JenniLynn E. Lawrence

The Twenty-First Judicial Commission finds that Judge Jennilynn E. Lawrence MEETS PERFORMANCE STANDARDS . Four members of the Commission voted that Judge Lawrence met performance standards and four members voted that she did not meet performance standards. The Commission has one vacancy and one absent commissioner.

The Commission considered multiple sources of information, including survey results, courtroom observations, interviews, the judge’s self-evaluation, and case management data. Survey results indicated that 36% of attorneys found Judge Lawrence meets performance standards, while non-attorney responses were more mixed at 50%. In addition to attorney and non-attorney surveys, Judge Lawrence was evaluated by four judges on the Colorado Court of Appeals, who gave her an average rating of 3.8 out of 4. Due to the small number of overall surveys returned, the Commission considered these results in the context of all available information.

After meeting with Judge Lawrence and reviewing her work over the past two years and after assessing feedback from attorneys and non-attorneys, the Commission was evenly split as to whether she meets judicial performance standards. Although much of her work is satisfactory, her performance was not strong enough to gain a majority of the Commission’s support. While many on the Commission found that Judge Lawrence has improved over the past year in administration and case management, others believe she is ineffective in knowledge of the law, communication and due diligence. It should be noted that Judge Lawrence is actively engaged in training and education and has logged 74 hours of continuing legal education over the past year. It should also be noted that she is relatively new to the district court bench, having been appointed in September of 2024. Judge Lawrence is currently meeting or exceeding state benchmarks for timely completing cases.

Judge Lawrence has 14 years of service as a judge on the Colorado County Court bench. Throughout her judicial career, Judge Lawrence has held leadership and service roles, including President of the Colorado County Court Judges Association and membership on statewide committees focused on judicial education, access to justice, and judicial well-being. Prior to her appointment to the 21st Judicial District Court, Judge Lawrence practiced as a trial attorney handling complex commercial litigation and is admitted to practice in Colorado, New Mexico, Wisconsin, and Florida. She earned a B.A. in English and Education from Fort Lewis College, in Durango Colorado, an M.A. in Interdisciplinary Education from Adams State University, in Alamosa Colorado and a J.D. from the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

1300 Broadway, Suite 220 Denver, Colorado 80203

(303) 928-7777