The Harris Law Firm would like to congratulate three of our team members on becoming part of Colorado’s first class of Licensed Legal Paraprofessionals!
Paralegals Beth Wilkins, Tara White, and Lea Ann Lyster were sworn in on June 20, 2024 during the Colorado Supreme Court’s Office of Attorney Regulation Counsel’s first ever LLP Swearing-in Ceremony.
With this groundbreaking achievement, Beth, Tara, and Lea Ann will now be able to practice law in a limited capacity, in addition to continue to support our attorneys on important divorce, custody, and family law-related matters.
They also solidify themselves as leaders in Colorado’s revolutionary Licensed Legal Paraprofessional program. As three of roughly 70 Paralegals in the state to take the first Colorado LLP exam back in late April, they are now the first to be sworn in as LLPs.
What Is a Licensed Legal Paraprofessional?
Beth, Tara, and Lea Ann are Licensed Legal Paraprofessionals, a new legal occupation designation approved by the Colorado Supreme Court in 2023 to expand access to more affordable legal services to people with family law issues and relieve pressure on busy family law courts, many of which are overwhelmed with an abundance of unrepresented parties.
Colorado’s LLP program, which follows similar programs launched in states like Arizona, Oregon, and Minnesota, gives unrepresented litigants with family law matters an option to access qualified legal support at a fraction of the cost of an attorney – similar to how physician assistantfunction in the medical field.
Under the framework approved by the Colorado Supreme Court, Licensed Legal Paraprofessionals can represent clients in limited circumstances without a law degree. In Colorado, the scope of an LLP’s practice is limited to representing clients only in matters of family law, including:
- Divorce
- Child custody and child support
- Protection orders
- Name changes and adult gender designation changes
To become an LLP, applicants must have at least 1,500 hours of legal experience (including at least 500 hours in family law), meet character and fitness standards, and pass a six-hour examination.
As the first class of LLPs in Colorado history, Beth, Tara, and Lea Ann will pave the way in integrating this new group of legal workers into local courts and refining the program as it grows.
You can learn more about Colorado’s Licensed Legal Paraprofessional program here.
The Harris Law Firm: Committed to Clients
Our team at The Harris Law Firm congratulates Beth, Tara, and Lea Ann on this incredible accomplishment. Knowing how invaluable they have been for our clients as Paralegals – a role in which they will also continue to serve – we are confident they will be just as invaluable to folks seeking alternative representation in the courts.
As a firm that is keenly aware of clients’ needs when it comes to controlling costs in divorce and family law cases and offering efficient and cost-effective services such as mediation and our LawYourWay℠ program, we believe that LLPs offer clients and the communities we serve with a viable option for qualified legal support. If you have questions about a family law matter and your options for representation, give us a call at (303) 622-5502 or contact us online.