Pallares, Isabel 2020 Evaluation

Reports:
2020 Retention Survey Report
2019 Interim Survey Report

The Second Judicial District Commission on Judicial Performance, on a vote of 10-0, finds that Judge Isabel Pallarés MEETS PERFORMANCE STANDARDS.

After meeting with Judge Pallarés, reviewing her work, and assessing feedback from attorneys and non-attorneys, the Commission unanimously voted that she meets judicial performance standards.  The Commission had previously notified Judge Pallarés about concerns regarding demeanor.  The Commission was impressed with her prompt, proactive efforts to address those concerns.

The Commission conducted a personal interview with Judge Pallarés, reviewed orders she authored, reviewed survey responses from attorneys and non-attorneys who had experience with Judge Pallarés, and select members of the Commission observed Judge Pallarés in court, either live or via recordings. Those surveyed were asked, "based on your responses to the previous questions related to the performance evaluation criteria, do you think Judge Pallarés meets  judicial performance standards?"  Of the 12 attorneys responding to the surveys, 30% believe that Judge Pallarés meets performance standards, 50% believe she does not meet performance standards, and 20% had no opinion.  Judge Pallarés received ratings below the statewide average among all County Court judges standing for retention with regard to the areas surveyed: (1) case management, (2) application and knowledge of law, (3) communications, (4) diligence, and (5) demeanor.  Of the 11 non-attorneys responding to the survey, 100% believe Judge Pallarés meets performance standards.

Mayor Hancock appointed Judge Isabel Pallarés to the Denver County Court bench in 2017.  She earned an undergraduate degree from Boston University, where she graduated magna cum laude, and she earned her Juris Doctor from the University of Colorado School of Law.  After law school, Judge Pallarés interned at the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, served as a judicial intern for a federal judge, and as a served as a law clerk for Chief Judge Michael A. Martinez of the Denver District Court.  Before taking the bench, Judge Pallarés served the citizens of Denver as the Chief Deputy District Attorney for the office’s Sexual Assault Unit.  She volunteers as a member of Our Courts which is a joint activity of citizens, lawyers, and judges to provide nonpartisan information to the public about our state and federal courts.  Judge Pallarés has demonstrated a commitment to community service and is active in the Asian Pacific American Bar Association of Colorado, the Colorado Hispanic Bar Association, the Colorado Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Bar Association, the Colorado Women’s Bar Association, the Sam Cary Bar Association and the South Asian Bar Association of Colorado.  She currently serves as an At-Large Director for the Colorado Hispanic Bar Association.