Assistant City Attorney - Criminal

About the role

• JOB LOCATION
• 14999 E Alameda Pkwy Aurora, Colorado 80012-1563
• Cit y of Aurora, Colorado

It is an exciting time to work for the City of Aurora, we're growing and looking for dedicated and collaborative individuals to join our team of talented and valued employees. Excellent organizations have a set of principles, or core values, that are used to implement their mission and vision. Those values represent the touchstone for the organization, guiding the decisions of the individuals and the organization. At the City of Aurora, we demonstrate our excellence by modeling the CORE 4 Values of: Integrity, Respect, Professionalism, and Customer Service, and we welcome all who share these values to apply.

Primary Duties & Responsibilities

• The hiring rate for this position is $86,863.00 - $108,578.00
• Salary to be commensurate with experience.
• Sign On Bonus: New employees are eligible for a $5,000 bonus; with $2,500 paid on the first payroll, and $2,500 paid upon successful completion of the 6-month introductory period.
• This posting is being used to fill multiple vacancies and will be posted until filled. Applications will be reviewed as they come in, and this posting may close quickly and without notice.

City Attorney's Office, Criminal Division

The Criminal Division handles the prosecution of petty offenses and misdemeanors occurring in the City. The mission of our Criminal Division is to enhance public safety and to achieve justice through the effective prosecution of municipal offenses.

• This position is a Full Time, entry-level position.
• The position involves the prosecution of City ordinance violations, including negotiations, motions, trial practice, and appeals.
• Applicants must be members, in good standing, of the Colorado Bar, or must have recently taken the Colorado Bar Exam pending results.

As an Assistant City Attorney, you will utilize your knowledge and abilities obtained through law school education and municipal, governmental or private experience to conduct research, draft legal documents and prosecute cases in the Aurora Municipal Court, through the Criminal Division of the City Attorney's Office.

• Serves as a criminal trial and appellate attorney in the Criminal Division
• Conducts research for trials and appellate briefs
• Enters into plea negotiations with defendants or their attorneys during pretrial conferences
• Interviews victims and witnesses of crimes
• Performs a wide variety of legal projects for the City Attorney's Office and Municipal Court
• Prepares and tries cases of city code violations
• Prepares pleadings, undertakes discovery and drafts appeals
• Provides direct legal service on a variety of matters concerning and/or related to the Charter, Ordinances, or rules and regulations of the City
• Researches legal casework pertinent to ongoing legal matters
• Searches for, reads, and analyzes legal newsletters, journals, ordinances, books, and case notes pertinent to on-going legal matters
• Performs other related duties as required

Minimum Qualifications

• Education: Graduation from an accredited law school. Must be a member, in good standing, of the Colorado Bar.
• Experience: Experience with negotiations, trials, and appeals of municipal ordinance violations, helpful but not required.

Knowledge: Knowledge of the basic principles of law, the ability to conduct legal research, and write briefs. Thorough knowledge of the Colorado Revised Statutes, as pertinent to city government, Rules of Evidence, the Aurora Municipal Code, local court rules and Colorado Municipal Court Rules of Procedure.

Utilizes knowledge and abilities obtained through law school education and municipal, governmental or private experience to conduct research, draft legal documents and prosecute cases. Utilizes knowledge of municipal procedures, organizational frameworks, administrative policies, trial procedure, etc., to carry out assigned duties.

• Abilities: Ability to effectively prosecute violators of municipal ordinances.
• Demonstrated knowledge of human behavior, and ability to effectively counsel, train, interview, and imbue others with an opinion or understanding of a concept.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective professional relationships with City employees, officials and the general public.

Skills: Substantial skill in pleadings practice; skilled in legal research, strong interpersonal skills; motivation, ability and perseverance for daily courtroom/litigation duties; teamwork; professionalism; positive attitude.

Competency Requirements

• High energy, positive "can do" attitude with a high level of accountability for driving results
• Strong focus on customer needs and approachability
• Undisputed integrity and trust
• Excellent problem solving, negotiating and communication skills
• Ability to effectively deal with change and ambiguity
• Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to effectively build relationships and manage conflict
• High learning agility, driven to continuously develop existing and new skills
• Ability to work effectively within and to contribute to a team approach to providing legal services

Additional information

Licenses, Certificates, and/or Equipment Required: Must be a member, in good standing, of the Colorado Bar Association, o r must have recently taken the Colorado Bar Exam pending results.

This position may require the incumbent to occasionally use personal equipment (e.g. vehicle, cell phone, tools, etc.) in the course of their employment.

Physical Demands

Primarily sedentary physical work requiring the ability to lift a maximum of 10 pounds; occasional lifting, carrying, walking and standing; frequent hand/eye coordination to operate office equipment; vision for reading, recording and interpreting information; frequent speech communication and hearing to maintain communication with employees and citizens.

• Work Environment: Works primarily in clean, comfortable environment; in an office or courtroom.
• Equipment Used: Frequently uses computer keyboard and standard office equipment.
• For Veteran's points: Please show all of your employment history, including military service and related documentation (DD214) on the application.
• The city of Aurora will implement furlough days (unpaid days off) for most employees in 2026. The scheduled furlough dates are January 16, April 10, July 2, and December 24.
• For Veterans preference: Please show all of your employment history, including military service and related documentation (DD214) on the application.

Drug Testing, Thorough Criminal Background Check, and Employment References:

As a condition of employment, all applicants selected for employment with the City of Aurora must undergo a thorough criminal background check.

Applicants selected for safety-sensitive positions are required to complete and pass a drug screening as a condition of employment. Safety sensitive positions include Civil Service positions within Police and Fire Departments and positions where their job responsibilities have direct and substantial responsibility that would impact the health and safety of others.

Employment references will be conducted on finalists for City of Aurora vacancies.