Senior Labor & Employment Litigation Attorney

City and County of Denver; United States; Hybrid; USD 135,000 - 229,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

457B Retirement Plan

PTO and holidays

Medical, dental and vision benefits

Hybrid workplace

Job summary

The City and County of Denver seeks an attorney with substantial employment and labor law experience to represent the City in federal/state courts and administrative proceedings. You will advise leadership on wage-hour issues, leave management, and discrimination concerns while supporting labor relations and policy compliance across the organization.

We offer a hybrid workplace, a robust pension plan, and competitive health benefits.

Qualifications

• Three years of experience as an attorney at law.
• Education/Experience equivalency: no substitution allowed.

Responsibilities

• Representing the City and County of Denver as the employer in federal and state courts, administrative hearings, EEOC/CCRD charges, and other forums.
• Providing advice and counsel to clients regarding federal, state and city laws, rules, etc., and other assignments.
• Advising management on federal and state wage and hour issues, leave management, disability accommodations and other workplace issues.
• Reviewing handbooks, policies and forms for legal compliance.
• Conducting management training regarding labor relations, federal, state and local workplace issues, harassment, discrimination and retaliation.
• Negotiating and preparing settlement agreements, ordinances, resolutions, and other legal documents as necessary.
• Drafting and preparing memoranda, motions, briefs and pleadings to be filed in judicial or quasi-judicial proceedings.
• Conducting or assisting with legal research.

Skills

Litigation

Advisory work

Legal writing

Communication skills

Project management

Education

Juris Doctor (JD)

Bachelor of Laws

Job description

About Our Job

What We Offer

The salary range for this position is $134,933 - $172,000/annually, based on experience and education.

• A guaranteed life-long monthly pension, once vested after 5 years of service 457B Retirement Plan 140 hours of PTO earned within first year + 12 paid holidays, 1 personal holiday, 1 wellness day and 1 volunteer day per year Competitive medical, dental and vision plans effective within 1 month of start date

Location

The City and County of Denver currently supports a hybrid workplace model. Employees work where needed, at a job site several days a week and off-site as needed. Employees must work within the state of Colorado on their off-site days.

What You’ll Do

The Denver City Attorney’s Office is one of the largest law firms in Colorado, with over 230 attorneys and staff members comprised of paralegals, victim advocates, and other support and supervisory staff members. It may have the most diverse practice of any law firm in Colorado since Denver is a home rule city and county. Clients include the Mayor, City Council, all other elected and appointed officials, all city agencies, departments, boards, commissions, and employees. The Denver City Attorney’s Office is dedicated to providing an equitable, inclusive, and diverse work environment. Through Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion efforts, we strive to respect and honor differences, create a culture of compassion, collaboration, and common purpose for sharing our talents, skills, and creativity with each other. We are committed to removing barriers and providing opportunities. The successful candidate for this position must demonstrate these core operating principles.

• Legal Work: Representing the City and County of Denver as the employer in federal and state courts, administrative hearings, EEOC/CCRD charges, and other forums;
• Providing advice and counsel to clients regarding federal, state and city laws, rules, etc., and other assignments, as needed.
• Advising management on federal and state wage and hour issues, leave management, disability accommodations and other workplace issues.
• Reviewing handbooks, policies and forms for legal compliance.
• Conducting management training regarding labor relations, federal, state and local workplace issues, harassment, discrimination and retaliation.
• Negotiating and preparing settlement agreements, ordinances, resolutions, and other legal documents as necessary.
• Drafting and preparing memoranda, motions, briefs and pleadings to be filed in judicial or quasi-judicial proceedings.
• Conducting or assisting with legal research.
• Assisting attorneys working in specialized areas with litigation, research and related activities.
• As assigned by the City Attorney, preparing formal legal opinions on complex matters, in specialized legal areas.
• All facets of traditional labor relations, including: Representing management in the formation of new collective bargaining units in the City Providing legal advice to City managers and executives regarding union organizing, campaigns, card checks and neutrality agreements; Handling grievance, arbitration and unfair labor practice proceedings; and Negotiating and/or providing legal advice regarding collective bargaining agreements.

Leadership and Collaboration

Supports and implements the vision of the Section and the City Attorney’s Office as a whole, which includes facilitating and promoting integration of diversity, equity, and inclusiveness strategies into work and the work environment. Ensures appropriate collaboration with Section leadership to achieve section, agency, or Mayoral priorities. Open to new organizational structures, procedures, technology, and overall change. Promotes teamwork and encourages regular communication between team members, Section leadership, and clients.

What You’ll Bring

We are looking for an attorney who is a skilled litigator but also enjoys a mix of advisory work, works well in a team environment, is a strong legal writer with excellent communication skills, is eager to venture into the city’s new and traditional collective bargaining landscapes, and who is passionate about working in public service. The right candidate must be outcome- and results-oriented, ethical and fair, have good common sense, sound judgment, and be capable of working on multiple lawsuits and a variety of other legal work at the same time. Our ideal candidate, in addition to having the required qualifications as listed below, will have at least seven (7) years of employment and/or labor law experience, including: Substantial experience in employment law issues that include advising clients on legal issues involving: Title VII FMLA ADA ADEA FLSA Experience in public sector employment Traditional labor experience preferred Civil litigation experience preferred Strong written and oral advocacy skills Excellent attention to detail Strong organizational and project management skills.

Required Minimum Qualifications

Education requirement: Doctor of Jurisprudence degree or Bachelor of Laws degree.

Experience Requirement: Three (3) years of experience as an attorney at law.

Education/Experience Equivalency: No substitution of experience for education is permitted.

License/Certifications: Possession of a license to practice law in Colorado from the Colorado Supreme Court by the date of hire or a reasonable expectation of becoming licensed by the Colorado Supreme Court by the date of hire in accordance with C.R.C.P. 203.2, 203.3, 203.4 and 205.6. Licenses and certifications must be kept current as a condition of employment.

Application Deadline

Application Deadline This posting will accept applications until 11:59 PM on Sunday, October 25, 2026.

About Everything Else

Position Type Unlimited Position Salary Range $134,933.00 - $229,386.00 Target Pay $134,933 - $172,000/annually, based on experience and education. Agency City Attorney's Office 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. 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.