Senior Paralegal (Legal Assistant II) - Employment Law Defense Unit

Salary: $72,264.00 - $96,768.00 Annually
Location : Denver Metro, CO
Job Type: Full Time
Job Number: LAA-00561-10/2026
Department: Department of Law
Division: Civil Litigation & Employment Law
Opening Date: 10/12/2026
Closing Date: 10/26/2026 11:59 PM Mountain
FLSA: Determined by Position
Type of Announcement: This position is open only to Colorado state residents.
Primary Physical Work Address: 1300 Broadway, Denver, Colorado
Department Contact Information:
Hiring Pay Rate: Salary note: 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.
How To Apply: Please submit an online application for this position at https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/colorado. Reach out to the Department Contact to apply using a paper application, including any supplemental questions. Failure to submit a complete and timely application may result in the rejection of your application. Applicants are responsible for ensuring that application materials are received by the appropriate Human Resources office before the closing date and time listed.

Department Information

The Colorado Department of Law's Civil Litigation and Employment Law Section is launching a new Employment Law Defense Unit and seeks an experienced litigation paralegal to join its founding team. This position offers the opportunity to support complex and consequential employment cases involving state agencies, institutions of higher education, and public employees while helping establish the systems and culture of a new Unit.

Working closely with the First Assistant Attorney General and Unit attorneys, the Senior Paralegal will manage deadlines and case information, support discovery and document production, prepare filings and case materials, coordinate with clients and court personnel, and help attorneys prepare for depositions, hearings, and trials. The role also requires working independently to organize case materials, identify procedural needs, and support attorneys across all stages of litigation.

This role is best suited for a paralegal who takes ownership of work, exercises sound judgment, is highly organized and detail-oriented, and enjoys working collaboratively on meaningful public-service litigation.

Description of Job

The Civil Litigation and Employment Law Section
The Civil Litigation and Employment Law Section represents state agencies, institutions of higher education, and state officials and employees in civil litigation and employment matters. Its attorneys handle a broad range of complex and high-impact matters in state and federal courts and administrative forums, provide strategic legal advice to clients throughout state government, and work collaboratively across specialized units to deliver consistent, practical, and high-quality legal services.

The Employment Law Defense Unit

The Employment Law Defense Unit is a newly created team dedicated to defending state agencies, institutions of higher education, and public employees in state and federal employment litigation. The Unit will provide centralized ownership, strategy, and accountability for this growing practice area while collaborating closely with attorneys in the Employment Practices and Civil Rights, Tort Litigation, Cross-Unit Litigation, Higher Education, and other units throughout the office.

The Unit's work will include claims arising under Title VII, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act, the Fair Labor Standards Act, the Equal Pay for Equal Work Act, the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act, whistleblower statutes, 42 U.S.C. Sections 1981, 1983, and 1985, and related contract, constitutional, and tort theories. The Unit will handle matters from pre-suit assessment and early case strategy through discovery, dispositive motions, trial, appeal, and settlement.

At launch, the Unit will consist of the First AAG, two Assistant Attorneys General, a paralegal, and a shared administrative assistant, with the potential to expand in the future. The Unit will also coordinate with affiliated attorneys and professional staff in other units who handle or support employment matters.

WHAT YOU WILL DO
The Senior Paralegal will provide advanced litigation support across the Unit's docket and will play a meaningful role in developing efficient, consistent, and high-quality practices for the new Unit. Responsibilities will include:

Manage Cases, Deadlines, and Filings

• Open, maintain, and close case files; organize pleadings, discovery, correspondence, evidence, and attorney work product in the Department's case-management and document systems.
• Track court deadlines, litigation calendars, assignments, and case milestones and proactively identify upcoming needs for attorneys and litigation teams.
• Prepare, proofread, cite-check, format, e-file, and serve pleadings, motions, briefs, notices, subpoenas, and other litigation documents in state and federal courts.
• Draft routine correspondence, notices, case summaries, chronologies, tables of contents and authorities, and other legal documents under attorney supervision.
• Communicate professionally with client agencies, court personnel, opposing counsel, witnesses, vendors, and other Department staff to obtain information, coordinate logistics, and keep matters moving.
• Apply consistent organizational practices for case records and evaluate incoming materials for completeness when matters are transitioned from other units.

Support Discovery and Factual Development

• Assist with litigation holds, document collection, initial disclosures, written discovery, subpoenas, public-records coordination, and other information-gathering tasks.
• Organize, review, index, and track documents and electronically stored information; coordinate productions; and support attorney review in Relativity or other e-discovery platforms.
• Help prepare discovery requests and responses, privilege logs, document summaries, deposition materials, and factual or damages analyses.
• Conduct legal and factual research, verify citations and procedural requirements, and compile information from legal references, records, and other sources.
• Coordinate with clients and litigation teams to identify custodians, locate responsive information, and confirm that collections and productions are complete.
• Assist with developing case-specific approaches to organizing factual information and identifying gaps or follow-up needs for attorney review.

Prepare for Depositions, Hearings, and Trials

• Schedule and coordinate depositions, witness interviews, mediations, hearings, and trials, including arrangements with clients, witnesses, experts, vendors, and court personnel.
• Prepare exhibit lists, witness materials, deposition and hearing binders, trial notebooks, demonstratives, and electronic exhibit presentations.
• Assist attorneys with witness preparation, deposition summaries, transcript and exhibit management, courtroom technology, and on-site hearing or trial support.
• Support settlement documentation, approval processes, execution, and other case-closing requirements.
• Support expert-related logistics, including scheduling, document coordination, and administrative requirements.
• Assist with preparation of records on appeal and related filings when assigned.

Help Build and Improve the Unit

• Help develop and maintain intake procedures, checklists, templates, playbooks, filing protocols, and knowledge-management resources for employment litigation.
• Track case information and assist with reports and metrics concerning workload, deadlines, outcomes, and litigation trends.
• Identify process improvements and technology solutions that strengthen quality control, efficiency, and communication.
• Collaborate with attorneys, paralegals, legal assistants, and litigation-support professionals across the Department and contribute to a respectful, inclusive, and accountable team culture.
• Participate in professional development and training relevant to employment litigation, discovery, trial support, and legal technology.
• Recommend updates to workflows and templates based on recurring needs and assist with implementing approved improvements.

This recruitment may be used to fill other positions within the Civil Litigation and Employment Law Section at the Department of Law.

Salary note: 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.

Salary will be paid on a biweekly basis.
Minimum Qualifications, Substitutions, Conditions of Employment & Appeal Rights

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR

Residency Requirement:

This posting is only open to residents of the State of Colorado at the time of submitting your application.
Class Code & Classification Description:

H5E2XX

LEGAL ASSISTANT II
Minimum Qualifications and Substitutions: Please document all relevant experience in detail on your application. Experience will not be inferred or assumed. Any part-time experience listed will be prorated.
Education/Licensure/ Certification/Experience:
Paralegal certificate obtained through either an American Bar Association (ABA) approved paralegal studies program or an accredited institution
One (1) year of paralegal experience

Substitutions
Two (2) years of work experience in a paralegal capacity which included conducting legal research, preparing drafts of legal documents and gathering and compiling data from legal references and resources will substitute for the required certificate
A Juris Doctorate from an accredited law school may substitute for the required certificate
If you are qualifying under the Substitutions option listed above, you must submit a copy of your transcripts at the time of application. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable.

Note: Candidates possessing a foreign degree must submit a translation (evaluation) of their degree from an accredited institution, such as The National Association of Credential Evaluations Services in order to be given credit for the degree.

Preferred Qualifications: In addition to the minimum qualifications, if you possess any of the following specifically include the details on your application. This information will be used to assess your qualifications and may be used to determine a top group of applicants.

• Three (3)+ years of paralegal experience with clearly demonstrated litigation-support responsibilities.
• Substantial experience supporting civil litigation in state or federal court, particularly employment, civil-rights, public-sector, or other complex litigation.

• Experience supporting multiple attorneys or litigation teams on a substantial and deadline-intensive docket.
• Experience with written discovery, document collection and production, subpoenas, privilege logs, depositions, dispositive motions, hearings, or trials.
• Experience with ProLaw or a similar case-management system and Relativity or another e-discovery platform.
• Experience with state and federal electronic-filing systems, court rules, citation checking, and preparation of tables of contents and authorities.
• Experience preparing exhibits, witnesses, trial notebooks, and electronic presentations for depositions, mediations, hearings, or trials.
• Experience working with governmental entities, public institutions, or sophisticated organizational clients.
• Experience developing templates, checklists, workflows, reports, or other tools that improve litigation quality and efficiency.

We are seeking a dedicated public servant who thrives in a fast-paced, collaborative environment and can provide reliable, proactive support on a complex litigation docket. The strongest candidates will demonstrate sound judgment, initiative, excellent organization and communication, comfort with legal technology, and the ability to manage competing priorities while maintaining accuracy and confidentiality.
Required Competencies

• Proficiency with Microsoft Office and Google Workspace applications.
• Strong written and oral communication skills and the ability to interact professionally with internal and external stakeholders.
• Exceptional attention to detail, organization, proofreading, and document-management skills.
• Ability to research, analyze, organize, and compile legal and factual information.
• Strong time-management skills, including the ability to manage multiple matters, hard deadlines, and shifting priorities.
• Ability to work independently, take ownership of assignments, ask appropriate questions, and collaborate effectively as part of a litigation team.
• Sound judgment and discretion in handling confidential and sensitive information.
• Ability and willingness to learn and use case-management, e-discovery, electronic-filing, and trial-presentation technology.