloradans in civil court with excellent advocacy, empowerment, collaboration, and courage.
“In a time when federal funding for legal aid is under threat, we at Colorado Legal Services remain focused on our clients, the thousands of low-income Coloradans who turn to us for help in times of crisis,” said Matthew Baca, executive director of CLS. “Through the past 100 years, we have provided free legal advice and representation to keep people housed, help people escape domestic violence, stop unfair debt collection, undo bureaucratic public benefits mistakes, protect the rights of trafficking victims, solve tax disputes, fix complicated identification document issues, and protect the rights of farm and agricultural workers. And we will keep fighting for justice for low-income Coloradans into our next century as an organization and force for good in Colorado.”
The top legal cases with which CLS helped Coloradans in 2024 were housing (4,006), family law (1,464), and consumer law (1,062). Housing cases could include defending against evictions; negotiating rent agreements with landlords to help people stay in their homes; helping tenants learn their rights regarding security deposits and conditions impacting the habitability of their homes; and directing clients to rental assistance and community resources. Family and children cases include representation of domestic violence survivors in divorce, custody, and protection order matters. Consumer cases include debt collection defense, which includes illegal wage garnishment; helping people avoid foreclosure and bankruptcy; and other matters.
“Access to justice is something that must be available to all Coloradans, no matter their income or background,” said Attorney General Phil Weiser in the report. “That’s why Colorado Legal Services is so important. Every year, thousands of Coloradans rely on them for access to legal help when it’s needed most…Colorado Legal Services has been a trusted, invaluable institution for the past 100 years, and I know the organization will be here providing compassionate legal expertise for the next 100 years and beyond.”
The organization connected with 2,372 seniors, 3,784 people with disabilities, 2,760 survivors of domestic violence, and 628 veterans in 2024, according to the report. And an estimated 8,333 people attended the more than 554 outreach events CLS staff attended and/or organized, expanding the number of Coloradans for which we could provide legal representation, offer legal information, and otherwise help with their civil legal challenges.
“Our work expands so far beyond our office doors or even the courtroom,” Baca said. “And our staff know the potential of each interaction to help shape our communities. They see it every day: the attorneys who represent renters whose homes are unsafe, the social workers who help someone with a disability get the support they need to buy groceries, the intake staff who talk through applicants’ often urgent and traumatic needs and connect them with someone who can help, and the outreach and legal clinic paralegals and staff teaching people about their rights and how to navigate a complicated system.”
The report also highlighted the following:
- Nearly $4 million awarded to clients: While not every case involves getting money back to clients, some cases involve getting justice for clients through money awards or damages.
- Over 3,000 volunteer hours: Our work is supported by the excellent work of many private or retired attorneys who volunteer their time to help Coloradans. In 2023, attorneys gave 3,019 hours of their time.
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About us
Colorado Legal Services is Colorado’s statewide nonprofit legal aid program providing civil legal assistance—which does not include criminal or traffic matters—to low-income individuals and older Coloradans throughout the state. Its 13 offices provide free legal assistance in a broad variety of legal areas, including eviction defense, consumer protection, services to survivors of serious crime, representation for domestic violence survivors, and many others.
About 1 in 8 Coloradans qualify financially for CLS’s services. CLS’s current staff of 89 attorneys and 56 paralegals is supplemented by a robust private attorney involvement program. Learn more at www.coloradolegalservices.org.
You can support Colorado Legal Services by donating to the Legal Aid Foundation of Colorado at www.legalaidfoundation.org/donate or 1120 Lincoln Street, Suite 701 Denver, Colorado 80203.