Assistant Attorney General (Higher Education)

Full Job Description

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!

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

Requirements

WHAT YOU WILL DOThe 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 rulemaking;

• 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 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). Effective July 1, 2025, the salary range for an AAG I is $88,197-$117,964/annually.

Attorneys with more than 3 years of experience practicing as an attorney may be hired as an Assistant Attorney General II (AAG II). Effective July 1, 2025, the AAG II salary range is $102,099 - $136,558/annually.

Salary will be paid on a biweekly basis.

Qualifications

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR

Qualified applicants must be licensed to practice law in Colorado or be clearly eligible to waive into the Colorado Bar. Candidates eligible to waive into the Colorado Bar will be required to submit proof of their completed application before the first day of employment.

We are seeking an experienced attorney with strong general counsel skills and a demonstrated ability to serve as a trusted strategic advisor in a high-stakes environment. This position involves advising senior leadership and governing boards within higher education institutions and requires the ability to provide clear, practical, and strategic legal guidance to educated and sophisticated client audiences. The successful candidate must be comfortable operating in complex, visible, and high-impact matters.

The ideal candidate will:

• Demonstrate excellent time management skills and the ability to independently manage a diverse and complex caseload with minimal supervision.
• Possess a strong general counsel background, including experience serving as a strategic partner to leadership and providing practical, solutions-oriented legal advice in high-stakes matters.
• Communicate effectively and persuasively, both orally and in writing, with educated, sophisticated clients, including senior executives, governing boards, and institutional leadership.
• Exhibit exceptional legal research, analytical, and problem-solving abilities.
• Maintain outstanding interpersonal and client relationship skills with the ability to build credibility, trust, and influence across a range of stakeholders.
• Work effectively and collaboratively within a team environment.
• Exercise sound judgment and professional maturity in interactions with internal and external stakeholders, including knowing when to elevate issues or consult with colleagues and supervisors.
• Demonstrate initiative and intellectual curiosity with the ability to quickly learn and advise in new or evolving areas of law.
• Civil litigation experience is strongly preferred, but not required.
• Background in higher education law, advising boards, constitutional law, or government representation is also desirable

In addition, we are looking for a candidate with at least five years of experience as a practicing attorney. This includes fellowship or judicial clerkship experience. Candidates without five years of experience may be considered if their application demonstrates a strong background in higher education law or related field.


The Office of the Attorney General offers challenging, interesting, and meaningful work. We are an equal opportunity employer and believe that a diverse work force adds quality and perspective to the services we provide to the public. Candidates with diverse qualities and backgrounds are encouraged to apply.


CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT

• Applicants must pass a thorough background investigation prior to appointment.
• 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.
• The Higher Education Unit offers flexible work arrangements. Please note that flexible work arrangements may change at any time based on business needs.
• Travel within and out of state, as well as working outside of regular business hours, may be necessary, including in-state trips that require long distance driving. A valid driver’s license is required.

Additional Information

HOW TO APPLY

Applicants must establish an account with governmentjobs.com and complete the online applications including the Contact Information section.

Applicants are not required to complete the Work Experience, Education, or Additional Information sections of the online application.

Applicants must provide 1) a cover letter detailing their interest in the position and their relevant experience; 2) a resume; 3) one independent writing sample, and 4) three professional references.

Use the "Attachments" feature of the online application to add documents.

Applicant may redact information that identifies their age, date of birth, or dates of attendance at or graduation from an educational institution.

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.

For general information regarding this position and other attorney opportunities at our office, please contact our Legal Talent Director at legaltalentdirector@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 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.