Assistant Attorney General (Insurance)

The Revenue & Regulatory Law (R&R) section of the Colorado Department of Law is seeking an attorney to join its collaborative legal team in the Insurance Unit! Attorneys in the Insurance Unit advise and represent the Colorado Division of Insurance (Division) and its Commissioner in a wide variety of interesting and complex insurance-related legal issues. Insurance affects every Coloradan, and the Insurance Unit helps the Division achieve its mission of consumer protection and increased accessibility. The Insurance Unit offers the opportunity to practice in a challenging area of law that consistently generates novel questions regarding a wide range of legal fields, including healthcare law, corporate law, administrative law, tax law, and constitutional law. 

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. 

Visit our website to learn more: https://coag.gov/.

The R&R Section is comprised of 10 different Units, including the Insurance Unit. The R&R section represents state regulatory agencies, including the Department of Regulatory Agencies (and the Division of Insurance), the Department of Local Affairs, the Department of Revenue, and the Department of Agriculture. R&R is the largest section in the Department of Law, comprised of over 110 team members who tackle a diverse array of legal challenges for nearly 100 state agencies, boards, commissions, divisions and ombudsmen. The work of the R&R section is critical to ensuring all licensees are providing fair services to Coloradans and protecting consumers through oversight of these industries and professions to protect public health and safety.

The Insurance Unit is a team currently comprised of ten attorneys, including the First Assistant Attorney General and the Second Assistant Attorney General, who model the Department of Law’s four values: public servants, principled, innovative, and better together. The Assistant Attorney General reports to the First Assistant Attorney General, and works closely with the Second Assistant Attorney General and the other unit attorneys litigating cases and providing general counsel advice.

WHAT YOU WILL DO

The Insurance Unit advises the Division and the Commissioner of Insurance in all aspects of the agency’s work and pertaining to all types of insurance. The Insurance Unit attorneys work collaboratively to provide legal services to the Division and the Commissioner, and the successful candidate will participate in nearly all aspects of this legal work.  

The successful candidate will represent the Commissioner and the Division. Responsibilities will include the following:

• Litigation on behalf of the Commissioner and/or Division primarily in administrative hearings and at the Office of Administrative Courts, but also in federal and state district and appellate courts. Litigated cases involve insurance companies and producers in matters pertaining to all types of insurance, including health, long-term care, life, property and casualty insurance, bail, and immigration bonding. 
• General counsel assistance to the Commissioner and/or Division in areas such as drafting and promulgation of Division regulations, general legal compliance, financial examinations, market conduct examinations, rate reviews, regulatory reviews of mergers and acquisitions, reviews of proposed legislation, Colorado sunshine laws, and rehabilitation and liquidation of insurance companies.

This is a great opportunity for an experienced attorney who is eager to work in dynamic areas of the law and enjoys both general counsel advising and litigation. In addition, this position will handle matters on an as-needed basis to assist other attorneys in the unit and the R&R Section.  


WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR
Qualified applicants must 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.

For this role, we are seeking candidates who have substantive and practical legal training, including clerkships and fellowships; experience as a prosecutors or litigators; and/or those whose diverse experiences and background who would add value to the Department of Law and our clients. A background in insurance law and/or administrative law is also helpful, as is work with experts in insurance matters. The ideal candidate will be skilled at maintaining strong client relationships; have a passion for both litigation and general counsel work, and demonstrate a strong commitment to serving the public interest.

Essential Skills for This Position

• Ability to handle litigation matters effectively 
• Ability to provide general counsel advice on complex matters 
• Ability to manage multiple ongoing projects and prioritize work accordingly 
• Excellent research, writing, and interpersonal skills
• Proficient client communication skills (both written and verbal)
• Committed and eager to serve the public in a consumer protection-related role
• Commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion
• Enthusiastic about working with a smart, collaborative, and fun team – while still able to work independently and exercise strong professional judgment

THIS POSITION REQUIRES AT LEAST ONE WRITING SAMPLE. PLEASE REVIEW THE "HOW TO APPLY" SECTION OF THE JOB ANNOUNCEMENT FOR MORE INFORMATION.
 
Conditions of Employment:

• Applicants must pass a thorough background investigation prior to appointment.
• 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 website.
• This position offers flexible work arrangements. Attorneys in the Unit typically work in-office at minimum of one day a week. Flexible work arrangements may change at any time based on business needs.
• 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. 

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 your interest in the position; 2) a resume; 3) at least one writing sample; 4) three professional references and 5) answers to the Supplemental Questionnaire bnelow. Use the "Attachments" feature of the online application to add documents. 

Writing samples should demonstrate your ability to provide sound legal advice to a client. The writing samples should be products that were created solely by you. Please include a brief description of the issue/scenario presented, whether the issue was time-sensitive in nature, and what (if any) feedback was received after the advice was provided. In selecting the examples, you may wish to consider providing different forms – for example, written advice that was provided by email, advice that was provided in a more formal memorandum format, dispositive motions or responses, legal briefs.
 
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 [email protected] or call 720- 508-6511.

If you have any questions regarding this position, please contact our Legal Talent Director at [email protected].

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