Staff

 

MVL Board

Metro Volunteer Lawyers’ Board oversees the organization’s operations. The Board is comprised of volunteer attorney members from the Denver Bar Association, Douglas/Elbert Bar Association, Adams/Broomfield Bar Association, and First Judicial District Bar Association. 

 

Chair 2024-2025

Martin Champagne Martin (Marty) Champagne, Jr. has tried numerous cases before judges and juries involving multi-million-dollar commercial disputes, contract disputes and various negligence claims. He has served as trial counsel for the trial division of Nationwide Mutual Insurance Companies and has been trial counsel for numerous Fortune 500 companies and municipalities. Martin was awarded a juris doctor, with honors, by the University of Florida College of Law in 2001. Martin has been named as a Colorado Super Lawyer; is the past chair of the Modern Law Practice Committee; and he is a graduate of the Colorado Bar Leadership Training class of 2022. He currently practices business litigation and appeals in Colorado and Florida.

Growing up in a family of modest means, he recalls the Lions Club delivering food and presents to his family one Christmas Eve when he was 9-years-old. The generosity of a group of strangers left an indelible impression on him. Since becoming a lawyer, he has volunteered as a guardian ad-litem for neglected children, regularly accepted pro bono cases on behalf of those in need and helped people with their legal problems at monthly legal aid clinics. He believes Metro Volunteer Lawyers serves a critical need in the community.
Martin lives in Denver with a very big German Shepard.
Designee from the Denver Bar Association

 

Vice Chair 2024-2025

 

Emily Koekkoek is an associate at Sherr Puttmann Akins Lamb PC. She focuses her practice entirely on family law litigation and mediation. After earning a Bachelor of Arts from the McGill University, Emily attended the University of Oregon for Law School and earned a Juris Doctor along with a certificate in Environment and Natural Resources Law. She has completed the 40 Hour Mediation Certification course and has presented at the annual Colorado Family Law Institute.

Emily is a member of the Metro Denver Interdisciplinary Committee, the Colorado Bar Association and its family law section, and the Denver Bar Association. Emily has been named a “One to Watch” on Best Lawyers in 2021 and 2022. Emily is dedicated to giving back to the community through her service with Metro Volunteer Lawyers and Project Safeguard. Emily is honored to join the MVL board and expand her role as a volunteer for the organization.
Designee from the Arapahoe Bar Association

 

 

Board Members

 

 

Conor Hagerty is a Senior Assistant County Attorney with the Adams County Attorney’s Office, where he focuses on dependency and neglect cases. Conor is a proud Colorado native and a graduate of the University of Colorado-Boulder.  After graduating from Tulane University Law School in New Orleans, LA Conor returned to his native Colorado and immediately began his career as a trial attorney.  Conor has extensive and varied experience as a trial attorney, having worked in criminal prosecution, criminal defense, family law, and juvenile law. When not in the courtroom Conor can be found cheering on his beloved CU Buffaloes in Folsom Field, on one of the legendary mogul runs of Mary Jane, or playing with his wife and three year old daughter in one of Colorado’s beautiful parks.
Designee from the Adams/Broomfield Bar Association

 

The Honorable Michal Lord-Blegen has served as a magistrate in the 17th Judicial District since 2020. Her current docket includes domestic relations, juvenile delinquency, truancy and child support. Since transferring to Adams County Combined Courts, her docket has included warrant reviews, small claims, protection orders, and first appearances. Before coming to 17th she served as a magistrate in Denver District Court for four years where her docket consisted of post-decree family law cases.

Magistrate Lord-Blegen began her legal career in 2010 as a solo practitioner dealing with criminal and family law matters. In 2012, she was one of the founding partners of a firm that focused on family law and mediation. She was appointed as a Child and Family Investigator on nearly 300 cases. Magistrate Lord-Blegen has been an expert witness in school choice matters and in educator dismissal cases.

Prior to practicing law, Magistrate Lord-Blegen served as an educator for nearly 20 years. She was a teacher at Compton High School in Los Angeles CA, an elementary school principal in Aurora CO, and a charter school board member in Denver.

Designee from the Adams/Broomfield Bar Association

 

Patricia Rosales-Chavez Semi-retired.  Active 1985-2017.  Graduated from University of Northern Colorado with a double major in Communications: Law and Public Policy/Mass Media and Political Science.  Obtained JD from University of Colorado.  Practiced primarily in the public sector.  Began legal career with Colorado Legal Services, representing underserved population, including senior citizens and worked for the Office of Legislative Legal Services serving the Colorado General Assembly, The Colorado Parole Board as an Administrative Law Judge regarding parole revocations and as a member of the Board, The Colorado Attorney General’s Office, Pueblo and Adams County Attorney’s Offices and Weld and Pueblo County District Attorney’s Office.  Worked as an advocate for consumers of  mental health services and their families and other support groups.
Designee from the Adams/Broomfield Bar Association

 

Erin K. Williams was born in Denver, Colorado and has worked in U.S. immigration for more than 20 years. As a wife, mother of four, and a solo immigration and estate planning practitioner with a small team, Erin seeks to educate and empower her clients in all of their endeavors. Earning her bachelor’s degree from Metropolitan State University and law degree from the University of Denver Sturm College of Law, Erin has owned her firm, Landmark Immigration & Estates Law, since January 2020. She gives back through her legal work, board memberships, and community involvement including Metro Volunteer Lawyers and legal night at Centro San Juan Diego. Erin is a member of the Colorado Bar Association, CBA Immigration Law Section, the Arapahoe County Bar Association and American Immigration Lawyers Association. Erin enjoys traveling and experiencing all life has to offer with her family and friends.

Designee from the Arapahoe Bar Association

 

Hannah Huston  is an associate attorney at Burg Simpson Eldredge Hersh & Jardine, P.C. where she practices commercial and personal injury litigation. She loves being a trial attorney and vigorously advocating on behalf of her clients. Hannah grew up in Indiana and attended Indiana University Bloomington where she received a Bachelor of Arts in English with highest distinction and wrote an honors thesis on the rhetorical impact of rock n’ roll music on 1960s politics. She moved to Colorado to attend the University of Denver Sturm College of Law as a Sturm Law Scholar and recently graduated with her Juris Doctor (J.D.) in May 2023. Hannah is a member of the Colorado Bar Association, Denver Bar Association, and Arapahoe County Bar Association’s Board of Directors. In her free time, Hannah enjoys playing with her rescue dog, Winnie, travelling, and seeing live music.
Designee from the Arapahoe Bar Association

 

 

Ashley Balicki is a compassionate yet aggressive advocate who has focused her practice on exclusively family law matters and appeals. Ashley represents clients in relationship transitions of all types, including contested and uncontested divorce, child custody, child support, modification actions, contempt proceedings, relocations, protection orders, parenting time issues, prenuptial and postnuptial agreements, and paternity. Ashley also has extensive experience pursuing appeals for her family law clients and is well-versed in all aspects of the appellate process. Ashley has received numerous awards including being selected by her peers as a Super Lawyer Rising Star.

Ashley prioritizes the needs and goals of her clients and believes in the importance of thorough preparation and responsive communication. With training in mediation and Collaborative Law (“no court divorce”), Ashley emphasizes making every effort to resolve family conflict without costly and devastating ligation. However, Ashley is an experienced litigator who also understands that in some circumstances litigation is the best course of action for achieving an outcome in the client’s best interest. Ashley frequently assists clients in matters involving complex custody matters, jurisdictional issues, and high net worth divorces. Ashley’s practice philosophy is to represent her clients in a way which vigorously protects their interests while doing everything possible to minimize the emotional toll and financial hardship which often comes with divorce. As a mother of two, Ashley is also sensitive to conducting family law litigation in a way which preserves the safety and well-being of the children.

Ashley received her undergraduate and law degree from Indiana University and continues to cheer on her Indiana Hoosiers in basketball. Ashley is licensed in Colorado, Indiana, and Illinois. Ashley lives in Highlands Ranch with her husband, Mark, and their two sons. During her free time Ashley likes to cook, read, and travel.

Designee from the Denver Bar Association

 

 

Kyle W. Brenton is an Assistant United States Attorney in the Appellate Division of the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado.  In that capacity, Mr. Brenton represents the United States in criminal and civil appeals before the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals.  Before joining the Department of Justice, Kyle was Of Counsel at Childs McCune LLC, where he led that firm’s appellate practice, and prior to that he was a senior associate at Davis Graham & Stubbs, LLP.  Kyle graduated summa cum laude from the University of Minnesota Law School, after which he clerked for the Honorable David M. Ebel on the Tenth Circuit.
Designee from the Denver Bar Association

 

Noah Patterson is a First Assistant Attorney General at the Colorado Department of Law. His practice focuses on tax litigation and general counsel work. Noah graduated from the University of Denver Sturm College of Law in 2010, after which he served as a judicial law clerk to the Honorable Diana Terry on the Colorado Court of Appeals. Noah is a member of the Colorado Bar Association, the Denver Bar Association, and is dedicated to furthering access to justice efforts in Colorado. As part of those efforts, Noah has worked as a volunteer attorney in MVL’s post-decree clinic since 2014. He is thrilled to serve on MVL’s board and support MVL’s great work.
Designee from the Denver Bar Association

 

Jerremy Ramp - is a partner with the firm Cooper Ramp Cage Bucar Lewis LLC, where his practice focuses on family law. Jerremy grew up in Indiana but has been in Denver since graduating from Notre Dame Law School in 2003. Jerremy serves on the board of Metro Volunteer Lawyers, the Family Law Section Executive Council, and the Family Law Section Legislative Committee. He has been named as a Colorado Super Lawyer, 5280 Top Lawyers and to the Best Lawyers in America. After college, Jerremy spent a fascinating and rewarding year in Jerusalem doing archaeological work and volunteering at a hospital, and he spent his second year of law school in London studying international law. In his free time, Jerremy enjoys house projects, playing in the mountains, and most of all, tries—often unsuccessfully—to keep up with his three little kids.
Designee from the Denver Bar Association

 

Sonia Russo - is a Senior Assistant Attorney General at the Colorado Department of Law, where she serves in the Criminal Appeals Section and previously prosecuted healthcare fraud and elder abuse and neglect. She clerked at U.S. District Court for the District of New Mexico and twice at the New Mexico Court of Appeals. Prior to clerking, Sonia prosecuted violent felonies at the Second Judicial District Attorney’s office in Albuquerque, NM, and was a litigation associate at Modrall Sperling, also in Albuquerque. Sonia is a proud alumna of Brown University and Boston College Law School. Among other honors from the ABA, Sonia was recognized on the ABA’s 2021 On the Rise Top 40 Young Lawyers list. Sonia was also a 2023 finalist for the CLI Inclusiveness@Work Award in the young professional category and she has been a Law School Yes We Can mentor. Sonia is honored to be the 2024 Colorado Bar Association Gary McPherson Outstanding Young Lawyer of the Year. Her interests include going on adventures with her adopted shelter dog, Milo, travel, and performing and visual arts.
Designee from the Denver Bar Association

 

Anne Zogg is an associate at Hawkins Gordon, where she focuses her passion for helping others by assisting families and individuals with trust and estate planning, administration, and probate. Anne began her professional career as an auditor and registered as a certified public accountant (Illinois). After obtaining her law degree, Anne used her accounting background to practice in the area of business fraud litigation. Her passion for helping others later led her to work at Metro Volunteer Lawyers, where Anne was a Rovira Scholar, Post Decree Program Coordinator, Power of Attorney Program Coordinator, and Metro Volunteer Lawyer’s Managing Attorney. Anne is passionate about serving others, providing pro bono services, and promoting access to justice. Anne currently serves as Vice-Chair of the Denver Access to Justice Committee and is a member of the Colorado Access to Justice Commission Deliver Committee. Anne enjoys hiking, skiing, running, and being outdoors with her husband and two sons.
Designee from the Douglas/Elbert Bar Association

Ben King - W. Benjamin King is a Colorado native and third-generation trial attorney. Mr. King attended the University of Colorado at Boulder, Leeds School of Business. where he obtained his bachelor’s degree in Business Management and Marketing. Subsequently, he received his Juris Doctor (J.D.) from the University of Miami’s School of Law in Florida and is licensed to practice law in the state and federal courts of Colorado.   Mr. King began his legal career with a prestigious Denver family law firm where he specialized in litigating highly-contested divorces and child custody cases.  Additionally, he also has experience in appellate work and has prevailed on issues in both the Colorado Court of Appeals and Colorado Supreme Court. Mr. King’s  practice now focuses on construction related matters, including construction defect claims, general insurance defense, personal injury, and family law.  
 
Mr. King has authored multiple legal publications and is a member of: the American Bar Association (ABA), Colorado Bar Association (CBA), Denver Bar Association, Arapahoe County Bar Association,  Colorado Bar Young Lawyers Division, Faculty of Federal Advocates, Metro Denver Interdisciplinary Committee (MDIC), the Douglas-Elbert County Bar Association (DEBA), and acts as the DEBA Representative to the Metro Volunteer Lawyers (MVL) Board of Governors.
 
Mr. King is a fitness enthusiast who enjoys volunteering when he is not exploring the Colorado mountain ranges and spending time with his family.
Designee from the Douglas/Elbert Bar Association

Aaron Suazo Aaron is dedicated to helping his clients and their families, whether it is through a divorce, fighting criminal charges or helping them navigate through parenting disputes and other issues.  Aaron is a tireless worker who works closely with his clients to help bring a favorable resolution their problems.   

Aaron brings a long history of courtroom and negotiation experience to Suazo Law LLC. He began his legal career as an intern at the Denver District Attorney’s Office while attending law school at the University of Colorado. Preceding his formal study of law, Aaron served in the United States Marine Corps for 12 years. He began his military career as a military policeman and was later sent to the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, California, where he learned to speak the Korean language. He then worked as an interrogator in the military intelligence field for the rest of his Marine Corps career.  

Immediately after graduating from Law School, Aaron worked as a law clerk for the Honorable Frank Plaut in the Jefferson County District Court. While with Judge Plaut, he was able to see firsthand the inner workings of the court and how domestic relations and criminal law was practiced.  After his clerkship, Aaron returned to the Denver District Attorney’s Office where he was eventually promoted to the position of a Senior Deputy District Attorney before joining moving into private practice. During his stretch with the Denver District Attorney’s Office, Aaron was assigned to several specialized units, including the High Impact Drug Trafficking Area where he focused on prosecuting criminals involved in multi-state drug trafficking organizations and was appointed as a Special Assistant United States Attorney.  

Aaron was also assigned to the Family Violence Unit where he gained valuable experience dealing with issues concerning families. While in the Family Violence Unit, Aaron prosecuted individuals charged with domestic violence crimes such as sexual assaults on their spouses or significant others, sexual assault on children and other crimes involving child victims, and all forms of domestic violence.  

Aaron has tried countless jury trials, ranging from simple assaults to complex multi-defendant homicides.  

Aaron moved to private practice was eventually became a partner at a major domestic relations law firm in the Denver metro area.  While there, Aaron handled both domestic relations and criminal cases.  Aaron’s background as a prosecutor with extensive litigation experience helped prepare him to handle both domestic relations and criminal cases.  Indeed, his experience prosecuting domestic violence crimes has given him a unique perspective on domestic violence as it relates to dissolutions of marriage and child custody issues.   
Designee from the Douglas/Elbert Bar Association

 

Andrew “Andy” Hart. Andy got involved with Metro Volunteer Lawyers after obtaining his Juris Doctorate from the University of Denver Sturm College of Law in 2007. Andy was then employed with Metro Volunteers Lawyers as the Family Law Court Program Coordinator for two years before going off into private practice. He has served on the Board of Directors since 2012. In his spare time, Andy spends time with his family exploring Colorado and all it has to offer - hiking, backpacking, cycling, and skiing all over the state. When not engaged in outdoor pursuits, Andy enjoys spending time with friends, family, a good book, and rabidly cheering on the University of Oregon Ducks. Andy remains grateful for the opportunity to have worked for an organization that helps so many people who lack the resources to hire an attorney, and continues to support their efforts as a volunteer. At a young age, he learned that the practice of law is an honorable profession full of good, dedicated people. Andy is partner at the family law firm of Radeff & Hart.
Designee from the First Judicial District Bar Association

 

Kevin E. McReynolds is a litigator focusing on criminal law and constitutional issues. Kevin began his career as a civil litigator at a national firm in Los Angeles and moved to Colorado after clerking for Judge George Schiavelli in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. In Denver, Kevin worked for a six-attorney firm where his practice focused on civil litigation and business transactions for clients in the energy, telecommunications, technology, and entertainment industries. While in private practice, Kevin took a pro bono immigration matter and successfully challenged his client’s deportation in the 10th Circuit. This prompted him to leave private practice to focus on appellate litigation and criminal law, first with the Colorado Attorney General and now in his current role with the Office of the First Judicial District Attorney. Kevin has argued more than seventy cases before Colorado’s appellate courts and regularly teaches on topics relating to appellate practice and criminal law.

Kevin is deeply involved in the local legal community where, among other roles, he has served on the Presidents’ Diversity Council, as President of the Denver Bar Association, and as Chair of the Waterman Fund.
Designee from the First Judicial District Bar Association

Stephen Cook is the managing partner at Smith & Cook, LLC, a general litigation firm with an emphasis in Criminal Defense, Family Law, Probate and General Civil Litigation. Stephen and his firm currently volunteer with Metro Volunteer Lawyers hosting the Family Law and Guidance Program in the 1st JD, with the Legal Clinic for the Women in Crisis Center through Family Tree, Inc. and he is the Continuing Legal Education Chairperson for the 1st JD Bar Association. Stephen is also an assistant coach for the D'Evelyn High School Mock Trial Team. Graduating law school from Valparaiso University in 1996 and Indiana University with a bachelor of science in Marketing in 1993, Stephen has called Colorado home since 1996. He is married with 3 children and in his spare time enjoys golfing, fly fishing and reading history.
Designee from the First Judicial District Bar Association

 

Alena Prokop is a partner at Davis Graham & Stubbs LLP. Her practice focuses on the design, administration, and tax attributes of all types of executive compensation arrangements and equity compensation plans, as well as on the executive compensation issues arising out of mergers, acquisitions, and public offerings. Before joining DGS, Alena practiced in the Executive Compensation Group at Kirkland & Ellis LLP. Alena is a member of the 2021 General Counsel Mentor Program and the Women of M&A Network. She is a graduate of the 2019 Leadership 20 class, a leadership development program for emerging leaders within ACG Denver’s professional business community. Since 2022, she was named among the “Ones to Watch” in the area of Mergers & Acquisitions Law by Best Lawyers. Alena received her J.D.-equivalent degree from the Charles University School of Law in Prague, Czech Republic, and her LL.M. in Corporate Law from New York University School of Law. Alena balances her transactional practice with various pro bono projects and currently serves as the pro bono partner for DGS’ transactions department. Alena enjoys traveling and spending time outdoors with her husband and their two little boys.
Member at Large

Heather Landauer is a Partner at Gebhardt Emerson Moodie Bonanno, LLC, where she practices exclusively in family law. Heather is a Colorado native and attended the University of Colorado at Boulder for her undergraduate degree and the University of Denver Sturm College of Law for her JD. Heather has been practicing in family law for over a decade and is also a trained Child and Family Investigator and Parenting Coordinator/Decision-Maker. Heather has been named to “Ones to Watch” on Best Lawyers for 2021 – 2024 as well as a “Rising Star” on Super Lawyers for 2022 – 2024. Heather first volunteered with Metro Volunteer Lawyers as an intern during law school and is now honored to join the MVL board. In her free time, Heather enjoys spending time with her family and cheering on the CU Buffs and Denver Broncos.
Member at Large