This is the Tom Silverman law offices spring 2010 contest question.

Our law office provides superb legal representation in domestic relations,  and family law. This includes divorce and child custody matters.

The winner of the Spring Contest gets a free lunch with Tom Silverman, Katie Hays or Joe Kirwan.

During the free lunch you may ask any legal question and we will be happy to provide free legal advice in the areas of family law, divorce, bankruptcy, criminal defense, DUI, or other area of our expertise.

The winner of the contest will be announced on the website on the first day of summer, 2010.

The winner will be determined in the sole subjective judgment of Tom Silverman, Katie Hays and Joe Kirwan.

Ready for the big question?

Here we go; What was the most unique divorce settlement in history?

Obviously, this is a subjective question with many possible answers. I do have a specific divorce settlement in mind and will share that on the first day of summer.

Nonetheless, I am open to other possible, better answers and will reserve judgment until all the answers are in.

Remember, this is just for fun and a free lunch and legal advice session and my determination of the first, best answer is final.

Bring on the answers!!

I recently had a conversation with a Colorado Judge who was very concerned that the proposed health care legislation will be far too costly if it passes.

I didn’t comment on that at the time.

But wouldn’t it be a more consistent position if the Judge were saying “because health care is too big a burden for taxpayers, I’m going to give up mine and pay for it myself! I’m fine with taking a $1,000 a month deduction off my pay so the taxpayers won’t be suffering from carrying this pricey benefit for me.”

I find it interesting that taxpayer paid health insurance was ok as long as the Judge’s health care was the burden, but when it came to adding anyone else it was clearly a too expensive program that should not pass.

My argument is that one should be consistent. Either support health care for everyone or agree the taxpayer should not subsidize anyone’s health care as being too expensive.

Judges are civil servants who get excellent health benefits subsidized by us all.

Maybe that’s the way this debate is going. If I have health insurance taken care of I don’t want increased taxes to pay for anyone else’s and if I don’t have it then I want government subsidized health care. 

That may be a little concerning when one calculation put the number of government employees in the United States at 46% of the total workforce.

Tom Silverman, Glenwood Springs attorney (we do bankruptcies and the lack of ability to pay medical expenses is a prime cause of people needing my services for a Chapter 7 bankruptcy).

An open letter to the People of the Town of Silt:

I have had the honor, privilege, and pleasure of serving the Town of Silt as the municipal judge for the last 25 years.  It has been the longest continuous term of office of any municipal judge in this region.

It was my goal, and, hopefully, one that I reached, to serve as the judge with fairness, competence, justice and compassion.

I am happy to state that during this last quarter century the municipal court has performed its services to the Town in an extraordinarily effective and judicious manner.  We have had no significant controversies, no appeals, successful or otherwise, and the vast majority of cases were settled appropriately and amicably with the aid of a series of competent prosecutors. I have had many compliments from residents of the Town of Silt on the manner in which I performed in that office and I have greatly appreciated these flattering comments and the support of the People of the Town of Silt and the municpal governments through these years.

I was extremely active in the Colorado Municipal Judges Association and, while serving the Town of Silt, also served a term as the President of the Colorado Municipal Judges Association.  This was nearly unique as the vast majority of Presidents of that association have come from large municipalities on the eastern slope of Colorado.

Thank you all for giving me the opportunity to serve as the Municipal Judge. It has been a wonderful experience for me personally and I take with me a pride in the work the court has done and, as a side benefit, some really funny stories!

I will not submit a response to the “Request for Proposal” for this upcoming term as I want to become more politically involved and focus on my private practice.

I want you to know that I have immense appreciation for the trust and opportunity you gave to me. I’m sure I will miss you all.

Thank you,

Tom Silverman

“It sad for us to report that Katie Hays from the Silverman Law Office was arrested and jailed.

“You can see from her face that it was a traumatic experience.

Fortunately, her happy face in the next photo was created by the contributions to the Muscular Dystrophy Association which raised several thousand dollars for her bail!

We are very proud of Katie’s willingness to suffer the indignities of her “arrest” and our ability to help this worthy cause!