Assistant Attorney General (Financial & Community Safety)

State of Colorado; Denver (CO); Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 136,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Public Service Loan Forgiveness

On-site fitness center

Flexible work schedules

Mental health support

Attorney registration dues

CLE opportunities

Job summary

State of Colorado’s Department of Law seeks an attorney to handle securities and financial services matters within the Financial & Community Safety unit. The role offers exposure to civil litigation, administrative law, and general counsel work in a multi-disciplinary setting.

You will advocate for Coloradans, advise clients, and participate in rulemaking and records requests. The position emphasizes flexibility and public service, with in-office days and potential hybrid arrangements; the

Qualifications

• Admitted to the Colorado Bar or clearly eligible to waive into the Colorado Bar and in good standing at the time of application.
• Experience as a prosecutor or litigator and/or diverse experiences that add value to the Department of Law.
• Clerkships/fellowships or equivalent legal training preferred.

Responsibilities

• Serve as litigation counsel in POST discipline cases and Parole Board matters.
• Provide broad regulatory counsel and advisory support to clients and colleagues.
• Assist with promulgation of rules, open meetings, and open records requests; engage with state agencies and courts.

Skills

Heavy caseload management

Litigation & GC advising

Research & writing

Complex matter advice

Public service mindset

Team collaboration

Independent judgment

Education

Colorado Bar admission or eligibility

Job description

This announcement is not governed by the selection processes of the classified personnel system.

Applications will be considered from residents and non-residents of Colorado.

The Revenue & Regulatory Law section of the Colorado Department of Law is seeking a dedicated and driven attorney to do securities and financial services work for our Financial & Community Safety team. As a dedicated public servant, you will help protect Coloradans through the state’s regulation of the securities and financial services industries. Further, you will have the opportunity to do both litigation and general counsel work. If you are seeking an intellectually challenging position handling financial issues and want to directly impact the lives of Coloradans, apply today!

WHO WE ARE

The Office of the Attorney General/Department of Law is the People's Lawyer. The Attorney General, Phil Weiser, was elected by the people of Colorado and is the State's chief lawyer and law enforcement official. Our vision for the Department of Law is: Together, we serve Colorado and its people, advancing the rule of law, protecting our democracy and promoting justice for all. Our core values and commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, drive our actions and demonstrate our focus on being principled public servants who are innovative and better together.

Visit our website to learn more: https://coag.gov/.

The Financial & Community Safety Unit is one of 12 units within the Revenue & Regulatory Law (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 110 team members who tackle a diverse array of legal challenges for nearly 100 state agencies, boards, commissions, and divisions. The work of the R&R section is critical to ensuring all licensees are providing fair services to Coloradans and protecting consumers through oversight of these industries and professions to protect public health and safety.

The Financial & Community Safety Unit represents the Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) program and the Colorado State Board of Parole, and other programs within the R&R Section, including the Division of Securities, Division of Banking and Division of Financial Services. This work promotes community safety through regulating, licensing, and taking disciplinary action against peace officer certifications, and litigation brought against the Parole Board.

The attorneys on our team represent our clients’ interests in a variety of settings, including civil litigation in State and Federal District Court. The position also involves administrative law practice before the POST hearing officer and the Office of Administrative Courts, as well as practice before the Colorado Court of Appeals and Supreme Court as well as the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals. Additionally, our work involves advising our clients in all aspects of their regulatory functions and responsibilities, including assisting with promulgation of rules, open meetings, and open records law requests. This attorney’s primary role will be to serve as litigation counsel in POST discipline cases and Parole Board cases. This is a fantastic opportunity for an experienced attorney who is eager to work in a multi-disciplinary team and enjoys both litigation and general counsel advising.

This recruitment may be used to fill multiple attorney positions in the Revenue & Regulatory Law section at the Department of Law.

Salary Note: The Department of Law uses a wage progression compensation model. 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.

Attorneys with less than 3 years of experience as a practicing attorney will be hired as an Assistant Attorney General I (AAG I). The salary range for an AAG I is $89,964 – $119,047 annually.

Attorneys with more than 3 years of experience practicing as an attorney will be hired as an Assistant Attorney General II (AAG II). The AAG II salary range is $102,099 – $136,468 annually.

Salary will be paid on a biweekly basis.

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR

Qualified applicants 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. 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.

For this role, we are seeking candidates who have substantive and practical legal training, including clerkships and fellowships; experience as a prosecutors or litigators; and/or those whose diverse experiences and background would add value to the Department of Law and our clients.

Essential skills for this position:

• Ability to manage a heavy caseload
• Comfortable litigating cases and advising clients in a general counsel role
• Excellent research, writing, and interpersonal skills
• Demonstrated ability to provide advice on complex matters
• Enjoys wearing different hats, sometimes multiple times per day
• Committed and eager to serve the public in a community safety related role
• Enthusiastic about working with a smart, collaborative, and fun team – while still able to work independently and exercise strong professional judgment

THIS POSITION REQUIRES AT LEAST ONE WRITING SAMPLE.

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.
• This position offers flexible work arrangements. This position will be required to work in the office 3 days per week, with the possibility for additional flexibility after a successful training period.
• 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.

This position is non-classified and is not subject to appeal rights.

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 registrationdues
• Employer-provided access to professional development training and CLE through PLI, Department of Law University and other entities