Colorado Attorney General Fellowship Program 2027: Historical Reference (Applications Closed)

Colorado Attorney General Fellowship Program 2027: Historical Reference (Applications Closed)

Cycle status

The Colorado Department of Law (DOL), within the Office of the Attorney General, ran this fellowship recruitment for placements beginning in November 2027. The official program page says applications opened August 10, 2026 and were due no later than September 28, 2026. A closure notice farther down that page says the application period closed September 29, 2026. Both statements refer to the same 2027 recruitment. The published deadline is retained here as September 28, the date given in the page’s application instructions.

The application window has closed. The official page still describes the 2027 positions and provides no later application cycle or replacement deadline. This entry is therefore a historical reference, not an invitation to submit an application for the closed class. Anyone interested in future work with the Department should use its official careers information and contact the Legal Talent Director about future openings; the fellowship page says the office can hire only when it has a vacancy. Do not assume that a new class, salary, set of positions, or application schedule has been announced.

This was paid legal employment and supervised public-service work, not tuition funding or a short observation placement. The individual tracks involved litigation, advice to state agencies, appellate advocacy, natural-resource matters, consumer protection, or cybersecurity and privacy work. The archived details below describe what the Department published for this specific recruitment and should not be treated as terms for a future opening.

Key details at a glance

These compensation and benefit details are historical terms for the 2027 class only. Position descriptions varied by subject and term, so candidates for any future vacancy should rely on that vacancy’s own announcement rather than carry these figures forward.

What the Fellowship offers

The Department described the Fellowship as a way to learn critical legal skills while contributing to the state’s legal work. Fellows would work with experienced attorneys, receive feedback and supervision, and have opportunities for mentorship, networking, and dedicated professional development. They could volunteer on office-wide impact teams and might earn continuing legal education credits through programming offered by the Department, the Colorado Bar Association, and the Practising Law Institute. These were program features described for the 2027 class, not guaranteed conditions for a different job or later fellowship.

The work is broad because the Attorney General’s office represents Colorado and its agencies across many legal settings. The official description names cybersecurity, consumer protection, criminal appeals, civil rights, torts, contracts, eminent domain, administrative law, environmental law, tax, public utilities, public health, school safety, energy, criminal fraud, and victim advocacy among the areas the office handles. Applicants do not need to claim expertise in every one of these fields. They do need to explain why their background and interests fit the position they select.

The Department said Fellows might have an opportunity to apply for open permanent positions during the second half of their Fellowship. That was not a promise of a permanent job or guaranteed conversion. It depended on a suitable vacancy being available, and the Department separately notes that it can hire only when it has an opening.

Who is eligible to apply

For the closed class, the applicant group was law school students graduating by Spring 2027 and recent law school graduates who were currently clerking. The program page encouraged intellectually curious candidates committed to public service. It highlighted strong writing, confidence to ask thoughtful questions, eagerness to engage, and a strong academic record, including a strong GPA or steady improvement of grades during law school. The page did not describe these as a mechanical checklist or publish a minimum GPA.

Colorado bar admission was a firm condition for the 2027 appointments. Applicants had to commit to becoming Colorado bar members before beginning work in November 2027, either by passing the bar or by waiver. A selected candidate had to be sworn in by the start date. The Department expressly said Student Practice Act status would not suffice for someone who had not passed the bar and been admitted by then.

This requirement is useful context for readers reviewing the archive because it shaped eligibility and the start conditions. The official page does not provide a special extension for bar admission. Applicants to a future position should verify the bar rule in that position’s current announcement rather than infer that the 2027 rule will automatically carry forward.

Fellowship tracks and legal work

The Litigation and General Counsel (LGC) Fellowship was the broadest listed route. LGC Fellows were assigned to Civil Litigation and Employment Law, Revenue and Regulatory Law, or State Services. They could work on investigations and trials, appeals, administrative actions, rulemaking, and general counsel matters. Each LGC Fellow served a one-year term from the beginning of November 2027 through the end of October 2028 and had an opportunity to work on at least one project outside the assigned section. Section preference was not guaranteed, but the Department asked applicants to name preferred sections in the cover letter.

The Justice Gregory Hobbs, Jr. Fellowship focused on natural resources and the environment. Fellows worked with the Natural Resources and Environment Section on matters involving Colorado’s land, air, water, and wildlife and could advise the Attorney General on environmental and natural-resource questions. The listed term was one year, from the beginning of November 2027 through the end of October 2028.

Ralph L. Carr Appellate Fellows worked with the Colorado Solicitor General on briefs and oral arguments in significant state and federal litigation, including constitutional issues. They also worked with the Criminal Appeals Section and could gain extensive brief-writing and oral-argument experience. These Fellowships typically lasted two years, from the beginning of November 2027 through the end of October 2029. The Department noted that many applicants came after appellate judicial clerkships, while encouraging strong applicants from all backgrounds.

The Consumer Protection Section Fellowship involved investigations and enforcement work in consumer fraud, antitrust, and consumer-credit cases. Possible duties included reviewing complaints, taking witness testimony, reviewing document production, filing enforcement actions or lawsuits, motion practice, depositions, court appearances, and legal research. The Cybersecurity Fellowship covered data privacy, data management, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, intellectual property, and related advice to state agencies. It could involve the Colorado Privacy Act, federal and state privacy laws, legislative changes, and technology-focused working groups.

Application materials and submission rules

The official instructions for the 2027 cycle required a cover letter, resume, law school transcript, three references, and a writing sample. The cover letter was to address three points: commitment to public service and interest in the Fellowship, experience in the relevant subject area or other relevant work, and how the applicant’s background would add value to the Fellowship and the Department of Law.

The resume was to include bar memberships, leadership experience, community service or volunteer experience, the status of the bar application, and cumulative law school GPA. These fields gave reviewers information about the candidate’s readiness for public work. Applicants were to state a pending bar application’s status accurately rather than imply admission was complete.

The three references were to be people familiar with the candidate’s work and abilities. The Department asked for their phone numbers, email addresses, and the nature of the relationship. They were references, not letters of recommendation. The page did not request recommendation letters in place of the three contacts. Useful references could speak about writing, judgment, initiative, collaboration, public service, or performance under supervision.

The writing sample had to demonstrate legal analysis and ability. It could be an excerpt from a longer document, but had to be no more than 10 pages and contain no confidential or privileged information. The Department said a shorter and less edited sample was better. That guidance signaled interest in the candidate’s own legal reasoning and writing rather than a document whose substance had been heavily rewritten by a supervisor.

Applicants were asked to name each file with their name and the document type, such as “Doe, Chris Resume.” A separate application packet was required for each Fellowship position. Someone applying for LGC, Carr, and Hobbs positions had to submit three distinct packets. A resume could be shared across packets, but the cover letter needed to identify the position and connect the candidate’s experience to its work.

Published timeline and interview process

The official page states that applications opened August 10, 2026, and were to be submitted no later than September 28, 2026. Its later closure notice records September 29, 2026 as the date the application period closed. The entry keeps the main instructions’ published deadline in the structured deadline field while noting the page’s one-day discrepancy here. The recruitment is closed, and no next cycle is announced on the page.

The 2027 positions were scheduled to start in November 2027. The Department expected interviews between October and December 2026, with an initial conversation involving Fellowship Committee members, a second interview with other Department members including leadership, and a third interview for finalists with the Attorney General or designee. The Department aimed to make offers in late December 2026 and no later than the end of January 2027. Those dates describe the published 2027 recruitment plan; they are not future application milestones.

The long interval between selection and the start date reflected the bar-admission requirement and the nature of entry-level legal hiring. For a historical reader, this helps explain why the official process asked about bar membership status in the resume and required admission before work began. The page did not say that a candidate could begin under student-practice authorization and complete bar admission later.

Because the cycle is over, the old application checklist should not be used to prepare a submission now. It remains useful as an archive of what candidates were asked to provide, but an applicant seeking a later opening must obtain the requirements from that opening’s live announcement.

What the 2027 applicants were asked to submit

For the closed cycle, each packet called for a cover letter, resume, law school transcript, three references, and a writing sample. The cover letter was to explain commitment to public service and interest in the specific Fellowship, relevant subject-area or other experience, and how the candidate’s background could add value to the Fellowship and the Department. For an LGC application, candidates were also asked to identify preferred sections, while acknowledging that placement preference was not guaranteed.

The resume was to list bar memberships, leadership experience, community service or volunteer work, bar application status, and cumulative law school GPA. The transcript provided academic context. The three references were not letters of recommendation: the Department asked for people familiar with the candidate’s work and abilities, plus their phone and email details and the nature of each relationship. The writing sample was to demonstrate legal analysis and ability, be no more than 10 pages, and contain no confidential or privileged information. The instructions said that a shorter and less edited sample was preferable.

The Department asked applicants to put their name and the document type in each filename, giving “Doe, Chris Resume” as an example. A separate application packet was required for each position. An applicant pursuing LGC, Carr, and Hobbs, for example, had to submit three packets. The requirements made it important to tailor the letter to each track and to identify LGC section preferences in that letter. These details are retained to document the process and do not imply that the submission portal is still accepting the 2027 applications.

For anyone studying the recruitment or preparing for a future government fellowship, the materials list also signals the qualities the Department emphasized: written analysis, readiness for Colorado bar membership, sustained public-service interest, and references able to discuss actual work. A useful historical application would have connected a candidate’s experience to the selected section’s legal responsibilities rather than treating the Department’s many practice areas as interchangeable. However, the page did not promise that any particular credential or writing sample would secure an interview.

Interpreting the archived conditions

The most consequential condition in the 2027 notice was Colorado bar admission before the November 2027 start. The Department said this could be met through bar passage or waiver, but Student Practice Act status was not an alternative at the start. This is a record of that class’s condition, not legal advice about another position’s terms.

The Department also required a separate packet for every position. That means a candidate interested in multiple tracks needed to make the fit clear in each letter, even if some resume information was common. The differences were meaningful: Carr centered on appellate briefing and oral arguments; Consumer Protection included investigation and enforcement work; and Cybersecurity combined agency advice with privacy and technology issues. The official page said LGC section preferences should be stated but were not guaranteed.

The writing-sample instruction was explicit: no confidential or privileged material, and no more than 10 pages. The Department preferred shorter, less edited samples. References were not letters of recommendation, so uploading letters in their place would not have followed the posted list. The office’s file-naming direction was also specific: include the applicant’s name and document type.

The compensation was salary, not a scholarship. The official page lists $65,000 annually plus medical and dental benefits for 2027 law school graduates. It lists $68,000 for Fellows in their second year or those arriving with at least one full year of legal experience. The page also describes state benefits, including paid holidays, retirement through Colorado PERA, vacation and sick leave, employer-paid life insurance, annual attorney registration dues, and professional development. Those amounts and benefits should not be assumed for a later class.

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2027 application still open?

No. The official page says the application period closed September 29, 2026; its main instructions list September 28, 2026 as the deadline. This page preserves September 28 as the published deadline and notes the closure notice’s next-day date. The positions were scheduled to begin in November 2027.

Is this a paid fellowship?

Yes, for the 2027 class. The published annual salary was $65,000 for 2027 law school graduates and $68,000 for second-year Fellows or candidates with at least one full year of legal experience, plus medical and dental benefits. This archived compensation does not establish pay for future vacancies.

Can a law student apply before graduating?

For this cycle, yes, if the student was graduating by Spring 2027. The other stated group was recent law school graduates who were currently clerking. That application window is closed.

Must I already be admitted to the Colorado bar when I apply?

Not when applying, according to the 2027 notice. Every Fellow had to be a sworn member before the Fellowship began in November 2027. Student Practice Act status was not enough at the start.

Can I apply for several Fellowship positions?

The 2027 recruitment allowed applications to multiple positions, but required a separate packet for each. The cycle is closed; future openings may have different instructions.

How long is the appointment?

Most listed positions were one-year appointments from November 2027 through October 2028. Ralph L. Carr Appellate Fellowships typically ran two years, through October 2029.

Official source and future interest

The Colorado Department of Law Fellowship page is the authoritative source for the 2027 cycle and its archived position descriptions, eligibility, compensation, timeline, and materials list. Its application notice says the window closed and does not announce a subsequent class. The page links to the Department’s Fellowship application website, but that portal link should not be read as evidence that applications for this cycle remain open.

The official page invites people with a general interest in the office or a particular section to contact its Legal Talent Director, who may provide information or arrange a short informational interview about future opportunities. It separately directs questions about the closed fellowship application to [email protected]. The page cautions that hiring depends on vacancies. Readers should therefore ask whether a later fellowship or attorney opening exists instead of relying on this archived recruitment schedule.

As a historical record, this opportunity remains useful for understanding how Colorado structured an early-career government fellowship: distinct legal tracks, a requirement to be admitted to the state bar before the job began, separate packets for each position, and a staged interview process. It also illustrates the work the Department assigns to its lawyers, from representing agencies and litigating cases to advising on technology and enforcing consumer laws. Those features made the 2027 program more than a general public-service placement; each candidate had to show how their skills fit a concrete area of the Department’s work.

The central practical fact is that the 2027 application period is over. The September 28, 2026 deadline remains in the metadata because it is the deadline the official application instructions published, while the same page’s closure notice says September 29, 2026. The program page contains no announced next deadline. Compensation, eligibility, and application steps in this archive belong to the past cycle and should be checked anew if the Department publishes another opportunity.