At its Annual Members Meeting on October 30, the Colorado Lawyer Trust Account Foundation (COLTAF) approved an important revision to its bylaws and articles of incorporation, extending membership and voting rights to Licensed Legal Paraprofessionals (LLPs).

Since the Colorado Supreme Court’s establishment of the Licensed Legal Paraprofessional Program in 2023 and the licensing of the first LLPs in 2024, both lawyers and LLPs have been required to hold commingled client and third-party funds in COLTAF accounts. But until now, only lawyers with COLTAF accounts—or those practicing at firms with COLTAF accounts—were members of the COLTAF corporation with voting rights.

With this change, LLPs with COLTAF accounts, or those practicing at firms with COLTAF accounts, are now members of the corporation on the same terms as lawyers, including the right to vote in elections for COLTAF’s board of directors and other matters under its bylaws.

COLTAF welcomes these new members, and this commitment to inclusivity is also reflected here on our newly redesigned and relaunched website, where updated COLTAF forms, FAQs, and more are inclusive of LLPs.

By extending membership to LLPs, COLTAF reaffirms its commitment to ensuring that all legal professionals who help fund access to justice in Colorado have a role in guiding its future.