The Colorado legal community offers many resources for judicial candidates at every stage of the application process.

If you are new to the judicial application process and would like to learn about each stage of the application process, Colorado Women's Bar Association's (CWBA) Storming the Bench program (offered in even-numbered years) and Judicial/CLI's You Be the Judge series (offered in odd-numbered years) is a great place to start. These half-day programs are designed to provide information about the written application, the interview process, recommendation letters, and more. For experienced applicants, these programs also offer an opportunity to get answers from judges and magistrates who have recently been through the selection process. Please contact the CWBA for upcoming dates of the Storming the Bench series, and please email Sumi Lee for more information about the You Be the Judge Series.

Once you have established the foundational knowledge about the judicial application process, we encourage you to continue the conversation through programs offered in your practice area and your affinity or local bar association. Pathway to the bench programs have been offered at CBA-CLE's Family Law Institute, Small & Solo Firm Institute, Family Court Facilitators - Sherlocks, Concourse, Adams County Bar Association, Arapahoe County Bar Association, Seventh Judicial District Bar Association, Doyle Inn of court, Colorado Hispanic Bar Association, and more. These programs are designed to answer questions specific to each group and to connect with judicial officers with similar experiences.

For applicants that are ready to complete the Judicial Application and to apply in the next 0-2 years, find the support and coaching for your application by working with a judge mentor through the Colorado Attorney Mentoring Program (CAMP) or by contacting one of the judges on the Coffee/Lunch Brigade list. The judges on the Coffee/Lunch Brigade List have agreed to have coffee or lunch with judicial candidates that are interested in a one-on-one conversation about their application.

In 2017, the Center for Legal Inclusiveness (“CLI”) and the Colorado Judicial Department created the Bench Dream Team, a group of state court judges dedicated to diversity and inclusion in Colorado’s judicial system. CLI's Dream Team program offers a 6-month coaching program called Dream Team 2.0 Coaching Program for diverse judicial applicants. Selected candidates will be paired with a judge/justice coach to receive one-on-one, individualized support for their applications. After a successful pilot program in 2021-2022, applications are now open for the 2022-2023 cohort. Applications are due on September 1, 2022. Learn more and apply at https://centerforlegalinclusiveness.org/Dream-Team-2.0. 

Video Replay: Applying to be a Magistrate - Tips and Tools for Applicants (April 28, 2021): 

https://judicial.webex.com/judicial/ldr.php?RCID=8af5ac4284557b91fc3d8da5b8022af8
Password: Magistrate2021