Colorado law: Legal sector by the numbers

The Denver Bar Association claims a membership roughly half the size of the Colorado Bar Association’s 14,000 members, evidence that the concentration of attorneys is highest in highly populated areas.

Northern Colorado, with its growing population, is home to increasing numbers of attorneys, say bar association presidents in the region. Attorneys are interested in both the opportunities presented by a growing population and the quality of life the region offers.

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Weld County is a good place to practice law, said Maria Liu, president of the Weld County Bar Association. The Weld County bar has about 180 members. The bar is a close-knit community, she said, made up of “people who have lived and worked here a long time.”

“Our judges are all very good, the clerks are very professional. The bar members all know each other, and there is not a lot of antagonism. There is a sense of community,” Liu said.

Colorado is a voluntary state, meaning that membership in bar associations is not required, said Diane Hartman, assistant executive director of the Colorado Bar Association. So bar membership doesn’t reflect the total population in the legal industry.

According to the state attorney registration office, there are actually 240 attorneys registered in Weld County. There are 516 attorneys registered in Larimer County. These numbers include both active and inactive attorneys.

In both counties, roughly 28 percent of registered attorneys are female. That mirrors American Bar Association statistics showing that nationwide in 2000, 27 percent of attorneys were female.

State records show that as of Nov. 30, 2004, 172 of the total registered attorneys in Weld County are male, 68 are female. In Larimer, 372 of the registered attorneys are male, while 144 are female.

The gender breakdown is closer to 50-50 in northwest Colorado, said Sandra Gardner, president of the Northwest Colorado Bar Association. “We have pretty much equal distribution between male and female attorneys,” Gardner said. “From what I’ve been able to observe, I think more female attorneys are moving into the area.”

Ethnic diversity is lacking, however, Gardner said. “We’re a very monocultural society in northwest Colorado, and it’s a bit of a shame. … We’re definitely a very Caucasian bar.”

The state attorney registration office doesn’t track the ethnicity of attorneys who register in the state. Nationwide, however, the ethnic origin breakdown in 2000 looked like this:

88.8 percent of attorneys were white, non-Hispanic.

4.2 percent were black, non-Hispanic.

3.4 percent were Hispanic.

2.2 percent were Asian, non-Hispanic.

The number of licensed lawyers nationally in 2004 was 1,084,504. In Colorado, according to the American Bar Association, there were 17,362 “resident and active” lawyers in 2004. That number was up slightly from 17,038 in 2003.

So, based on the state’s population estimate of 4.6 million in July 2004, the state has 3.8 lawyers for every 1,000 people, nearly identical to the national ratio of 3.7 per 1,000. By comparison, Larimer County has 1.8 attorneys for every 1,000 residents, and Weld County has 1.1 per 1,000 residents.

The median age of attorneys nationwide of 45 also is reflected in Northern Colorado, bar presidents here say. The population of young attorneys is growing as the area grows.

“We have quite a few younger bar members with a lot of energy and enthusiasm,” Gardner noted.

Northern Colorado attorneys tend to be active in pro bono work, as well, with area bar associations operating regular ask-a-lawyer nights and providing donated legal services through the nonprofit Colorado Legal Services.

Liu noted that providing pro bono work can be specialized, and attorneys who don’t specialize in family law help out by donating money in lieu of services. “We do quite a bit of fund-raising for Weld County Legal Services,” she said.

The most common practice specialty tends to be general practice in Northern Colorado. “There are a lot of general practitioners,” Liu said. Potential clients will find just about every legal specialty available. Liu said the area needs immigration attorneys and lacks attorneys practicing high-end civil law.

Northwestern Colorado offers a similar range of specialties, Gardner said, “with the exception of intellectual property and admiralty law.”