Attorneys-at-law

C.R.S. tit. 13, art. 93
in effect

C.R.S. § 13-93-101 License to practice necessary

13-93-101. License to practice necessary. (1) No person shall be permitted to practice as an attorney- or counselor-at-law or to commence, conduct, or defend any action, suit, or plaint in which he or she is not a party concerned in any court of record within this state, either by using or subscribing his or her own name or the name of any other person, without having previously obtained a license or other authorization to practice law pursuant to the supreme court's rules governing admission to the practice of law in Colorado. (2) Upon request of the supreme court or its office of attorney regulation counsel, the Colorado bureau of investigation shall conduct a state and national fingerprint-based criminal history record check, utilizing records of the Colorado bureau of investigation and the federal bureau of investigation. Upon completion of the criminal history record check, the bureau shall provide the results to the requesting agency. (3) Upon request of the supreme court or a representative of its office of attorney regulation counsel, the applicant shall also provide a name-based judicial record check, as defined in section 22-2-119.3 (6)(d), if the applicant has a record of arrest without a disposition. (4) Local law enforcement agencies shall cooperate with any supreme court request for records related to criminal history.

C.R.S. § 13-93-102 No discrimination - issuance of license

13-93-102. No discrimination - issuance of license. A person shall not deny an individual a license to practice on account of race, creed, color, religion, disability, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, national origin, or ancestry.

C.R.S. § 13-93-103 License fee

13-93-103. License fee. The license fee for admission to practice law in this state shall be as prescribed by the supreme court under rules for admission to the bar.

C.R.S. § 13-93-104 Clerk of supreme court keeps roll of attorneys

13-93-104. Clerk of supreme court keeps roll of attorneys. It is the duty of the clerk of the supreme court to make and keep a roll or record of the persons who have been regularly licensed and admitted to practice as attorneys- and counselors-at-law within this state and who have taken the prescribed oath.

C.R.S. § 13-93-105 Supreme court may strike name

13-93-105. Supreme court may strike name. No person whose name is not subscribed to or written on the said roll, with the day and year when the same was subscribed thereto or written thereon, shall be admitted to practice as an attorney- or counselor-at-law within this state under the penalty mentioned in section 13-93-108, anything in this article 93 to the contrary notwithstanding; and the justices of the supreme court in open court, at their discretion, shall have power to strike the name of any attorney- or counselor-at-law from the roll for malconduct in his or her office.

C.R.S. § 13-93-106 Persons forbidden to practice

13-93-106. Persons forbidden to practice. No coroner, sheriff, deputy sheriff, or jailer, though qualified, shall be permitted to practice as an attorney in the county in which he or she is commissioned or appointed, nor shall any clerk of the supreme court or district court be permitted to practice as an attorney- or counselor-at-law in the court in which he or she is clerk.

C.R.S. § 13-93-107 Judge not to act as attorney

13-93-107. Judge not to act as attorney. It is unlawful for judges of the district, county, and municipal courts to counsel or advise in or write any petition or answer or other pleadings in any proceeding, or to perform any service as attorney- or counselor-at-law, or to be interested in any profits or emoluments arising out of any practice in any of said courts, except costs in their own courts; except that county judges in counties of such classes as may be specified by the laws relating to county courts, if licensed attorneys, may practice in courts other than the county court and in matters that have not come before the county court; and further, municipal judges, if licensed attorneys, may practice in courts other than the municipal court and in matters that have not come before the municipal court.

C.R.S. § 13-93-108 Practicing law without license deemed contempt

13-93-108. Practicing law without license deemed contempt. Any person who, without having a license from the supreme court of this state so to do, advertises, represents, or holds himself or herself out in any manner as an attorney, attorney-at-law, or counselor-at-law or who appears in any court of record in this state to conduct a suit, action, proceeding, or cause for another person is guilty of contempt of the supreme court of this state and of the court in which said person appears and shall be punished therefor according to law. Nothing in this section shall prevent the special admission of counselors residing in other states, as provided in section 13-93-109.

C.R.S. § 13-93-109 Special admission of counselors from other states

13-93-109. Special admission of counselors from other states. Whenever any counselor-at-law residing in any of the adjacent states or territories has business in any of the courts of this state, he or she may be admitted, on motion, for the purpose of transacting such business and none other.

C.R.S. § 13-93-110 Notice of charges - time to show cause

13-93-110. Notice of charges - time to show cause. Every attorney, before his or her name is stricken off the roll, shall receive a written notice from the clerk of the supreme court stating distinctly the grounds of complaint or the charges exhibited against him or her, and after the notice he or she shall be heard in his or her defense and allowed reasonable time to collect and prepare testimony for his or her justification. Any attorney whose name, at any time, is stricken from the roll by order of the court shall be considered as though his or her name had never been written thereon until such time as the said justices, in open court, authorize him or her to sign or subscribe the same.

C.R.S. § 13-93-111 Solicitation of accident victims - waiting period - definition

13-93-111. Solicitation of accident victims - waiting period - definition. (1) Except as permitted by section 13-21-301 (3) or 10-3-1104 (1)(h), no person shall engage in solicitation for professional employment or for any release or covenant not to sue concerning personal injury or wrongful death from an individual with whom the person has no family or prior professional relationship unless the incident for which employment is sought occurred more than thirty days prior to the solicitation. (2) No person shall accept a referral for professional employment concerning personal injury or wrongful death from any person who engaged in solicitation of an individual with whom the person had no family or prior professional relationship unless the incident for which employment is sought occurred more than thirty days prior to the solicitation. (3) As used in this section, "solicitation" means an initial contact initiated in person, through any form of written communication, or by telephone, telegraph, or facsimile, any of which is directed to a specific individual, unless requested by the individual, a member of the individual's family, or the authorized representative of the individual. "Solicitation" shall not include radio, television, newspaper, or yellow pages advertisements. (4) Any agreement made in violation of this section is voidable at the option of the individual suffering the personal injury or death or the individual's personal or other authorized representative.

C.R.S. § 13-93-112 Attorney not to be surety

13-93-112. Attorney not to be surety. No attorney- or counselor-at-law shall become surety in any bond or recognizance of any sheriff or coroner, in any bond or recognizance for the appearance of any person charged with any public offense, or upon any bond or recognizance authorized by any statute to be taken for the payment of any sum of money into court in default of the principal, without the consent of a judge of the district court first had approving said surety.

C.R.S. § 13-93-113 Judge not to have law partner

13-93-113. Judge not to have law partner. A judge shall not have a partner acting as attorney or counsel in any court in his or her judicial district, county, or precinct.

C.R.S. § 13-93-114 Attorney's lien - notice of claim filed

13-93-114. Attorney's lien - notice of claim filed. All attorneys- and counselors-at-law shall have a lien on any money, property, choses in action, or claims and demands in their hands, on any judgment they may have obtained or assisted in obtaining, in whole or in part, and on any and all claims and demands in suit for any fees or balance of fees due or to become due from any client. In the case of demands in suit and in the case of judgments obtained in whole or in part by any attorney, such attorney may file, with the clerk of the court wherein such cause is pending, notice of his or her claim as lienor, setting forth specifically the agreement of compensation between such attorney and his or her client, which notice, duly entered of record, shall be notice to all persons and to all parties, including the judgment creditor, to all persons in the case against whom a demand exists, and to all persons claiming by, through, or under any person having a demand in suit or having obtained a judgment that the attorney whose appearance is thus entered has a first lien on such demand in suit or on such judgment for the amount of his or her fees. Such notice of lien shall not be presented in any manner to the jury in the case in which the same is filed. Such lien may be enforced by the proper civil action.

C.R.S. § 13-93-115 Other property to which lien attaches

13-93-115. Other property to which lien attaches. An attorney has a lien for a general balance of compensation upon any papers of his or her client that have come into his or her possession in the course of his or her professional employment and upon money due to his or her client in the hands of the adverse party in an action or proceeding in which the attorney was employed from the time of giving notice of the lien to that party.

C.R.S. § 13-93-201 Legal aid dispensaries - law students practice

13-93-201. Legal aid dispensaries - law students practice. Students of any law school that maintains a legal-aid dispensary where poor or legally underserved persons receive legal advice and services shall, when representing the dispensary and its clients, be authorized to advise clients on legal matters and appear in court or before any arbitration panel as if licensed to practice law.

C.R.S. § 13-93-202 Practice by law student intern

13-93-202. Practice by law student intern. (1) An eligible law student intern, as specified in section 13-93-203, may appear and participate in any civil proceeding in any municipal, county, or district court or before any administrative agency in this state or in any county or municipal court criminal proceeding, except when the defendant has been charged with a felony, or in any juvenile proceeding in any municipal or county court or before any magistrate in any juvenile or other proceeding or any parole revocation under the following circumstances: (a) If the person on whose behalf he or she is appearing has indicated his or her consent to that appearance and the law student intern is under the supervision of a supervising lawyer, as specified in section 13-93-205; (b) When representing the office of the state public defender and its clients, if the person on whose behalf he or she is appearing has indicated his or her consent to that appearance and the law student intern is under the supervision of the public defender or one of his or her deputies; and (c) On behalf of the state or any of its departments, agencies, or institutions, a county, a city, or a town, with the written approval and under the supervision of the attorney general, attorney for the state, county attorney, district attorney, city attorney, town attorney, or authorized legal services organization. A general approval for the law student intern to appear, executed by the appropriate supervising attorney pursuant to this subsection (1)(c), shall be filed with the clerk of the applicable court and brought to the attention of the judge thereof. (2) The consent or approval referred to in subsection (1) of this section, except a general approval, shall be made in the record of the case and shall be brought to the attention of the judge of the court or the presiding officer of the administrative tribunal. (3) In addition to the activities authorized in subsection (1) of this section, an eligible law student intern may engage in other activities under the general supervision of a supervising lawyer, including but not limited to the preparation of pleadings, briefs, and other legal documents that must be approved and signed by the supervising lawyer and assistance to indigent inmates of correctional institutions who have no attorney of record and who request such assistance in preparing applications and supporting documents for postconviction relief.

C.R.S. § 13-93-203 Eligibility requirements for law student intern practice

13-93-203. Eligibility requirements for law student intern practice. (1) In order to be eligible to make an appearance and participate pursuant to section 13-93-202, a law student must: (a) Be duly enrolled in or a graduate of any accredited law school; (b) Have completed a minimum of two years of legal studies; (c) Have the certification of the dean of such law school that he or she has no personal knowledge of or knows of nothing of record that indicates that the student is not of good moral character and, in addition, that the law student has completed the requirements specified in subsection (1)(b) of this section and is a student in good standing; (d) Be introduced to the court or administrative tribunal in which he or she is appearing as a law student intern by a lawyer authorized to practice law in this state; (e) Neither ask nor receive any compensation or remuneration of any kind for his or her services from the person on whose behalf he or she renders services; but such limitation shall not prevent the law student intern from receiving credit for participation in the program upon prior approval of the law school, nor shall it prevent the law school, the state, a county, a city, a town, or the office of the district attorney or the public defender from paying compensation to the law school intern, nor shall it prevent any agency from making such charges for its services as it may otherwise properly require; and (f) State that he or she has read, is familiar with, and will be governed in the conduct of his or her activities under section 13-93-202 by the code of professional responsibility adopted by the supreme court.

C.R.S. § 13-93-204 Certification of law student intern by law school dean - filing - effective period - withdrawal by dean or termination

13-93-204. Certification of law student intern by law school dean - filing - effective period - withdrawal by dean or termination. (1) The certification by the law school dean, pursuant to section 13-93-203 (1)(c), required in order for a law student intern to appear and participate in proceedings: (a) Shall be filed with the clerk of the supreme court and, unless it is sooner withdrawn, shall remain in effect until the announcement of the results of the first bar examination following the student's graduation. For any student who passes said bar examination, the certification shall continue in effect until the date he or she is admitted to the bar. (b) May be withdrawn by the dean at any time by mailing a notice to that effect to the clerk of the supreme court, and such withdrawal may be without notice or hearing and without any showing of cause; and (c) May be terminated by the supreme court at any time without notice or hearing and without any showing of cause.

C.R.S. § 13-93-205 Qualifications of supervising lawyer

13-93-205. Qualifications of supervising lawyer. (1) A supervising lawyer, under whose supervision an eligible law student intern appears and participates pursuant to section 13-93-202, shall be authorized to practice law in this state and: (a) Shall be a lawyer in the public sector as provided in section 13-93-202 (1)(b) and (1)(c); (b) Shall assume personal professional responsibility for the conduct of the law student intern; and (c) Shall assist the law student intern in his or her preparation to the extent the supervising lawyer considers it necessary.

C.R.S. § 13-93-206 Other rights not affected by provisions for practice by law student intern

13-93-206. Other rights not affected by provisions for practice by law student intern. Nothing contained in sections 13-93-201 to 13-93-205 shall affect the right of any person who is not admitted to practice law to do anything that he or she might lawfully do prior to the adoption of these sections.

C.R.S. § 13-93-301 License to practice necessary

13-93-301. License to practice necessary. (1) An individual shall not practice as a legal paraprofessional without having previously obtained a license to perform certain types of legal services as a licensed legal paraprofessional pursuant to the supreme court's rules governing licensed legal paraprofessionals. (2) Upon request of the supreme court or a representative of its office of attorney regulation counsel, the Colorado bureau of investigation shall conduct a state and national fingerprint-based criminal history record check of an applicant utilizing records of the Colorado bureau of investigation and the federal bureau of investigation. Upon completion of the criminal history record check, the Colorado bureau of investigation shall provide the results to the requesting agency. (3) Upon request of the supreme court or a representative of its office of attorney regulation counsel, an applicant shall provide a name-based judicial record check, as defined in section 22-2-119.3 (6)(d), if the applicant has a record of arrest without a disposition. (4) Local law enforcement agencies shall cooperate with any supreme court request for records related to an applicant's criminal history.

C.R.S. § 13-93-302 Scope of authority to practice

13-93-302. Scope of authority to practice. (1) A licensed legal paraprofessional's scope of practice is limited to representing a client in: (a) A legal separation, declaration of invalidity of marriage, or dissolution of marriage or civil union; (b) An initial allocation or modification of an allocation of parental responsibility matter, including parentage determinations; (c) A matter involving establishment or modification of child support or maintenance; (d) Seeking, modifying, or terminating a civil protection order pursuant to article 14 of this title 13; (e) A matter involving a name change pursuant to section 13-15-101; and (f) A matter involving a request for an amended birth certificate to change the sex designation of an adult pursuant to section 25-2-113.8. (2) A licensed legal paraprofessional shall not: (a) Engage in any tasks or activities that are prohibited by the Colorado supreme court pursuant to court rules; (b) Represent a client in matters governed by article 2.5, 3, 3.1, 3.3, 4.5, 5, 5.5, or 7 of title 19; or (c) Represent a client in an immigration matter pursuant to section 6-1-727 unless authorized pursuant to federal law to represent an individual in immigration matters.

C.R.S. § 13-93-303 No discrimination - issuance of license

13-93-303. No discrimination - issuance of license. An individual shall not deny another individual a license to practice law as a legal paraprofessional on account of race, creed, color, religion, disability, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, national origin, or ancestry.

C.R.S. § 13-93-304 License fee

13-93-304. License fee. The license fee for a license to practice law as a legal paraprofessional in this state is set by the supreme court's rules governing licensed legal paraprofessionals.

C.R.S. § 13-93-305 Clerk of supreme court keeps roll of licensed legal paraprofessionals

13-93-305. Clerk of supreme court keeps roll of licensed legal paraprofessionals. The clerk of the supreme court shall make and keep a roll or record of individuals who are licensed to practice law as a licensed legal paraprofessional within this state and who have taken the prescribed oath.

C.R.S. § 13-93-306 Supreme court may strike name

13-93-306. Supreme court may strike name. An individual who is not listed in the roll created pursuant to section 13-93-305 shall not be admitted to practice as a licensed legal paraprofessional within this state and is subject to the penalty described in section 13-93-309. The justices of the supreme court in open court, at the justices' discretion, may strike the name of any licensed legal paraprofessional from the roll for malconduct in the legal paraprofessional's office.

C.R.S. § 13-93-307 Individuals forbidden to practice

13-93-307. Individuals forbidden to practice. A coroner, sheriff, deputy sheriff, or jailer, though qualified, shall not practice as a licensed legal paraprofessional in the county in which the individual is commissioned or appointed, and a clerk of the supreme court or district court shall not practice as a licensed legal paraprofessional in the court in which the individual is the clerk.

C.R.S. § 13-93-308 Judge not to act as licensed legal paraprofessional

13-93-308. Judge not to act as licensed legal paraprofessional. (1) It is unlawful for judges of the district, county, and municipal courts to: (a) Counsel or advise in or write any petition or answer or other pleadings in any proceeding as a licensed legal paraprofessional; (b) Perform any service as a licensed legal paraprofessional; or (c) Be interested in any profits or emoluments arising out of any practice in any of the courts, except costs in the judge's own courts. (2) Subsection (1) of this section does not apply to: (a) A county court judge who is also a licensed legal paraprofessional who practices in counties of certain classes as specified by the laws relating to county courts in courts other than the judge's county court and in matters that have not come before the county court; and (b) A municipal judge who is also a licensed legal paraprofessional who practices in courts other than the judge's municipal court and in matters that have not come before the municipal court.

C.R.S. § 13-93-309 Practicing law without license deemed contempt

13-93-309. Practicing law without license deemed contempt. An individual who, without having obtained a license from the supreme court of this state, advertises, represents, or holds the individual's self out in any manner as a licensed legal paraprofessional or who appears in any court of record in this state to conduct a suit, action, proceeding, or cause for another individual is guilty of contempt of the supreme court of this state and of the court in which the individual appears and must be punished according to law.

C.R.S. § 13-93-310 Notice of charges - time to show cause

13-93-310. Notice of charges - time to show cause. Before a licensed legal paraprofessional's name is stricken off the roll created in section 13-93-305, the clerk of the supreme court shall provide written notice to the licensed legal paraprofessional stating distinctly the grounds of complaint or the charges exhibited against the licensed legal paraprofessional. After receiving the notice, the licensed legal paraprofessional may request a hearing and must be allowed reasonable time to collect and prepare testimony for the licensed legal paraprofessional's defense. Any licensed legal paraprofessional whose name, at any time, is stricken from the roll by order of the court is considered as though the licensed legal paraprofessional's name had never been written on the roll until a time when the justices, in open court, authorize the licensed legal paraprofessional to be listed on the roll.

C.R.S. § 13-93-311 Licensed legal paraprofessional not to be surety

13-93-311. Licensed legal paraprofessional not to be surety. A licensed legal paraprofessional shall not become surety in any bond or recognizance of any sheriff or coroner, in any bond or recognizance for the appearance of any person charged with any public offense, or upon any bond or recognizance authorized by any statute to be taken for the payment of any sum of money into court in default of the principal, without the consent of a judge of the district court first having approved the surety.

C.R.S. § 13-93-312 Judge not to have law partner

13-93-312. Judge not to have law partner. A judge shall not have a partner acting as attorney, counsel, or licensed legal paraprofessional in any court in the judge's judicial district, county, municipality, or precinct.

C.R.S. § 13-93-313 Licensed legal paraprofessional's lien - notice of claim filed

13-93-313. Licensed legal paraprofessional's lien - notice of claim filed. A licensed legal paraprofessional has a lien on any money, property, choses in action, or claims and demands in the licensed legal paraprofessional's hands, on any judgment the licensed legal paraprofessional may have obtained or assisted in obtaining, in whole or in part, and on any and all claims and demands in suit for any fees or balance of fees due or to become due from any client. In the case of demands in suit and in the case of judgments obtained in whole or in part by any licensed legal paraprofessional, the licensed legal paraprofessional may file, with the clerk of the court when a cause is pending, notice of the licensed legal paraprofessional's claim as lienor, setting forth specifically the agreement of compensation between the licensed legal paraprofessional and the licensed legal paraprofessional's client, which notice, duly entered of record, is notice to all persons and to all parties, including the judgment creditor, to all persons in the case against whom a demand exists, and to all persons claiming by, through, or under any person having a demand in suit or having obtained a judgment that the licensed legal paraprofessional whose appearance has been entered has a first lien on the demand in suit or on the judgment for the amount of the licensed legal paraprofessional's fees. The notice of lien shall not be presented in any manner to the jury in the case in which the same is filed. The lien may be enforced by the proper civil action.

C.R.S. § 13-93-314 Other property to which lien attaches

13-93-314. Other property to which lien attaches. A licensed legal paraprofessional has a lien for a general balance of compensation upon any papers of the licensed legal paraprofessional's client that have come into the licensed legal paraprofessional's possession in the course of the licensed legal paraprofessional's professional employment and upon money due to the licensed legal paraprofessional's client in the hands of the adverse party in an action or proceeding in which the licensed legal paraprofessional was employed from the time of giving notice of the lien to that party.
Source: Open US Law by Vaquill AI (CC BY 4.0)URL: https://leg.colorado.gov/sites/default/files/images/olls/crs2024-title-13.docxFetched: 10/6/2026

Starting a business in Colorado? Colorado LLC guide: costs and requirements