S. Kato Crews Appointed to COLTAF Board

S. Kato Crews Appointed to COLTAF Board

January 1, 2014
Partner S. Kato Crews received the distinguished honor of being appointed by the Colorado Bar Association to serve as a COLTAF Board Member. COLTAF—Colorado Lawyer Trust Account Foundation—administers Colorado’s Interest on Lawyer Trust Accounts (IOLTA) program. This program is an innovative partnership between the legal community and the banking community, whereby the interest on lawyers’ pooled trust accounts is used to make grants to improve access to civil justice statewide. IOLTA programs operate in all fifty states and in the District of Columbia, and are an increasingly critical piece of the funding picture for civil legal services for the poor.
COLTAF was established in 1982 by the Colorado Supreme Court, in response to severe cuts in federal funding for legal services. From 1982 through 2010, COLTAF has made grants in excess of 30.7 million dollars. Approximately 80% of these funds have gone to Colorado’s federally-funded legal services programs. The other 20% have gone to bar-sponsored pro-bono programs, domestic violence programs, and other justice-related organizations. From 2011 – 2012, $1,280,000 was distributed to Colorado Legal Services (CLS), Colorado’s statewide staffed legal aid program, which provides services to those living at or below 125% of the federal poverty guidelines.

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