Legal Administrator I

City and County of Denver; Denver (CO); On-site; USD 80,000 - 132,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

457B retirement plan

PTO 140 hours + 11 holidays

Personal holiday + volunteer day

Medical/dental/vision

Paid family leave (Care Bank)

RTD Eco Pass

Job summary

City and County of Denver is seeking a Legal Administrator to lead the Office of Municipal Public Defender. This role focuses on supervision, policy enforcement, and efficient operations in a fast-paced legal environment.

The position requires a paralegal background, experience leading teams, and proficiency with trial technology and e-Discovery tools. Onsite work at downtown Denver with a comprehensive benefits package.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Public Administration, Business Administration, Political Science or a related field.
• Two years of experience in a legal office performing administrative functions.

Responsibilities

• Coaching and supervising paralegals and administrative staff, ensuring work product quality.
• Performing operational, financial analysis, reporting, and process improvements.
• Planning and evaluating work of staff and policies to improve efficiency.
• Collaborating with management to resolve issues and implement staff development.

Skills

Paralegal certificate

Legal office experience

Supervisory experience

Criminal defense

e-Discovery

Trial presentation

MS Office

Strong communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in Public Admin / Business / Political Science

Education/Experience equivalency

Tools

e-Discovery software

Courtroom technology

Trial presentation software

Job description

About Our Job

With competitive pay, great benefits, and endless opportunities, working for the City and County of Denver means seeing yourself working with purpose — for you, and those who benefit from your passion, skills and expertise.

Join our diverse, inclusive and talented workforce of more than 11,000 team members who are at the heart of what makes Denver, Denver.

What We Offer

The City and County of Denver offers a competitive salary commensurate with education and experience.

The expected starting salary range for this position is $80,217.00 - $95,000.00.

We also offer generous benefits for full-time employees which include but are not limited to:

• A guaranteed life-long monthly pension, once vested after 5 years of service 457B Retirement Plan
• 140 hours of PTO earned within first year + 11 paid holidays
• 1 personal holiday and 1 volunteer day per year
• Competitive medical, dental and vision plans effective within 1st month of start date
• Care Bank – 8 weeks of Paid Family Leave (after the probation period is passed)
• Free RTD Eco Pass

Location

In this position you will work on site at the Office of the Municipal Public Defender, at: 710 W Colfax, Denver CO 80204.

This position will be 100% onsite from 8:00AM – 5:00PM with flexible work hours as needed.

Who We Are

The Office of the Municipal Public Defender (OMPD) is a comprehensive, holistic public defender office that is client-centered, independent, and innovative in the representation of defendants who face jail time for municipal ordinance violations, traffic offenses, and municipal youth offenses in the Denver County Court System.

We are in court seven days a week. Each year, Denver Municipal Court sees more than 13,000 cases and our office represents about 75% of those charged.

All our clients live at or below the federal poverty line. Roughly 80% of our clients are living with trauma, mental health challenges, substance use disorders, traumatic brain injuries, or PTSD and over half of our clients face housing instability.

Municipal charges disproportionately impact people of color and those experiencing poverty.

We are a holistic, wrap-around, public defender agency with a Client Support Team (CST) consisting of a social worker, a behavioral health navigator, a bi-lingual case manager and a team of Peer Support Specialists who are in court every day and work closely with the attorneys, create re-entry plans for clients in jail, and connect clients with resources like shelter and housing, food stamps, employment, treatment and more.

We partner with many city and nonprofit organizations to best serve our clients.

What You’ll Do

This Legal Administrator position presents a challenging and rewarding opportunity for a leader and manager with leadership or courtroom experience who thrives in a fast-paced, team-oriented and constantly-changing environment.

• Coaching, training, and otherwise supervising paralegals and other administrative staff assigned to the Office of Municipal Public Defender, including implementing and evaluating performance criteria to achieve the Office’s goals and objectives, providing regular feedback, and ensuring that work product conforms to established policies and standards
• Performing a variety of operational functions including operational and financial analysis, reporting and evaluation, information management, computer operations, and process improvement
• Planning, assigning, and evaluating the work of paralegals and other administrative staff members, including providing technical expertise to staff, reviewing work for accuracy and completeness, creating and/or modifying existing policies and procedures, and recommending changes in practices and procedures to increase operating efficiency and expedite work flow
• Developing or modifying work assignments, methods, and procedures to best meet priorities
• Working directly with the rest of the Office’s management team to ensure consistent communication and collaboration regarding the identification and resolution of issues or concerns which may arise
• Supporting and interpreting policies and procedures developed by higher-level managers and identifying, planning and implementing staff training and professional development
• Resolving problems encountered during daily operations (both in office and in the courtrooms) and determining standards for problem resolution, including escalations from internal and external clients
• Assisting with difficult and/or unusual assignments
• Performing other related duties as assigned

What You’ll Bring

• Paralegal Certificate or in the process of obtaining
• Applicable legal experience
• Experience working as a lead or supervisor
• Experience with criminal defense
• Proficiency with large-scale e-Discovery projects and e-Discovery software platforms
• Experience with courtroom technology and trial presentation software
• Proficiency with Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint
• Clear written/verbal communication and analytical skills
• Public-service oriented Team player with both leadership and staff
• Strong technical capabilities

Required Minimum Qualifications

• Education requirement: Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration, Public Administration, Political Science or a related field.
• Experience Requirement: Two (2) years of experience in a legal office performing administrative functions in the day-to-day operations of the organization.
• Education/Experience Equivalency: One (1) year of the appropriate type and level of experience may be substituted for each required year of post-high school education.
• Additional appropriate education may be substituted for the minimum experience requirements.
• License/Certifications: none

Application Deadline

This position is expected to stay open until Friday, November 13th 2026.

Position Type Unlimited Position Salary Range

$80,217.00 - $132,358.00

Target Pay $80,217.00 - $95,000.00/year, based on experience and education.

Agency Office of Municipal Public Defender Redeployment during Citywide Emergencies

City and County of Denver employees may be re-deployed to work in other capacities in their own agencies or in other city agencies to support core functions of the city during a citywide emergency declared by the Mayor.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

The City and County of Denver provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, genetic information, age, or any other status protected under federal, state, and/or local law.

It is your right to access oral or written language assistance, sign language interpretation, real-time captioning via CART, or disability-related accommodations. To request any of these services at no cost to you, please contact [e-mail] with three business days’ notice.

Applicants for employment with the City and County of Denver must have valid work authorization that does not require sponsorship of a visa for employment authorization in the U.S. For information about right to work, click here for English or here for Spanish.