The Role
Provide legal counsel to district leaders on labor, special education, student safety, civil rights, and operations; draft pleadings and memoranda; represent the district in hearings and court; develop policy, trainings, and legal strategies; work with General/Deputy General Counsel to manage legal risk and ensure compliance with applicable laws and district policies.
Summary Generated by Built In
** Applications will be received until July 09, 2026. If the position is not filled by then, we may consider applications submitted after the deadline. Interested applicants must apply online by visiting the Denver Public Schools job board at careers.dpsk12.org. **
About this job:
Ensures practices, policies, and dealings of the District meet legal and regulatory requirements to protect the organization from legal action and to defend the District when legal action is taken. Provides counsel to District leaders on assigned areas such as labor and employment, special education, student safety, implementation of the Consent Decree for English Language Learners, and/or operations and business management. Works closely with the Deputy General Counsel or General Counsel in the assigned area.
What DPS Offers You:
- A Culture that values Equity, Accountability, Integrity, Collaboration and Fun with a shared vision that Every Learner Thrives.
- Salary Range: $87,203 - $106,806 Annually. Click here for more information on compensation for these roles.
- In addition to competitive compensation, DPS has other Total Reward offerings such as; time off, health and wellness benefits, and PERA Retirement.
What You'll Do:
- Develops legal strategies and provides legal advice and counsel for client groups and District leaders as needed to assure the District’s compliance with applicable rules, policies, procedures, practices, and laws
- Performs legal research and provides verbal and written analysis that also considers District policies, procedures, and practices
Independently drafts or works with other Deputy General Counsel or General Counsel on written work product, including pleadings, briefs, and legal research memoranda - Independently drafts or works with other Deputy General Counsel or General Counsel on written work product, including pleadings, briefs, and legal research memoranda
- Responds to directives from Deputy General Counsel and General Counsel
- Develops and builds consensus and resolves conflict
- Represents the District in adversarial meetings, hearings, and court proceedings (e.g. meeting where parent is represented by counsel or advocate, labor andemployment arbitrations, and teacher dismissal hearings)
- Assists in the planning and development of policy, procedures, and processes for the District, assigned client groups, and the legal department in order to optimize efficiency, address areas of legal risk, and address the diverse needs of client groups
- Develops and conducts trainings for assigned client groups
What You’ll Need:
- Minimum of Juris Doctor degree from an American Bar Association accredited institution
- 2+ years of relevant experience in labor and employment law, laws governing special education, federal education law, civil rights and constitutional law, student-data privacy laws, transactional and operations experience working with government entities, or other experience with non-profit entities supporting public interest
- Valid Colorado license to practice law at time of hire
- Lead for racial and educational excellence and work to dismantle systems of oppression and inequity in our community, along with believing in and supporting all students so they feel seen and heard with access to high quality education.
- Live and work with a permanent home address in Colorado while working with us.
- Have the ability with or without accommodations to meet the physical demands of the position.
Denver Public Schools is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, gender expression, and sexual orientation), parental status, national origin, age, disability, genetic information (including family medical history), political affiliation, military service, or any other status protected by law or regulations. It is our intention that all qualified applicants be given equal opportunity and that selection decisions be based on job-related factors.
Students First. Integrity. Equity. Collaboration. Accountability. Fun
About UsDenver Public Schools is committed to meeting the educational needs of every student with great schools in every neighborhood. Our goal is to provide every child in Denver with rigorous, enriching educational opportunities from preschool through high school graduation. DPS is comprised of nearly 200 schools including traditional, magnet, charter and alternative pathways schools, with an enrollment of more than 90,000 students.
DPS has become the fastest-growing school district in the country in terms of enrollment and the fastest-growing large school district in the state in terms of student academic growth. Learn more at dpsk12.org.
Skills Required
- Juris Doctor degree from an American Bar Association accredited institution
- Minimum 2+ years relevant experience in labor and employment, special education, federal education law, civil rights, student-data privacy, transactional/operations with government or non-profit public interest
- Valid Colorado license to practice law at time of hire
- Live and work with a permanent home address in Colorado while employed
- Commitment to racial and educational equity and dismantling systems of oppression
- Ability, with or without accommodations, to meet the physical demands of the position
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The Company
What We Do
The mission of Denver Public Schools is to provide all students the opportunity to achieve the knowledge and skills necessary to become contributing citizens in our diverse society. In DPS, we’re focused on building a system that’s designed to help every student thrive. We’re re-focusing our efforts where they matter most: on creating classrooms that are vibrant centers of learning, where caring teachers are engaging their students in rigorous, culturally responsive experiences in order to lift all students toward a bright horizon. In the last ten years, DPS has experienced unprecedented growth and an expansion of programs. Building on the strong progress we’ve made, we want to continue transforming DPS into a school district grounded in equity. This districtwide focus on equity will be embedded in everything we do, so that we can help break historical patterns and become a school district that is designed to inspire every student to dream big and make their own future. View all of our current career openings here: https://careers.dpsk12.org/
