The State Services Section protects children, people at risk, and represents the public at large. The legal work of the Section is diverse, ranging from providing advice on transactions and general operations to defending the constitutionality of state laws in both state and federal court.
Human Services Unit
The Human Services Unit represents the Colorado Department of Human Services and all of its various divisions. The Unit appears in the Office of Administrative Courts to defend findings of child abuse and neglect made by county human services departments, and to prosecute licensing actions against childcare providers and substance disorder treatment providers. The Unit appears in all venues and jurisdictions in cases involving issues related to public benefits and child support services, care and treatment of individuals living with developmental disabilities or a mental health disorder, and juvenile justice. The Unit routinely provides general counsel to the Department on rulemaking, legislation, and records requests and subpoenas.
Public Utilities Commission Unit
The Unit provides legal advice and representation to the Public Utilities Commission and their advisory staff members regarding electricity, gas, telecommunications, transportation, railroad, and water and gas pipeline safety matters.
Health Care Unit
The Unit represents the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing which administers the Medicaid program, the Children’s Health Plan and Colorado Indigent Care Program. The unit also represents the health programs within the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.
Public Officials Unit
The Unit counsels and represents the four statewide elected officials, as well as the Judicial Department, the Department of Local Affairs, the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, the State Auditor, the Office of Economic Development and International Trade, and the Office of Information Technology, and litigates complex civil cases that often involve legal questions of first impression and public policy matters.
Labor Unit
The Unit provides legal advice and representation to the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment, the Colorado Department of Personnel and Administration, and the Colorado Board of Assessment and Appeals in the Department of Local Affairs.
K-12 Education Unit
The Unit represents the subdivisions of Colorado government responsible for K-12 education and provides general advice to clients, including board representation, transactional matters, open meetings and open records, drafting formal and informal opinions on education issues, and rule and policy drafting. The Unit litigates teacher licensing matters as well as complex constitutional challenges to education statutes.
Higher Education Unit
The Unit advises and represents the state’s public colleges and universities, the community college system, and the Department of Higher Education on a wide range of state and federal compliance issues, board governance, transactional matters, open meetings, open records, formal and informal opinions, rule and policy drafting, and federal regulatory compliance including ADA, FERPA, and Title IX.
Contracts & Procurement Unit
The Unit conserves the state’s fiscal system by reviewing hundreds of state contracts and contract amendments for compliance with State laws and fiscal rules. The Unit represents the State Controller, executive branch state agencies, and institutions of higher education in transactional matters, including state contracts involving the expenditure of state funds, real estate, public finance and construction.
Technology Law & Policy Unit
The Technology Law and Policy Unit serves as a department-wide resource and state-wide advisor to agencies on technology-oriented issues including privacy, cybersecurity risk management, broadband and telecommunications, data governance, intellectual property, artificial intelligence, facial recognition, and other emerging issues. The unit supports the general counsel functions for the Governor’s Office of Information Technology and the Colorado Broadband Office. In this role, the unit may provide general advice on legislation, rulemaking, transactional support for tech-law provisions, policy advice on tech-law issues, and CORA requests.