Community Involvement

in Denver, Colorado

The attorneys at Hill & Robbins believe strongly that lawyers have an obligation to give back to the community.  To that end, Hill & Robbins lawyers have a long history of participation in a wide variety of pro bono and community service organizations.

Hill & Robbins has taken on significant pro bono litigation and helped to organize several nonprofit entities. Robert Hill was a founding board member of the Colorado Lawyers Committee, nonprofit, nonpartisan consortium of 51 Denver-area law firms that do high impact pro bono work advocating, negotiating and litigating for children, the poor and other disadvantaged groups.  The firm defended Colorado's Amendment 15 (GAVEL amendment) and Amendment 16 (campaign-finance reform initiative) on behalf of Colorado Common Cause and the League of Women Voters, as well as representing those same clients in litigation involving campaign finance reform. Members of the firm were co-founders of Invest in Kids, an organization that provides early intervention programs for at-risk children and families, and Project Safeguard, an organization committed to advancing the legal rights of victims of domestic abuse.

After being awarded attorney’s fees in a successful pro bono litigation (through the Colorado Lawyers Committee) regarding the rights of consumers to appear before the Colorado Public Utilities Commission, Hill & Robbins used the fees and costs awarded to the firm to establish the Hill & Robbins Fellowship for the purpose of encouraging law students to do work in the public interest. Each year, a law student from the University of Colorado or University of Denver is awarded the fellowship to work on a public-interest project either through the Colorado Lawyers Committee or Colorado Legal Services. Past projects have included the Casillas Pesticide Project to aid Colorado migrant farm workers, the Giordano school capital construction litigation, the Taylor Ranch litigation, and various other ongoing projects within the Colorado Lawyers Committee and Colorado Legal Services.

In recognition of our commitment to the Colorado Lawyers' Committee, Hill & Robbins was named Firm of the Year in 1995, and our members have been individually recognized for their outstanding contributions to the Committee. In addition, several of our attorneys have served on the Committee's board of directors and Executive Committee and Mr. Hill was the Chairperson for 1985-1987.

Individual achievements and awards

Robert Hill has received numerous awards for community service, including the Colorado Bar Association's Hoagland Award for Public Service, the Colorado Lawyers Committee's Awards for Individual of the Year and Outstanding Sustained Contribution, and the 2003 National Philanthropy Day in Colorado Award for Outstanding Volunteer. He has done pro bono work for Ocean Journey , the Colorado Bar Association's Make It Your Business and Kids and Courts projects, and currently serves on the board of Invest In Kids and the Nurse Family Partnership. Mr. Hill was also named a finalist in Denver Business Journal's 2004 Best of the Bar for Pro Bono Attorney of the Year.

David Robbins's pro bono lobbying efforts were instrumental in the designation of the Great Sand Dunes National Monument & Preserve as a national park and preserve in 2000. Mr. Robbins has been a longstanding member and leader of the Colorado River Salinity Control Advisory Council and the Colorado Water Congress.

John Walsh is vice-chair and commissioner of Denver's Public Safety Review Commission, which reviews policy, conducts investigations, and recommends changes to the Denver Police and Sheriff Department. Mr. Walsh is currently Co-Chair of the board of Invest In Kids and an early childhood education group. He also chaired the Leadership Denver Alumni Association, a program of the Denver Metro Chamber Foundation that supports and develops community leaders. Mr. Walsh was a candidate for Denver district attorney in the 2004 election and received the editorial endorsement of the Denver Post in that election.