Denver Bar Association Awards Shook Duo 2026 Pro Bono Stars

The Denver Bar Association (DBA) has named Shook senior counsels Michelle Aspen and Brooke Churchman as 2026 Pro Bono Stars. Each year the DBA, in collaboration with the DBA Access to Justice Committee, spotlights outstanding legal professionals who have made exceptional pro bono contributions in the Denver area. 

Aspen and Churchman were a part of a team that obtained the release of a persecuted Iranian citizen after 20 months of detention. Shook’s client was born in Iran and was raised practicing Islam but abandoned it as a teenager. The client escaped Iran following religious persecution and traveled to the United States, where he voluntarily submitted to officials and was detained and eventually sent to Colorado. 

After arriving in Colorado, our client connected with the Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network (RMIAN), an organization dedicated to advocating for low-income adults in immigration proceedings, and RMIAN reached out to the Shook team for help on the matter. Aspen and Churchman immediately began drafting the petition, which emphasized the many ways in which the government’s continued detention of Shook’s client violated his constitutional rights.  

In March 2026, the court entered an order granting Shook’s client’s habeas petition and ordered the government to release him. The following day, Aspen and Churchman received a call from the client’s sponsor organization, confirming that the client had arrived safely, and was thankful beyond words for the care and support that the Shook team provided to get him there.