Assistant Attorney General – Colorado State Land Board

Find a rewarding career making a difference: Join the Office of the Attorney General!

The Parks Wildlife and Trust Lands Unit of the Natural Resources Section is seeking an experienced attorney to join the legal team representing the Colorado State Land Board.  The Land Board is unique among state agencies, created by the state constitution but acting in many ways more like a business than a public agency.  It manages approximately 3 million acres of lands across the state, valued at over $4 billion.  The lands are held in trust by the state of Colorado to generate revenue for the benefit of Colorado’s public schools and a handful of other public institutions.  The Land Board generates revenue from trust lands primarily from oil and gas development, grazing, renewable energy, recreation, and commercial uses, though the Land Board regularly engages in other, novel opportunities to monetize trust lands as well.  Land Board staff are also responsible for management and stewardship of trust assets, including overseeing and protecting the trusts’ interests in land and water.   This position offers an attorney the opportunity to practice in unique areas of law and engage with a wide variety of interesting and complex legal issues alongside the Land Board’s expert professional staff.  We are particularly interested in attorneys who have experience representing business entities and who have an interest in grappling with nuanced, cutting edge legal issues.

WHAT YOU WILL DO

You will be part of a team of three attorneys who advise the Land Board on the management, leasing, stewardship, and sale of trust assets. You will take the lead on real property litigation and real estate transactions (including purchase and sale and leasing agreements).   Other issues likely to be part of your workload include litigation of other matters on behalf of the Land Board, such as oil/gas, mining/minerals, agricultural, conservation banking, and renewable energy issues and representing the Land Board’s interests in water court proceedings.

The position requires good judgment, an ability to learn quickly, and an ability to assess legal risk in the absence of directly applicable case law.  It also requires you to acquire expertise in the constitutional and statutory provisions governing state agencies generally as well as provisions specific to the Land Board. The selected applicant will need to become familiar with laws generally applicable to state agencies like the Colorado Open Records Act, the Open Meetings Law, and the state fiscal rules governing contracting and procurement.

Advising the agency requires legal research, drafting memoranda, developing negotiation strategy, working directly with agency staff and leadership, and responding on short notice to inquiries from regional and Denver-based staff.   In addition,  the position provides an opportunity to travel throughout the state as necessary to visit trust land parcels, work with regional staff, and meet with local stakeholders.

This recruitment may be used to fill more than one Assistant Attorney General position in the Department of Law.

Salary note: Although a salary range is listed, salary will be set commensurate with the successful candidate’s qualifications and in compliance with the Equal Pay for Equal Work Act.

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR

Our goal is to add someone to our team who is eager to learn, excited about representing the Land Board, enthusiastic about continued professional growth, and committed to the Land Board’s mission.

Applicants for this position must be admitted to the Colorado bar or be clearly eligible to waive into the Colorado Bar and be in good standing at the time of application. Applicants eligible to waive into the bar must be eligible to Practice Pending Admission.

We are specifically looking for candidates with demonstrated civil litigation experience and who can hit the ground running. Applicants must also be eager to tackle new and unfamiliar issues on a regular basis, have an appetite for developing creative and innovative legal strategies, and have the ability to independently manage time pressure and meet deadlines. The team of Land Board attorneys is highly collaborative, and we are seeking individuals who are eager to work as part of a team on many matters, while also working independently and developing one-on-one relationships with Land Board staff.

The strongest candidates will have the following skills and attributes:

• Experience practicing in commercial real estate law and civil litigation
• Excellent analytical, communication, and interpersonal skills
• Confidence and the ability to work well one-on-one with clients and establish credibility with clients
• Eagerness and a demonstrated ability to learn new areas of law quickly
• A willingness to travel throughout the state
• A commitment to working in a place that embraces diversity, equity and inclusion
• A desire to work collaboratively as a member of a team

To learn more about the Land Board, visit its website at https://slb.colorado.gov/about.

The Office of the Attorney General offers challenging, interesting, and meaningful work. We are an equal opportunity employer and believe 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.

• Applicants must pass a thorough background investigation prior to appointment.
• Candidates eligible to waive into the Colorado Bar will be required to submit proof of their completed application and application for Practice Pending Admission before the first day of employment. For more information about admission to the Colorado bar please review information on the Colorado Supreme Court Office of Attorney Regulation Counsel website.