Colorado Supreme Court
Office of Attorney Regulation Counsel
Promoting Professionalism. Protecting the Public.
Attorney Registration Rules
Attorneys in Colorado are required to comply with the registration rule, C.R.C.P. 227, and must submit a registration statement on an annual basis along with their registration fee. The following are some of the requirements under the registration rules. Please read the applicable rules to make sure all requirements are being met every year.
Trust Account Reporting
Pursuant to Colorado Rule of Professional Conduct 1.15B, all funds of clients or third-parties held by a lawyer or law firm, related to a representation, shall be deposited in one or more identifiable interest-bearing, insured depository accounts in a financial institution approved by the Supreme Court Regulation Counsel. The interest earned shall be paid to the client or to the Colorado Lawyer Trust Account Foundation (COLTAF).
Pursuant to the Colorado Rule of Professional Conduct 1.15A - 1.15E and C.R.C.P. 227(A)(2)(a), you are directed to provide the information to determine compliance or justifiable reason for non-compliance with Colorado Rule of Professional Conduct 1.15B.
You should receive your compliance statement along with your Attorney Registration Statement. If you do not receive a copy of your compliance statement, please call the Attorney Registration Office to obtain a copy.
For additional information please contact COLTAF at (303) 863-7221.
Rule 1.15A-1.15E of the Colorado Rules of Professional Conduct
Registration Fee and Statement
C.R.C.P. 227 requires all attorneys admitted to practice law in Colorado to file an annual registration statement and pay a fee as set by the Colorado Supreme Court. In that annual registration statement, attorneys must provide their current residential and business addresses and certify as to whether the attorney is under any order to pay child support, whether the attorney or attorney’s law firm has the proper interest-bearing accounts as required under Colo. RPC 1.15A-1.15E, and whether the attorney is currently covered by professional liability insurance.
Reminder: Pursuant to C.R.C.P. 227(A)(2)(b), “Every attorney shall file a supplemental statement of change in the information previously submitted, including home and business addresses, within 28 days of such change. Such change shall include, without limitation, the lapse or termination of professional liability insurance without continuous coverage.”
Child Support Enforcement Act
Pursuant to §26-13-126(3), C.R.S. (2015) and C.R.C.P. 227, an attorney must verify on an annual basis that they are not delinquent with respect to a court-ordered obligation to pay child support. The annual registration form requires attorneys to certify if they are under an order to pay child support, and if so, whether they are in compliance or not in compliance with the order. This is located on the back of the bottom portion of the registration statement that is to be mailed in with the registration payment. Attorneys that fail to comply with the certification set forth on the registration statement will be referred to the Colorado Supreme Court Office of Attorney Regulation.
Professional Liability Insurance
Pursuant to C.R.C.P. 227 an attorney must verify on an annual basis that if they are engaged in the private practice of law, whether the attorney is currently covered by professional liability insurance and, if so, whether the attorney intends to maintain insurance during the time the attorney is engaged in the private practice of law. Attorneys that fail to comply with the certification set forth on the registration statement will be referred to the Colorado Supreme Court Office of Attorney Regulation.