Civil Rights Attorney

Associate Attorney | Civil Rights & LitigationResearch, Writing, Editing & Litigation Management FocusSnapshotLocation: Downtown Denver, Colorado, near the 16th Street Mall. Hybrid schedule, currently up to two remote days per week after onboarding.Compensation: $70,000 to $85,000 annual base salary, depending on experience. Performance-based annual bonus of up to $20,000. See bonus details below.Hours: Approximately 40 to 50 hours per week most weeks, with predictable peaks during trial, dispositive-motion deadlines, and oral argument.Bar admission: Colorado admission preferred. Applicants admitted in another U.S. jurisdiction who are eligible for and intend to seek Colorado admission are encouraged to apply.Application closing date: June 30, 2026. Applications reviewed on a rolling basis; the firm may extend the deadline if the position is not filled.The FirmCivil Rights Litigation Group is a Denver plaintiff-side firm. We litigate police misconduct, jail and prison abuse, employment discrimination, First Amendment retaliation, anti-SLAPP defense for people sued for exercising their free speech rights, and select personal injury cases against government and corporate defendants. We use constitutional claims, civil rights statutes, and tort law to hold government employees and corporate executives accountable when they abuse their power. Our work is cause-driven, technically demanding, and meaningful.The RoleWe are hiring a proactive, fastidious, and industrious associate attorney to support a high-stakes civil rights and accountability practice.This is a litigation support role at its core. The associate’s primary value to the practice is precision: precise research, precise writing, precise editing, and precise management of litigation tasks, deadlines, and documents. We are not hiring a rainmaker, an experienced trial lawyer, or an entrepreneur. We are hiring someone who is excellent at organizing, executing, and getting the details exactly right—and who finds doing mission critical work meticulously genuinely satisfying. On a given day, the work may include:·      Conducting thorough legal research on statutes, case law, and procedural rules, and recording findings in organized, usable research memoranda·      Drafting and revising motions, briefs, responses, and correspondence·      Copy-editing partner-drafted documents until every citation signal, pin cite, record reference, and comma is exactly right·      Managing litigation calendars, calculating court deadlines, and coordinating filings·      Cite-checking record references against transcripts, depositions, and exhibits·      Building and maintaining discovery indexes, exhibit lists, and case chronologies·      Organizing and maintaining case files, discovery productions, and litigation records·      Communicating with court clerks and opposing counsel on scheduling and administrative matters·      When ready and prepared to represent the client’s interests excellently: taking depositions, arguing motions, and trying cases as second chair under an experienced partner’s supervisionAn associate who handles every level of that work, from organizing a discovery production index to filing a dispositive-motion reply, will earn increasing responsibility, and real ownership of cases. We do not separate work by status. We separate work by what the practice needs done that day and which attorney is best suited to do it.We do not expect the associate to work more than 45 hours most weeks. We plan around deadline peaks rather than treating emergency hours as the norm.Who We Are Looking ForWe are looking for a specific kind of attorney: someone whose strengths are precision, organization, and methodical execution. The ideal candidate:·      Finds it genuinely satisfying—not merely tolerable—to get every detail exactly right·      Approaches legal research systematically and documents findings in an organized, accessible format that others can use·      Copy-edits with the mindset that every Bluebook signal, pin cite, record cite, and comma is load-bearing·      Manages litigation calendars and deadlines with the discipline and consistency of a case manager without needing reminders·      Produces clean, accurate, well-organized work product without requiring close supervision·      Thrives within defined systems and finds structure an asset rather than a constraint·      Takes genuine pride in accurate, well-organized litigation files and case recordsThis is not primarily a role for an attorney who is motivated by courtroom presence, client development, or high-level case strategy. Those opportunities exist and will grow over time. But the foundation of this job is research, writing, editing, and litigation management done at a consistently high standard. An attorney who finds that work energizing will thrive here.The firm’s writing standard is high. The work product produced under the firm’s name is judged by federal judges in the District of Colorado, the Tenth Circuit, and Colorado state appellate courts. We want an associate who treats the quality of every filed document as a personal standard, not just a firm requirement.Required Qualifications·      J.D. from an ABA-accredited law school.·      Active law license in at least one U.S. jurisdiction.·      Mastery of the Colorado and Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and the Colorado and Federal Rules of Evidence.·      Demonstrated excellence in legal research, writing, editing, and proofreading.·      Demonstrated ability to manage litigation calendars, calculate deadlines, and coordinate filings across multiple active cases.·      The judgment, professionalism, and ethical standards that high-stakes plaintiff-side litigation demands. Our clients are often vulnerable people who have been wronged by powerful institutions; like wealthier corporations and government agencies that can afford to pay large law firms their market rates, our clients deserve representation that is technically excellent and personally trustworthy.·      Ability to work independently, manage competing deadlines without close supervision, and produce consistent, high-quality work product across varied task types.·      A genuine commitment to plaintiff-side civil rights and accountability work.Strongly Preferred Qualifications·      A judicial clerkship for a Colorado state court judge (district court, court of appeals, or supreme court).·      At least one year of post-bar civil litigation experience.·      Law review experience.·      Experience managing litigation files, discovery productions, or case-management systems in a fast-paced litigation environment.Compensation & BenefitsSalary: $70,000 to $85,000 per year, depending on experience, clerkship history, and demonstrated litigation and research ability. Pay is reviewed annually.Performance bonus: Up to $20,000 per year, based on individual performance. The bonus is not a participation award. It is earned.The bar for a meaningful bonus is high. An attorney who meets most but not all the firm’s performance standards should not expect significant bonus compensation. An attorney who meets all the firm’s standards and exceeds most of them—who delivers precise, accurate, well-organized work product; meets every calendar deadline; produces copy-edited documents that require minimal partner revision; and demonstrates genuine commitment to the practice—will be considered for the maximum bonus. The bonus is reviewed annually based on individual performance.Health insurance: Monthly reimbursement for individual health-insurance premiums.Transportation: Monthly reimbursement for downtown Denver parking or an RTD pass (employee’s choice).Time off: Paid sick leave consistent with Colorado law. Paid vacation and flexible time off under firm policy; vacation accrues during the first nine months of employment and is available thereafter.Professional development: Colorado bar dues, mandatory CLE registration costs, and Colorado Bar Association membership paid by the firm.Office: Fully equipped downtown Denver office shared with several other plaintiff-side civil rights firms, which means real day-to-day collegiality with like-minded lawyers.Mentorship and growth: Direct partner supervision, with a clear path toward case ownership including depositions, dispositive-motion practice, hearings, and trial roles as readiness permits.ApplicationSend the following to ed@rightslitigation.com with the subject line “Associate Attorney Candidate”:·      A current resume.·      A cover letter explaining what draws you to plaintiff-side civil rights and accountability work.·      A writing sample of 10 to 25 pages, preferably a brief, motion, or memo that reflects your research, record-citation, and editing ability. Redacted filed work is welcome. If the sample was substantially edited by others, please briefly describe your role in preparing it.Applications will be handled confidentially. We review applications on a rolling basis. The anticipated application closing date is June 30, 2026, but the firm may extend the deadline if the position is not filled.Equal OpportunityThe Civil Rights Litigation Group is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, disability, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. We believe diversity of background and experience makes our team and our work product stronger.