CJI's annual Judicial Excellence for Colorado Gala Dinner celebrates our state's judicial system and the year's Judicial Excellence Awardees. The event also serves as an important fundraiser for CJI and its programs.
23rd Annual Judicial Excellence for Colorado Gala Dinner
Hosted by the Colorado Judicial Institute
Date / Time: Wednesday October 15, 2025, 5:30-9:00pm
Location: Hyatt Regency Denver at Colorado Convention Center, 650 15th Street, Denver, CO 80202
Attire: Business attire
This year's Judicial Excellence Award honorees are:
- District Court Chief Judge Susan Blanco, 8th Judicial District
- County Court Judge John Mochel, Las Animas & Huerfano Counties, 3rd Judicial District
- Magistrate Melissa Annis, Denver County Court, 2nd Judicial District
Also this year, CJI honors Chief Judge Ryan Stuart of the 23rd Judicial District with a special Judicial Leadership Award.
Join us to celebrate them—and Colorado's judicial system—on October 15!
Also featuring:
- Master of ceremonies Chandra Thomas Whitfield of Colorado Public Radio
- Welcome speech by Chief Justice Monica Márquez
- Cocktail reception entertainment by Chilly Jazz
- Paddle raise fundraiser to benefit CJI's judicial education program
This gala dinner is CJI's biggest fundraiser and subsidizes our important work throughout the year. Please join us and support CJI's mission and programs on behalf of Colorado's courts!
Individual Tickets
Click here to buy individual tickets!
Sponsorship Opportunities
Sponsorship of CJI's gala dinner is a terrific way to showcase your organization and support CJI's work on behalf of Colorado’s courts. Sponsorship benefits include event tickets (e.g., full table or half table), sponsor ad in the printed program plus other promotion, and lots of networking!
For more information about sponsorship opportunities, click here. But please act quickly, it's best to reserve your sponsorship—and ad space—by the first week of September.
Thanks to Our Sponsors!
Platinum Level:
- Dowd Bennett LLP
- Wheeler Trigg O'Donnell LLP
Gold Level:
- Polsinelli PC
Silver Level:
- American Arbitration Association
- Burg Simpson Eldredge Hersh & Jardine, P.C.
- Davis Graham
- Garnett Powell Maximon Barlow & Farbes
- The Harris Law Firm
- Holland & Hart LLP
- Ireland Stapleton Pryor & Pascoe, PC
- MDC Richmond American Homes Foundation
- Venable
Bronze Level:
- Alvarez & Marsal Disputes and Investigations, LLC
- Buchalter
- Caplan & Earnest LLC
- Cheney Galluzzi & Howard, LLC
- Childs McCune Michalek, LLC
- Colorado & Denver Bar Associations and Colorado Bar Association CLE
- Colorado Bar Association Family Law Section
- Colorado Bar Association Solo Small Section
- Cox Baker Page & Bailey, LLC
- Douglas Elbert Bar Association
- EchoStar
- Employers Council
- Faegre Drinker
- Fennemore
- Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani, LLP
- Greenberg Traurig, LLP
- Greenspoon Marder LLP
- Griffiths Law PC
- JAMS
- Judicial Arbiter Group, Inc.
- Levin Sitcoff PC
- Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP
- New Leaf Family / AndersonDodson
- Perkins Coie LLP
- Shook, Hardy & Bacon L.L.P.
- Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP
- Thompson, Coe, Cousins & Irons, LLP
- Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP
Small/Solo Level:
- Colorado Defense Lawyers Association
- Ginger on the Docket
- The Lawyers Choice, LLC
- Parker Lipman LLP
- Werge & Corbin Law Group
Wine Sponsors:
- Davis Graham
- The Lawyers Choice, LLC
AV Sponsors:
- The Lawyers Choice, LLC
Other Sponsors:
- Arapahoe County Bar Association
- Epstein Patierno, LLP
- Sherr Puttmann Akins Lamb PC
Sponsors of In-Kind Services for Gala Dinner
- Michael Lopez and Array for printing services
- Kathy Henry and Davis Graham for design services
- Don Yost and Holland & Hart for video production services
(Sponsor list last updated September 11, 2025.)
