Criminal Justice Fellow
The Colorado Attorney General is accepting applications for a Criminal Justice Section (CJS) Fellow. This Fellowship is a one-year program, set to begin in November 2024.
What You Will Do
The CJS Fellow will have the opportunity to work in in the Criminal Justice Section. The Criminal Justice Section (CJS) investigates and prosecutes a broad array of matters on a statewide basis. The CJS Fellow may have the opportunity to assist in the prosecution of securities fraud, insurance fraud, environmental violations, human trafficking, drug trafficking homicides, and multi-jurisdictional organized crime. The CJS Fellow will regularly interface with other attorneys in the Section, participate in trial strategy meetings, and research and analyze topical matters of state and federal law. The CJS Fellow will be part of the 2024-25 class of Fellows.
What We Are Looking For
The Department of Law (DOL) is looking for Fellows who wish to begin their career in public service. As a Fellow at the DOL, you will have the opportunity to develop as a lawyer by working on exciting, and sometimes novel, legal matters; drafting memoranda, briefs, and pleadings; and working collaboratively with other lawyers. You will be provided with feedback on your work and be given opportunities for mentorship and networking. In addition, as part of the program, all Fellows participate in a year-long professionalism series and have the opportunity to earn a Certificate of Trial Advocacy by completing the Colorado Trial Advocacy Certificate Program. Fellows may also earn free CLE credits through the DOL, CBA, and PLI and may volunteer on office-wide impact teams. The DOL considers the Fellowship Program to be a pipeline into permanent employment with the DOL. Thus, Fellows may have an opportunity to apply for open permanent positions at the DOL during the second half of their Fellowship term.
The Fellowship Program is open to recent law school graduates or those graduating law school by Spring 2024, and we encourage applications from those who are intellectually curious and passionate about public service. The Department of Law is most interested in candidates who have strong writing skills; have the confidence and ability to ask good and thoughtful questions; are eager to engage; and have a strong academic record (i.e., a strong GPA or show a steady improvement of grades during law school).
Bar Admission and Compensation
All individuals applying for any of the DOL Fellowship positions must be a member of the Colorado bar before beginning work.
The annual salary is $60,000, plus medical/dental benefits for 2024 law school graduates, and $67,000 for Fellows in their second year of the Fellowship or who come to the Fellowship with at least one full year of legal experience. Note: Bar passage or eligibility to waive into the Colorado Bar is required to join the program in October 2024. Fellows may not practice under the student practice act if they have not passed the bar by October 2024.
To learn more about our benefits visit: https://www.colorado.gov/dhr/benefits .
For general questions, contact: fellowship.program@coag.gov
How to Apply
Applicants must submit the following required materials and all materials should be received no later than March 2, 2024 for full consideration. Applications will be considered on a rolling basis. Selected candidates will be invited for interviews. Required materials must be submitted electronically to fellowship.program@coag.gov with the words “CJS Fellowship” in the subject line.
- Cover letter that highlights: (a) your commitment to public service and your interest in this Criminal Justice Fellowship; (b) your prosecution experience or interest (including any demonstrated focus through law school courses or clinical experience during or through law school) and/or other relevant work; (c) how you think your background and experience would add value in the Fellowship.
- Resume that includes bar memberships, leadership experience, community service or volunteer experience, status of application for bar membership, and cumulative law school GPA (and rank if applicable).
- Law school transcript.
- Three references (not letters of recommendation) from individuals who are familiar with your work and abilities, including their phone and e-mail contact information and an indication of the working relationship.
- Writing sample (the shorter and less edited the better). Submissions may be portions of a longer sample, but please include no more than 10 pages, total. Applicants are encouraged to provide a writing sample that demonstrates the candidate’s legal analysis and abilities.
As part of the interview process, finalists may be asked to prepare an additional writing sample based on a fact pattern supplied by the office. All finalists will complete an interview with the Attorney General before a final offer is made.
ADAAA Requests
The Department of Law is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. As part of this commitment, our agency will assist individuals who have a disability with any reasonable accommodation requests related to employment, including completing the application process, interviewing, completing any pre-employment testing, participating in the employee selection process, and/or to perform essential job functions where the requested accommodation does not impose an undue hardship. If you have a disability and require reasonable accommodation to ensure you have a positive experience applying or interviewing for this position, please direct your inquiries to our ADAAA Coordinator, Julie Christopher at hr@coag.gov.
Conditions of Employment
• The final candidate for employment must successfully pass a thorough criminal background investigation.
• Candidate must be admitted to practice law in Colorado by the first day of employment.
Why Work for Us
We Embrace Flexibility
We aim to produce outstanding work product for our clients, be efficient with our time, and support each other as team members – which also means we embrace flexible working arrangements when and where possible.
We Are Committed to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
At the DOL, our commitment to DEI is thriving. We know that we are better together when our differences are valued and everyone is inspired and empowered to contribute. As such, we strive to provide a safe environment where individuals feel valued and respected for who they are; demonstrate a behavior and mindset where differences are welcomed, and individuals are treated equally and empowered to do their best work; and promote growth and innovation through a diverse workforce. We empower an active Diversity Equity & Inclusion Impact Team that creates approaches to ensure safe spaces and a culture supportive of people being their authentic selves, hosts events and programs on DEI areas important to our employees, enables development and sustainability of resource groups that give a voice to historically marginalized populations, focuses on retaining our incredible talent, and more! If your professional goals include promoting growth and innovation with colleagues who recognize that we are better together when our differences are valued and respected, then DOL is your place to be!
We Have Strong Core Values
Our core values drive our actions. At the Department of Law, we are: 1) principled, maintaining the highest ethical standards, rigorous legal analysis, and careful evaluation of facts; 2) public servants, who are always ensuring our work is not about us, but instead is about the people of Colorado; 3) innovative, by seeking to identify the best approach, make deliberate decisions, and look to improve; and 4) “better together,” by working to support each other and collaborate.
We are Committed to Developing our Attorneys
We are deeply invested in our talent and regularly provide meaningful opportunities for personal and professional growth through training and coaching. Further, our professional development and performance goal-setting process is collaborative and ongoing, and aimed at helping our attorneys grow and succeed.
We Offer Excellent Benefits
In addition to the comprehensive State of Colorado benefits package including competitive medical and dental health plans, employer-paid life insurance, paid holidays, retirement plans with Colorado PERA, and vacation and sick leave earned each month, there are many other unique benefits that we offer, including:
- Public Service Loan Forgiveness: As a state government employee, you might be eligible for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. A borrower may qualify for forgiveness by making 120 on-time payments while employed full-time in public service, if they have certain kinds of federal loans in a qualifying repayment plan
- Free access to a recently renovated on-site fitness center
- Excellent work-life programs, such as flexible work schedules, professional development opportunities, and an employee discount program
- Employer-paid mental health and counseling services through the Colorado State Employee Assistance Program
- Employer-paid annual attorney registration dues
- Employer-provided access to professional development training and CLE through PLI, Department of Law University and other entities.