Assistant Attorney General

WHAT YOU WILL DO
The Higher Education Unit of the State Services Section in the Colorado Department of Law serves as general counsel to four public postsecondary institutions of higher education: Fort Lewis College, Colorado Mesa University, Adams State University, and Western Colorado University, and coordinates and assists with the provision of legal services to the University of Colorado System, Colorado State University System, University of Northern Colorado, the State Board of Community Colleges and Occupational Education System, Metropolitan State University of Denver, the Auraria Higher Education Center, Colorado Mountain College, and the Colorado School of Mines. The Unit also serves as general counsel to the Colorado Department of Higher Education and the Division of Private Occupational Schools, as well as their respective boards, CollegeInvest, the Colorado Opportunity Scholarship Initiative, College Assist, the Institute for Cannabis Research, and History Colorado.

The Unit provides advice to clients on a wide variety of issues, including: board representation, open meetings and open records, rulemaking, drafting formal and informal opinions on education issues, tenure, due process, intellectual property, state and federal compliance including the Clery Act, ADA, FERPA, and Title IX, and policy drafting. The Unit handles litigation in state, federal, and administrative courts at both the trial and appellate court levels. The Unit’s litigation ranges from administrative hearings on student or faculty discipline to significant constitutional challenges, as well as claims under Title IX. The Unit occasionally handles some transactional work, including contract drafting, review, and negotiation in a variety of settings, from simple service agreements to software contracts, real estate transactions, and construction contracts. The attorney’s work will include a mixture of litigation, general legal advice (both oral and written), and may include some transactional support. The attorney will co-counsel various civil litigation cases and will also provide advice on higher education matters, represent college governing boards, draft formal and information opinions on public postsecondary education issues, and draft and interpret rules and policies. The legal advice often covers unique and complex topics including student services, faculty issues, regulatory compliance, campus safety, open meetings and open records issues, and timely topics such as Title IX and campus response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

This announcement may be used to fill multiple attorney positions in the Department of Law.

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR
Qualified applicants must be licensed to practice law in Colorado or be clearly eligible to waive into the Colorado Bar. Candidates eligible to waive into the Colorado Bar will be required to submit proof of their completed application before the first day of employment.

Candidates for this position must have strong writing skills, excellent interpersonal and communication skills with clients and staff, and be committed to working collaboratively with various internal and external stakeholders. The ability to work independently and collaboratively as part of a team are essential. Civil litigation experience is preferred, but not required. A background in higher education law, constitutional law, advising boards, or government representation is desirable.

Conditions of employment: 

• The final candidate for employment must successfully pass a thorough criminal background investigation.
• Effective September 20, 2021, employees will be required to attest to and verify whether or not they are fully vaccinated for COVID-19. Employees who have not been fully vaccinated may be required to submit to serial testing in the future. Upon hire,
  new employees will have three (3) business days to provide attestation to their status with proof of vaccination. Vaccinated employees must provide proof of vaccination.Note: Fully Vaccinated means two (2) weeks after a second dose in a two-dose series of the COVID-19 vaccine, such as the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, or two (2) weeks after the single-dose vaccine, such as Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen vaccine, as defined by the most recent State of Colorado’s Public Health Order and current guidance issued by the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment.

The Office of the Attorney General is an equal opportunity employer and believes that a diverse work force adds quality and perspective to the services we provide to the public. Candidates with diverse qualities and backgrounds are encouraged to apply.