First Assistant Attorney General - Employment Practices and Civil Rights

State of Colorado•Denver, CO

12d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Colorado Department of Law, Civil Litigation and Employment Law Section is recruiting for a First Assistant Attorney General to lead the Employment Practices and Civil Rights Unit. This is a unique leadership opportunity for an experienced attorney with an interest in employment and labor law and a passion for mentoring and professional development. This position leads one of the largest units in the office – a highly collaborative team of staff and attorneys engaged in a dynamic and fast-paced employment practice. This position works with executive leadership at various state agencies and institutions of higher education on unique labor, employment, and civil rights issues while building strong and rewarding client relationships through frequent client interaction and strategic counsel. This role offers the opportunity to guide a talented team, shape legal strategy, and provide impactful counsel on issues affecting state agencies and institutions of higher education across Colorado. The Office of the Attorney General offers the opportunity to be involved in challenging, interesting, and meaningful work in a fast-paced environment supported by leadership committed to providing exceptional general counsel and litigation service to its clients. The Employment Practices and Civil Rights Unit focuses primarily on advising state government agencies and institutions of higher education regarding employment, labor and civil rights matters. The Unit provides advice and training to state agencies and institutions of higher education regarding the state personnel system, state and federal employment law, and compliance with the Colorado Partnership for Quality Jobs and Services Act and related Partnership Agreements. The Unit’s attorneys support clients in resolving labor and employment disputes prior to litigation. They also provide legal support to the State in collective bargaining. The Unit represents state agencies in employment matters before the State Personnel Board in all phases of administrative hearing and post-hearing litigation, and occasionally in state and federal court. The Unit also handles appeals before the State Personnel Board, Colorado Court of Appeals and Supreme Court. The Unit represents state agencies and institutions of higher education in labor disputes before the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment’s Division of Labor Standards and Statistics and labor arbitrators in all phases of administrative and post-hearing litigation, and occasionally in state court. The Unit provides advice to the Colorado Civil Rights Division on employment, fair housing, and public accommodation discrimination matters and prosecutes employment, fair housing, and public accommodation discrimination complaints filed by the Colorado Civil Rights Commission in administrative court and occasionally in state court. The First Assistant Attorney General (“the First”) is responsible for leading a team of 20 attorneys, 4 paralegals, and 1 administrative assistant. The Unit is divided into three pods of 5-6 attorneys and 1-2 paralegals. Each team is led by a Second Assistant Attorney General (“the Second”) who is responsible for supervising and mentoring their team. The First directly supervises the three Seconds. The First reports to the Deputy Attorney General for the Civil Litigation and Employment Law Section and participates in management and leadership team meetings for the Section and the Office.

Requirements

Admitted to the Colorado bar or clearly eligible to waive into the Colorado Bar and be in good standing at the time of application.
Experience either supervising, leading, or mentoring other legal staff, including attorneys and paralegals.
Preferred legal experience includes litigation, general counsel, or other legal experience with substantial depth in administrative, labor, or employment law.

Nice To Haves

Prior management or supervisory experience leading a diverse workforce and a demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion as a leader.
Knowledge of the state personnel system and/or labor law.
Outstanding writing, analytical, and communication skills.
Ability to work collaboratively with a variety and diversity of personalities.
Ability to lead with empathy and be a big-picture problem solver.
Commitment to serving the public interest.
Ability to model strong leadership and professionalism skills.
Strong organizational and client management skills.

Responsibilities

Lead a collaborative team of attorneys and staff, including coaching and management of the performance evaluation and goal-setting process for each direct report.
Make hiring and salary recommendations, approval of leave requests, resolution of personnel matters, and other administrative tasks.
Mentor and support the Seconds and their work as leaders.
Report to the Civil Litigation and Employment Law Section Deputy AG on legal, operational, and personnel matters on a regular basis and seek supervisory or managerial assistance from the Deputy.
Assist the Section Deputy AG with personnel and administrative duties affecting the work of the Unit, Section, and the Office.
Facilitate the work and operations of the Unit, promoting collaboration, engagement, integrity, and exceptional legal service.
Provide assistance and support to the Seconds.
Manage outside counsel as needed.
Provide guidance, strategy advice, feedback, and general litigation assistance to attorneys and paralegals across the Unit.
Work closely with the section and DOL staff to develop templates, systems, and processes designed to increase efficiencies, streamline litigation, enhance client services, and promote practice excellence.
Work with the Seconds to monitor case load/capacity of attorneys and paralegals.
Support and coach the Seconds.
Identify areas of opportunity for growth and development for attorneys and professional staff.
Promote teamwork, collaboration, and improved performance.
Carry a meaningful and independent workload, with particular emphasis on coordination of employment and labor advice across state agencies and institutions of higher education.
Collaborate with other Section leaders to ensure appropriate staffing, representation, and case management for state and federal employment litigation.
Collaborate with Seconds to build client relationships and develop subject matter expertise across the Unit.
Provide oversight of advice requests, labor and civil rights matters, and State Personnel Board litigation across the Unit’s pods.
Ensure cross-pod collaboration to promote teamwork and consistency across the Unit.
Monitor legislative and legal developments related to client representation.
Ensure the delivery of high-quality, cost-effective legal services to clients while maintaining the highest standards of professionalism.

Benefits

Competitive medical and dental health plans
Employer-paid life insurance
Paid holidays
Retirement plans with Colorado PERA
Vacation and sick leave earned each month
Public Service Loan Forgiveness program eligibility
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.