Assistant Attorney General; Education

Find a rewarding career making a difference:
Join the Office of the Attorney General!

The Higher Education Unit is looking for a collaborative and driven attorney to join our dynamic team! In this role, you’ll represent Colorado’s public colleges and universities – as well as several education-related state agencies – in both litigation and general counsel work. This position offers a unique opportunity to tackle a wide range of legal issues, from advising on policies, employment matters, student concerns, and contracts, to litigating in administrative, state, federal, and appellate courts.

We’re seeking someone who thrives on new challenges, tackling new areas of law, and values close collaboration with clients and colleagues. If you’re passionate about higher education, civil litigation, and public service – and you love the idea of making an impact across diverse areas of law – we’d love to hear from you!

Application will be reviewed and interviews will be conducted on a rolling basis. Interested parties are encouraged to apply as soon as possible.

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. Learn more about the Colorado Attorney General’s Office here.

The Higher Education Unit serves as general counsel to the Department of Higher Education, Division of Private Occupational Schools, Collegelnvest, College Assist, Institute for Cannabis Research, History Colorado, and four public institutions of higher education:
Fort Lewis College, Colorado Mesa University, Adams State University, and Western State Colorado University. The Unit also represents and works collaboratively with in‑house counsel at all of Colorado’s public colleges and universities. The Unit provides general advice to clients on a wide variety of issues, including: board representation, open meetings and open records, drafting formal and informal opinions on public postsecondary education issues, tenure, due process, intellectual property, state and federal compliance including Clery Act, ADA and Rehab Act, FERPA, Title IX, Title VII, Free Expression, and Due Process, as well as policy drafting.

The Unit handles litigation in state, federal, and administrative courts. The Unit also handles transactional work, including contract drafting, review, and negotiation in a variety of settings, from simple service agreements to software contracts, real estate transactions, and construction contracts.

In this role, you will have the opportunity to:

• Serve as general counsel to institute boards, including advice on open meetings and rule making.
• Provide legal advice (both written and oral) and serve as litigation counsel on education issues related to tenure, due process, campus safety, student services, state and federal compliance with Title IX, the Clery Act, and the ADA.
• Handle privacy and disclosure issues related to subpoenas, CORA, and FERPA.
• Defend clients in litigation in state, federal and administrative courts at both the trial and appellate levels. Litigation ranges from administrative hearings on student or faculty discipline, to Title IX claims, and constitutional challenges.
• Coordinate occasional transactional work, including drafting, reviewing, and negotiating contracts related to service agreements, software, real estate, and construction.

This announcement may be used to fill multiple attorney positions within the State Services 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…