Assistant Attorney General (Medical and Dental)

The Revenue & Regulatory Law (R&R) section of the Colorado Department of Law is seeking a dynamic and committed Assistant Attorney General to join the Medical | Dental Unit. The Unit protects Coloradans through support to health care regulatory bodies. More specifically, this Unit litigates disciplinary actions against licensed physicians, dentists, podiatrists, and other health care providers when they provide substandard care, fail to maintain continued competency, or otherwise violate their practice acts. In addition, attorneys in this Unit litigate against unlicensed individuals who improperly practice in the healthcare industry. Attorneys within this Unit provide general counsel support to their client agencies.  This Unit also provides general counsel and litigation support to the nascent Office of Natural Medicine Licensure and the Natural Medicine Advisory Board, only the second state program in the country to regulate psilocybin facilitators.  In addition to client agencies within the Department of Regulatory Agencies, this Unit represents the State Personnel Board, which governs the state personnel system and reviews appeals by employees regarding adverse actions that affect their base pay, status, or tenure. This is a fantastic opportunity for someone interested in consumer protection, healthcare, regulatory law, administrative law, litigation, and the provision of general counsel advice. If you are an individual looking for a career that directly impacts the health and safety of Coloradans, we invite you to apply to be a part of our team!

Applications for this position will be reviewed on a rolling basis and interviews may be conducted prior to the job closing. We encourage you submit your application early if possible. 

The Medical | Dental (M|D) Unit is one of 12 units within the R&R section. The R&R section represents state regulatory agencies, including the Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA), the Department of Revenue, the Department of Agriculture, and the State Personnel Board. R&R is the largest section in the Department of Law, comprised of 120 team members who tackle a diverse array of legal challenges for nearly 100 state agencies, boards, commissions, and divisions. DORA’s Division of Professions and Occupations (DPO) licenses over 50 different professions, occupations, and industries. The work of the R&R section plays a critical role in protecting public health and safety by providing oversight of these industries and professions to ensure all licensees are providing appropriate, competent, and safe services to Coloradans.
The Division of Professions and Occupations licenses over 50 different professions, occupations, and industries statewide including: accountants; architects; banking; chiropractors; dentists; electricians; engineers; funeral homes; insurance and real estate agents; nurses; massage, occupational, physical, and respiratory therapists; pharmacists; physicians; plumbers; psychologists and professional counselors; ski lifts; and veterinarians.

WHAT YOU WILL DO
The M|D Unit represents state agencies and boards, including DORA, internal work units within DPO, including investigations and settlement, the Colorado Medical Board, the Colorado Dental Board, the Colorado Podiatry Board, the Office of Natural Medicine Licensure, the Natural Medicine Advisory Board, the Speech-Language Pathology Program, and the Healthcare Professions Profiling Program,  Outside of DORA, attorneys in the Unit represent the State Personnel Board and provide general counsel support as needed to other client agencies. 
Our new team member will practice administrative law before the Office of Administrative Courts, as well as in state and federal district and appellate courts. While this attorney’s primary role will be to serve as litigation counsel to the Medical Boards, this role may be asked to serve as litigation and general counsel to our other clients. In addition to the administrative disciplinary and licensure actions, our attorneys appear before state district courts to seek injunctive relief against individuals who attempt to practice health care professions without the requisite licensure.  Finally, our attorneys defend rulemaking challenges and litigate constitutional challenges, when necessary, regarding the regulation of health care professionals.

This attorney will be expected to undertake the following responsibilities:

• Independently handle litigation, negotiation, administrative hearings, and appeals;
• Litigate matters that require immediate action, including the prompt initiation of disciplinary actions following license suspensions;
• Advising the Medical and Dental Board’s panels regarding pending litigation;
• Enforce the Medical Practice Act and the Dental Practice Act against unlicensed persons through actions for injunctive relief in district court;
• Provide general counsel and legal advice to client agencies;
• Advise clients in all aspects of their regulatory functions and responsibilities, including open meetings and open records laws;
• Assist with the promulgation of rules and review their constitutionality; and   Collaborate with other attorneys in the Medical | Dental Unit and in the Section.

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR
The Medical | Dental Unit is made up of people who enjoy working together and with clients, who care about protecting Coloradans, and who litigate challenging and often novel trial and appellate issues. Candidates should have a: 1) strong litigation background; 2) demonstrated ability to handle negotiations, litigation, and trials independently and effectively; 3) experience or capacity to manage a caseload autonomously; 4) proficient client communication and negotiation skills; 5) excellent writing skills; and 6) demonstrated commitment to public service and diversity, equity, and inclusion.
A background in healthcare is also helpful, as is work with experts in a health care field. The ideal candidate will be skilled at developing and maintaining strong client relationships; have a passion for litigation, trials, general counseling, and learning new areas of law and the healing arts; and demonstrate a strong commitment to serving the public interest.

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.

THIS POSITION REQUIRES AT LEAST ONE WRITING SAMPLE. PLEASE REVIEW THE “HOW TO APPLY” SECTION OF THE JOB ANNOUNCEMENT FOR MORE INFORMATION.

Conditions of Employment:

• 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.
• Colorado Department of Law participates in E-Verify and will provide the federal government with your Form I-9 information to confirm that you are authorized to work in the U.S.