Litigation Attorney

With competitive pay, great benefits, and endless opportunities, working for the City and County of Denver means seeing yourself working with purpose — for you, and those who benefit from your passion, skills, and expertise. Join our diverse, inclusive, and talented workforce of more than 11,000 team members who are at the heart of what makes Denver, Denver.

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 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.

The City and County of Denver offers a competitive salary commensurate with education and experience. The salary range for this position is $133,488 - $173,551/annually, based on experience and education. We also offer generous benefits for full-time employees which includes but is not limited to:

• A guaranteed life-long monthly pension, once vested after 5 years of service

• 457B Retirement plan

• 132 hours of PTO earned within first year + 11 paid holidays, 1 personal holiday 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 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.

The Denver's City Attorney's Office seeks an experienced litigator to defend employees and agencies of the City & County of Denver in civil litigation brought in Colorado state and federal courts. This position serves as lead counsel defending civil rights and personal injury lawsuits against Denver and its employees. You will first or second chair trials in Colorado state and federal courts.  You should expect to go to trial several times a year. You will defend cases from filing through appeal. You will train various City agencies on legal concepts and risk mitigation.

This position presents a challenging and rewarding opportunity for a senior-level attorney with substantial litigation experience, who thrives in a fast-paced, constantly changing work environment, embraces challenges and enjoys having the opportunity to create new law. Senior attorneys are responsible for serving as lead counsel on some of the City’s most complex litigation and mentoring attorneys with less experience.

Job responsibilities for a Senior Litigator in the Civil Litigation Section include:

Quality Legal Work:

• Readily identifies issues and finds creative solutions for areas of improvement while working collaboratively with the Section Director and Assistant Directors, other sections of the City Attorney’s Office, and various city departments and agencies.

• Conducts appropriate legal research and produces concise, coherent, comprehensive, and well-reasoned work with an emphasis on attention to detail.

• Willingness and experience sufficient to assume the lead counsel role on a variety of lawsuits, including high-profile, complex civil rights lawsuits.

• Provides excellent client service, including representing departments and agencies, officers, and employees in lawsuits in Colorado state and federal courts.

• Coaches and mentors attorneys with less experience in litigation, research, and related activities.

• Provides guidance and legal opinions to various departments and agencies concerning issues identified in litigation.

Leadership and Collaboration:

• Supports and implements the vision of the Section and the City Attorney’s Office as a whole, includes facilitating and promoting integration of diversity, equality, 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.

We are looking for an attorney who is a self-starter, team-player, and passionate about working in public service. We seek someone who strives to achieve operational excellence in defending lawsuits. Someone who wants to try cases and is passionate about improving their trial skills will likely find this position rewarding. A successful candidate will be ready to take on the challenging task of trying cases in Colorado on behalf of law enforcement, not afraid to take risks, and undeterred by negative media attention. 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 and varied lawsuits or other assigned matters at the same time.  

Preferred candidates will have:

• At least seven (7) years of litigation experience

• Experience handling litigation involving public entities

• Experience in civil rights law and/or tort litigation

• Experience with large document production projects and eDiscovery compliance

• Ability to multi-task, prioritize, and work effectively in a fast-paced, high-profile environment

Preferred experience must be demonstrated on the application in addition to resume and cover letter. Applications submitted without a resume and cover letter will not be considered. Your cover letter should address the extent of your litigation experience, why you are interested in the position, and why you are the right person for the position. 

• 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.

Applications for this position are accepted on a rolling basis. Please submit your application as soon as possible to ensure consideration.

Job Profile

To view the full job profile including position specifications, physical demands, and probationary period, click here.

Position Type

Position Salary Range

Starting Pay

Agency

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 Jobs@Denvergov.org 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.