New Attorneys Appear in Court One Day After Being Sworn-in! On October 27th, MVL volunteers, Bo Nerlin and Vince Gonzales, were sworn in to practice law.  Prior to becoming licensed attorneys, each of them had been volunteering to assist MVL clients as they awaited the swearing-in ceremony.  On October 28th, they broke in their new attorney registration numbers at the Denver Family Law Court Program Clinic.           Bo worked with Terry Kelly to assist his 1st client before appearing before the magistrate.                        Vince worked with Kath Schoen in preparing his client for a permanent orders hearing.  Both new attorneys and their mentors did a great job.    Congratulations Vince and Bo!! This could be YOU!  To volunteer, e-mail us at information@denbar.org

MVL's Legal Services Coordinator, Patricia Trujillo, recognized for her 19 years of service.  

Excerpt about Patricia's history at MVL in the March 2008 edition of The Colorado Lawyer:

On March 27, 2008, Patricia Trujillo marks nineteen years of service with the Denver Bar Association's (DBA) Metro Volunteer Lawyers (MVL). For nearly two decades, Patricia has helped refer clients to volunteer attorneys who assist in areas as varied as family law, probate, housing, and social security disability.

Patricia recently reflected on her experiences as a seasoned member of the MVL staff. She spoke about what has kept her at MVL for so many years, how MVL has changed since she began working there, and what challenges she believes lie ahead in the legal services arena. Read more by clicking on this link: http://www.cobar.org/tcl/tcl_articles.cfm?articleid=5473

Read the Tribute to Patricia in the March edition of the Denver Docket by clicking on this link: http://denbar.org/docket/doc_articles.cfm?ArticleID=5494

Ashley Blain-Hartung, a Colorado resident who attends Ave Maria School of Law in Ann Arbor, MI. Ashley expects to earn her JD in May 2009. She is an SBA Senator and the Vice President of the Sports Law Society, a Justice of Phi Alpha Delta, and a BarBri Representative. Ashley graduated from Regis University with a B.A. in Sociology, May 2006. Her activities and awards at Regis included: Criminal Justice and Coaching Minors; Dean's List Honors- two semesters; Four year athletic scholarship awarding tuition; four year women's soccer starter; Board of Trustees Scholarship for leadership and academic excellence; and Responsible Athletes Choosing Healthy Lifestyles (REACH) and Student Athlete Committee (SAC).

She is currently diving into a few international law research projects for a professor while she works for MVL.  She will be returning to Colorado after graduation in 2009 and would love even more local hands-on experience.  Last summer, she worked with the public defender's office in Denver, and this past semester she represented a Sudanese political asylum client through her school's clinical program.  She says that she looks forward to her experience at MVL where she will be able "to continue working for clients that are in need of the most help."Stephanie Exner, J.D. Candidate 2010 at DU. During her first semester, she was involved in the Student Trial Lawyers Association where she realized that litigation is where she would like to focus her energies. She's interested in family law for the opportunity to work one-on-one with clients and have a hands-on experience. Says Stephanie, "The idea of being able to help people resolve issues that affect their daily lives (and particularly those who ordinarily could not afford legal assistance) is both important and fulfilling. I am very excited to be considered for this opportunity!"

At DU, Stephanie has been a Participant in the Student Trial Lawyers Association Mock Trial Competition, Fall 2007; Witness, Hoffman Cup Winning Team, Fall 2007; and Student member, Colorado Bar Association. She received her B.S. in Marketing at Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ in May 2004. Her honors and activities at ASU included being on the Dean's List for consecutive semesters, participating in the European Study Abroad Program, International Business Seminar, Summer 2003; and serving as Personnel Chair, Chi Omega Sorority, 2003-2004.

Nicholas Julia, is a second-year student at the Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law at Arizona State University where he is the Vice president of Phi Delta Phi, an international legal fraternity. Nick hopes to transfer to either CU or DU law school for his third year. For his undergraduate studies, he attended Whittier College in Whittier, California where he obtained his B.A. in International business and Spanish, May 2006. Honors included: Academic distinction in Business Administration, Academic distinction in Spanish and his activities included serving as Vice President of the Spanish honors society, a Member of the Business Society, and as Captain of the tennis team. He says "I find the prospect of volunteering for MVL especially appealing, as it would allow me to serve the community and be a part of providing legal aid for those who could not otherwise afford legal assistance." Nick speaks Spanish and French. ¡gracias! and Merci!

We receive quite a few applications for our internship positions, and have the luxury of choosing from the best applicants. We are very pleased to have Stephanie, Ashley and Nick as our summer interns. Please take a moment to welcome these fine law students who are volunteering their time this summer.