The Colorado Department of Law (“DOL”) is now accepting applications for its Fellowship Program, which will begin in November 2026. Please submit applications no later than October 3, 2025.
The DOL Fellowship Program provides lawyers a springboard into public service by teaching critical legal skills and allowing Fellows to meaningfully contribute to the DOL’s work. In service of the people of Colorado, the DOL’s work encompasses cybersecurity, consumer protection, criminal appeals, civil rights, torts, contracts, eminent domain, administrative law, tax, public utilities law, public health, school safety, energy, criminal fraud, victim advocacy, and much more. And as a Fellow at the DOL, you will have the opportunity to work on exciting, and sometimes novel, legal matters in these areas of practice through drafting memoranda, briefs, and pleadings and working collaboratively with other lawyers. You will be provided with feedback on your work and receive opportunities for mentorship and networking.
In addition, as part of the program, all Fellows participate in dedicated professional development, can volunteer on office-wide impact teams, and can earn a Certificate of Trial Advocacy by completing the Colorado Trial Advocacy Certificate Program. Fellows may also earn free CLE credits through programming offered by the DOL, Colorado Bar Association, and Practicing Law Institute.
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 those law school students who are graduating law school by Spring 2026 and to recent law school graduates who are currently clerking. 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).
Fellowship Opportunities
Litigation and General Counsel (LGC) Fellowships
Litigation and General Counsel Fellows are each assigned to one of the following three sections of the DOL: Civil Litigation and Employment Law Section, Revenue and Regulatory Law Section, and State Services Section. These Fellows enrich their legal experience, broaden their exposure to the public sector, and assume substantial individual responsibility for their work. In addition to exposure to representing state agencies, Fellows become integral members of teams working on an array of projects, including investigations and trials, appeals, administrative actions, rulemaking, and general counsel matters. They also receive training and supervision in particular practice areas to enhance proficiency and develop skills while in the Fellowship Program.
The DOL anticipates hiring multiple LGC Fellows, each serving a one-year term from the beginning of November 2026 through the end of October 2027. Each LGC Fellow will be assigned to one Section and will have opportunities to work on at least one project outside their assigned Section. While Section preference is not guaranteed, applicants should include any preferred Section(s) of interest in their cover letter.
Specialty DOL Fellowships
Justice Gregory Hobbs, Jr. Fellowship (Natural Resources & Environment)
The Hobbs Fellow works directly with the Natural Resources and Environment Section, which represents nearly all of the natural resources and environmental functions of state government in partnership with client agencies. This Fellow will have the opportunity to work with several Units within the Section on projects to protect and improve the quality of Colorado’s land, air, water, and wildlife. This Fellow may also work with other attorneys in the Section to advise the Attorney General about a wide variety of issues related to natural resources and the environment.
The Hobbs Fellow will have a one-year term from the beginning of November 2026 through the end of October 2027.
Ralph L. Carr Appellate Fellowships
Carr Fellows work directly with Colorado’s Solicitor General in preparing briefs and oral arguments on cutting-edge, multi-state litigation and on a wide variety of federal and state constitutional issues. Carr Fellows also work with the Office’s Criminal Appeals Section, where they will have opportunities to draft briefs and gain oral argument experience. This Fellowship is a great opportunity for new lawyers to work closely with some of the state’s most experienced appellate advocates and obtain extensive brief-writing experience at the outset of their legal careers. Many applicants come to this Fellowship after completing a judicial clerkship with a federal or state appellate court, but the Department of Law encourages strong applicants from all backgrounds to apply.
Carr Fellowships typically have two-year terms—from the beginning of November 2026 through the end of October 2028.
Consumer Protection (CP) Section Fellowship
The CP Fellow will work across multiple Units within the Consumer Protection Section, investigating and prosecuting consumer fraud, antitrust, and consumer credit cases. This work will include reviewing consumer complaints, taking witness testimony, reviewing document production, filing enforcement actions/lawsuits, engaging in motions practice, attending and participating in depositions, appearing in court, and generally assisting other Unit attorneys with prosecutions. The CP Fellow will regularly interface with other attorneys in the Section, participate in case strategy meetings, and research and analyze topical matters of state and federal law pertaining to consumer protection.
The CP Fellow will have a one-year term from the beginning of November 2026 through the end of October 2027.
Cybersecurity Fellowship
The Cybersecurity Fellow will assist with the wide variety of work within the DOL concerning data privacy, data management, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and more. The Cybersecurity Fellow may assist the State Services Section by advising state agencies regarding data privacy and cybersecurity obligations, working with both federal and state privacy laws and providing counsel to state agencies on a wide variety of issues including data sharing and collection, emerging technology such as AI, and compliance with a variety of privacy and security regimes. The Cybersecurity Fellow may also work with the Consumer Protection Section to enforce the state’s data privacy and cybersecurity laws. This Fellow may help with enforcement of the Colorado Privacy Act, Colorado’s data privacy law.
The Cybersecurity Fellow may assist with projects related to data privacy, data management, and intellectual property, and research novel legal issues and legislative changes to federal and state law. Cybersecurity Fellows often participate in various working groups addressing critical technology issues and their potential impact on state agencies. The Cybersecurity Fellows may work with other attorneys to advise the Attorney General regarding data privacy, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and other technology issues.
The Cybersecurity Fellow has a one-year term from the beginning of November 2026 through the end of October 2027.
Bar Admission and Compensation
All individuals applying for any of the DOL Fellowship positions must commit to taking the Colorado bar exam no later than July of 2026 or be a member of the Colorado bar before beginning work. The annual Fellow salary is $65,000, plus medical/dental benefits for 2026 law school graduates, and $68,000 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: Any candidate who is selected for the Fellowship through the application and interview process must be a sworn member of the Colorado bar to join the Fellowship program in November 2026, whether by bar passage or having waived into the Colorado bar. Fellows may not practice under the Student Practice Act if they have not passed the bar and been admitted to the Colorado bar by the start date of the Fellowship.
How to Apply
Applications will open in August 2025 (for positions that will start in November of 2026), and applications will be received through the DOL Fellowship application website.
For each Fellowship position, your application materials should include:
- Cover letter that highlights: (1) your commitment to public service and your interest in this Fellowship; (2) your experience in the subject matter area and/or other relevant work; and (3) how you think your background and experience would add value to the Fellowship and the DOL.
- Resume that includes bar memberships, leadership experience, community service or volunteer experience, status of application for bar membership, and cumulative law school GPA.
- 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 nature of your relationship with each reference.
- Writing sample (the shorter and less edited the better). Applicants must provide a writing sample that demonstrates the candidate’s legal analysis and abilities. While your submission may be part of a longer document, please limit your writing sample to 10 pages. Please do not send a confidential or privileged writing sample.
Please put your name in the title of the document along with the document type (e.g. Doe, Chris Resume). A separate application packet must be submitted for each Fellowship position. For example, if you want to apply for the LGC Fellowship, the Carr Fellowship, and the Hobbs Fellowship, you must submit three separate application packets. Also, if you are applying for the LGC Fellowship, please indicate in your cover letter the Section(s) (i.e., Civil Litigation and Employment, Revenue and Regulatory Law, or State Services) in which you are most interested.
If you have a question, please email fellowship.program@coag.gov.
What is the Timeline
Selected candidates will be invited for first-round interviews with Fellowship Committee members and second-round interviews with the other members of the Department of Law, including members of the DOL’s leadership team. All finalists will complete a third-round interview with the Attorney General or his designee before a formal offer is made.
Applications open in August of 2025 for Fellowship positions starting in the Fall of 2026. Interviews are expected to be completed between October and December of 2025. We aim to have each offer of employment for the Fellowship program to successful candidates in late December 2025, but no later than the end of January 2026.
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.
For general information regarding this position and other attorney opportunities at our office, please contact our Legal Talent Director at legaltalentdirector@coag.gov.
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 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.