<p>Find a rewarding career making a difference: Join the Office of the Attorney General!</p> <p>The Colorado Department of Law, Civil Litigation and Employment Law Section is recruiting for an Assistant Attorney General to join the Section's Transportation Unit.  This is an exciting opportunity to provide legal services to our state transportation partners to make a difference in the lives of Coloradans!  The successful candidate will lead various high-impact matters and provide a broad spectrum of legal counsel and representation to the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), one of the largest state agencies in Colorado. The position will form lasting and rewarding client relationships while also working together with a team of talented transactional and litigation attorneys and professional staff.</p> <p>The Office of the Attorney General offers the opportunity to be involved in challenging, interesting, and meaningful work in a collaborative environment supported by leadership committed to effective and innovative legal work.</p> <p>Application will be reviewed and interviews will be conducted on a rolling basis. Interested parties are encouraged to apply as soon as possible.</p> <p>WHO WE ARE</p> <p>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.</p> <p>Visit our website to learn more: https://coag.gov/.</p> <p>WHAT YOU WILL DO</p> <p>The Transportation Unit acts as a general service law firm to CDOT and the Colorado Transportation Commission, with the exception of personnel and tort matters. We also advise and represent TABOR-exempt Enterprises, including the Statewide Bridge and Tunnel Enterprise, the High Performance Transportation Enterprise (d/b/a Colorado Transportation Investment Office), and the Clean Transportation Enterprise. We file condemnation actions on behalf of CDOT, defend inverse condemnation cases, and bring and defend administrative actions and high exposure litigation. We also engage in negotiations, mediations, and arbitrations with construction industry stakeholders. Further, we handle access control, highway beautification, and billboard permit disputes, and assist CDOT with protests brought under the Procurement Code. Our team also reviews, revises, and approves CDOT contracts; assists in drafting and negotiating contracts, including public-private partnership contracts; oversees other major transactions, and provides legal advice on rulemaking, legislation, and any other legal matters that arise. We are looking for a person who excels at independently tackling new and challenging issues on a regular basis, and who is eager to engage as a part of a team. </p> <p> </p> <p> This attorney position is part of the Transportation Unit that advises and assists the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) and divisions within CDOT.</p> <p>    </p> <p>We are hiring for an Assistant Attorney General to provide litigation and general counsel services to CDOT. In this role, you will lead or support high-impact litigation that often involves multi-million-dollar disputes and some of the State's most sophisticated enterprises. You will counsel CDOT on construction contract disputes, condemnation matters, general litigation matters, and real property disputes. You may also prosecute and defend administrative actions in the Office of Administrative Courts. In this role, you will have an active motions practice, engage in discovery, prepare witnesses for hearings and trials, and take matters to trial. You will also have the opportunity to collaborate with an engaging team of attorneys and staff, advise our client on specific and novel issues, draft memoranda, devise creative legal strategies, work closely with agency staff and leadership, and respond on short notice to inquiries from the management team.</p> <p>  </p> <p> Because our Transportation Unit is highly collaborative, work may be interchanged across different positions within the Unit.</p> <p>This recruitment may be used to fill more than one Assistant Attorney General position in the Transportation Unit.</p> <p>Salary note:</p> <p>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. </p> <p>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 $85,795-$95,437/ annually.</p> <p>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 $99,318 - $132,901/ annually.</p> <p>Salary will be paid on a biweekly basis.</p> <p>WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR</p> <p>To be considered for these positions, applicants must be comfortable in a fast-paced environment where they have meaningful ownership over every aspect of their work and also be comfortable in a highly collaborative work environment. The successful candidates should have a demonstrated track record of good judgment, strong communication skills, and excellent issue-spotting and problem-solving abilities.</p> <p>At a minimum, applicants must:</p> <ul> <li>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. </li></ul> <p>Further, we are seeking applicants that have most of the following attributes:</p> <ul> <li>A minimum of five (5) years of practice as a litigation attorney. </li><li>Strong litigation abilities, including legal writing, oral argument, client counseling, cross-examination, legal strategy, and settlement negotiation. </li><li>Interest in public service; </li><li>Relishes the opportunity to work collaboratively with teammates and values the insights and contributions from all team members; </li><li>Ability to assume diverse caseload with moderate supervision and have good judgment as to when to consult teammates and elevate issues to supervisors. </li><li>Strong legal research, writing, communication, and interpersonal skills.   </li><li>Self-starter who is capable of and enjoys working independently. </li><li>Demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and public service. </li><li>Comfort with and confidence in assessing risks and benefits. </li><li>Strong analytical skills and keen attention to detail and ability to find creative solutions; </li><li>Demonstrates excellent organizational skills; </li><li>Excel at learning new areas of law and takes initiative to learn quickly and dive into subject matter. </li></ul> <p>THIS POSITION REQUIRES AT LEAST ONE WRITING SAMPLE. PLEASE REVIEW THE "HOW TO APPLY" SECTION OF THE JOB ANNOUNCEMENT FOR MORE INFORMATION.</p> <p>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.</p> <p>CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT</p> <ul> <li>Applicants must pass a thorough background investigation prior to appointment. </li><li>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 visit the Colorado Supreme Court's Office of Attorney Regulation Counsel website. </li><li>This position offers flexible work arrangements. Please note that flexible work arrangements may change based on business needs. </li><li>Occasional travel, including overnight travel, may be required. </li><li>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.  </li></ul> <p>This position is non-classified and is not subject to appeal rights.</p> <p>HOW TO APPLY</p> <p>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) at least 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.</p> <p>ADAAA Requests</p> <p>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.</p> <p>WHY WORK FOR US</p> <p>We Embrace Flexibility</p> <p>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.</p> <p>We Are Committed to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion</p> <p>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!  </p> <p>We Have Strong Core Values</p> <p>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. </p> <p>We are Committed to Developing our Attorneys</p> <p>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. </p> <p>We Offer Excellent Benefits</p> <p>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:</p> <ul> <li>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 </li><li>Free access to a recently renovated on-site fitness center </li><li>Excellent work-life programs, such as flexible work schedules, professional development opportunities, and an employee discount program </li><li>Employer-paid mental health and counseling services through Colorado State Employee Assistance Program </li><li>Employer-paid annual attorney registration dues </li><li>Employer-provided access to professional development training and CLE through PLI, Department of Law University and other entities. </li></ul>