Michael Karlik at Colorado Politics
The Colorado Supreme Court’s Civil Rules Committee overwhelmingly rejected a proposal last week to create an enforceable “civility code” for lawyers and legal paraprofessionals, which would allow judges to quickly impose corrective action without a formal complaint and investigation by attorney regulators. Although several committee members acknowledged poor behavior in the legal profession, there was widespread concern that the proposed code would have no effect on those who already disregard professional expectations. Moreover, attorneys could use the code as a weapon against each other or judges, leading to even more litigation.
At the same time, Jefferson County District Court Judge Christopher Zenisek was troubled that a rule to check bad actors could be weaponized by those same bad actors. “There is something of an irony that we’re acknowledging there is a need for something like this, but seemingly declining to incorporate it because of the jerks,” he said.