About Us
We offer compassionate civil legal representation.
Our work at JAMLAC is urgent — we walk alongside our neighbors as they face life-altering legal challenges and strengthen their ability to thrive, not just survive.
Our Mission
We derive our name, Justice and Mercy, and our mission from the scriptural verse Micah 6:8, “what does the Lord require of you? To do justice, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.” We live out this call in our work at JAMLAC by seeking justice for people struggling with poverty and oppression. We do this in a way that affirms the client’s dignity and strengthens their capacity to positively direct their own lives.
Our Vision and Values
By providing culturally sensitive civil legal services and defending the cause of the poor and needy, JAMLAC’s Vision is to enhance the quality of lives and create healthy communities where all people have access to justice, live free from abuse, are empowered, and thrive in the community.
You can read more about JAMLAC’s core values and our motivation to care for the poor here.
Our History
Co-founders Steve Thompson and Sulma Mendoza opened JAMLAC’s doors in 2006 in response to a deep desire to fight injustice that those struggling with poverty face. JAMLAC began in a converted motel room at Joshua Station and served 96 clients the first year. Now, in a much bigger space, we have 17 staff members and help 1,500-2,000 people annually.
Our Partners
Collaboration is integral to the success of JAMLAC and the people we serve.
Our Team
Our team of attorneys, paralegals and administrators are committed to bridging the gap between our clients and the justice they seek.
Steve Thompson
Lead Servant & Senior Attorney
Jose Escobar
Associate Director & Family Law Attorney
Sulma Mendoza
Immigration Director
Nikki Koster
Director Of Development
Marlene Bedoya
Communications Manager & Development Officer
Carolyn Gravit
Pro Bono Director
Elizabeth Davidson
Family Law Attorney & Office Manager
Breanna Hayes
Civil Legal Attorney
Amy Enriquez
Paralegal
Rosanna Mendoza-Rios
Paralegal
Claudia Rueda
Paralegal
Mckenna Newsum Schoenberg
Immigration Attorney
Carmen Stevens
Department of Justice Accredited Representative
Vicky Guerrero
Immigration Paralegal & Workshop Coordinator
Janette Torreblanca
Receptionist
Aide Salazar Zetina
Bilingual Navigator
Maria Lopez
Family Law Paralegal
Selena Ochoa
Victim Advocate & Intake Coordinator
Our Board
Douglas Griess
Board Chair
Partner, Hackstaff & Snow
Michelle Ferrigno Warren
Board Vice Chair
President, Virago Strategies
Jeff Messer
Board Treasurer
CFO, ToolWatch
Jim Helfrich
Partner, Allen Velltone Wolf Helfrich & Factor, P.C.
Thom Scheffel
Partner, TNS Associates, P.C.
Ayinde Russell
Pastor of Local Outreach, Colorado Community Church
Heidi Messer
Director of Accounting, Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce
Hawk Thomas
Managing Counsel, Reid Law, P.C.
Scott Lumpkin
Principal, Scott R. Lumpkin & Associates LLC – Philanthropic Advisory Services
Vanessa Guzman
Owner, He Reigns Real Estate
Maria Sierra
Housing Navigator CPLP, Colorado Poverty Law Project
Penny Salazar-Phillips, LCSW
Director, Leader & Intern Formation Experience
Wes Hayes
Vice President, Bank of America
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