The Colorado Department of Law (DOL) – Office of the Attorney General is now accepting applications for its Fellowship Program, which begins in November 2025. Please submit applications no later than October 10, 2024.
The DOL is looking for Fellows who wish to begin their career in public service. Our work at the Colorado DOL 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. 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 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 2025, 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).
Fellowship Opportunities
Litigation and General Counsel (LGC) Fellowships
The Attorney General’s Fellowship Program provides opportunities for new attorneys to gain practical experience in the public sector while enjoying the personal satisfaction of serving the residents of Colorado and our many state agency clients. 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 (formerly the Revenue and Utilities Section and Business and Licensing 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 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 program.
At least three LGC Fellows will be hired, each having one-year terms – from November 2025 through November 2026. 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.
Ralph L. Carr Appellate Fellowships
Carr Fellows work with the Office’s Criminal Appeals Section, where they will draft briefs and gain oral argument experience. Carr Fellows also work directly with Colorado’s Solicitor General in preparing briefs and oral arguments, working on cutting-edge, multi-state litigation, on a wide variety of federal and state constitutional issues. 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 November 2025 through November 2027.
Consumer Protection (CP) Section Fellowship
The CP Fellow will have the opportunity to work across multiple Units within the Consumer Protection Section, investigating and prosecuting consumer fraud, antitrust, and consumer credit cases. This 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 November 2025 through November 2026.
Cybersecurity Fellowships
Cybersecurity Fellows will have the opportunity to work in one of two Sections: Consumer Protection or State Services. While each of these placements will have job duties specific to their Section, these Fellows will have opportunities to engage with other Fellows and attend trainings throughout the Department of Law designed specifically for newer attorneys.
The Cybersecurity Fellows may also assist with other projects related to data privacy, data management, and intellectual property, research of novel legal issues and legislative changes to federal and state law. Cybersecurity Fellows may also participate in various working groups addressing critical technology issues and their potential impacts on state agencies. The Cybersecurity Fellows may also work with other attorneys to advise the Attorney General regarding data privacy, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and other technology issues.
Each of these Cybersecurity Fellows have a one-year term—from November 2025 through November 2026. Cybersecurity Fellowship applicants should include any preferred Section in their application materials.
Cybersecurity Fellow – State Services
The Cybersecurity Fellow assigned to the State Service Section will advise state agencies regarding data privacy cybersecurity obligations. The Fellow will work with both federal and state privacy laws and provide 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.
Cybersecurity Fellow – Consumer Protection
The Consumer Protection Cybersecurity Fellow works directly with attorneys and investigators in the Consumer Protection Section to enforce the state’s data privacy and cybersecurity laws and may prosecute cases. This Fellow will help with enforcement of the Colorado Privacy Act, Colorado’s data privacy law. This Fellow will also manage responses to data breach notifications received by the Attorney General and conduct enforcement as necessary. Enforcement activities may include investigating possible security and data breach notification violations, and participating in cutting edge, multi-state investigations.
Bar Admission and Compensation
All individuals applying for any of the DOL Fellowship positions must commit to take the Colorado bar exam no later than July of 2025 or be a member of the Colorado bar before beginning work. The annual salary is $65,000, plus medical/dental benefits for 2025 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: Bar passage or eligibility to waive into the Colorado bar and being a sworn member of the Colorado bar is required to join the Fellowship program in November 2025. Fellows may not practice under the Student Practice Act if they have not passed and been admitted to the Colorado Bar by October 2025 (or the swearing in date for applicants that successfully passed the Colorado Bar).
How to Apply
Applications will open in August 2024 (for positions that will start in November of 2025), and applications will be received through our Fellowship website. For each Fellowship position, your application materials should include: 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 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.
- 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. 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 will submit three separate application packets. Also, if you are applying for a 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
Select 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. All finalists will complete a third-round interview with the Attorney General before a final offer is made.
Applications open in the fall in the year prior to the Fellowship start. Interviews are anticipated to be completed between October and December. We aim to have each offer of employment for the Fellowship program to successful candidates in late December, but no later than the end of January.
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.
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.
Conditions of Employment
- The candidate must successfully pass a thorough criminal background investigation.
- The candidate must be admitted to practice law in Colorado by the first day of employment.
Please see the anticipated timeline below for more information.
Fellowship Hiring Timeline
Please submit all materials via this application page (https://coag.my.site.com/s/fellowship-applications). You will receive confirmation your application has been received for review within one business day.