Special Issue: Government Law
| Jurisdiction | Colorado,United States |
| Citation | Vol. 38 No. 10 Pg. 20 |
| Pages | 20 |
| Publication year | 2009 |
2009, October, Pg. 20. Special Issue: Government Law
October 2009
Vol. 38, No. 10 [Page 20]
Robert J. Mack is a Senior City Attorney with the Colorado Springs Office of the City Attorney, and currently serves as Chair of the Colorado Bar Association's Government Counsel Section. His practice focuses on mass transit, municipal transportation, engineering, government contracting, and intergovernmental agreements-rmack@springsgov.com.
Government law is a dynamic area of law in Colorado. Virtually every person, corporation, and entity living or doing business in the state is affected by government to some extent. Government provides the framework on which our state exists and functions. In a nation of laws, every government decision affecting someone's rights, whether criminal or civil, should be made in accordance with the law. Government counsel are involved in executive, legislative, and judicial decisions.
Government law does not exist in a vacuum. It involves many issues, including some that may be unique to a particular type of governmental entity. Unique or not, government issues interact with virtually all other substantive areas of law. In addition to various specialized offices, such as the Offices of the Attorney General, the District Attorney, and the Public Defender, there are hundreds of governmental entities in Colorado. Those entities may fall into any of several categories, including: the federal government; state government; Indian tribes; counties; school districts and special districts; city and county entities; home rule and statutory cities or towns; and various other municipal and quasi-municipal entities. Each governmental entity may have legal issues that are peculiar to that entity or that may be similar to issues faced in the private sector.
These governments interact with the private sector to obtain services for and provide services to the public. It is the government counsel, both in-house and retained, who provide the legal knowledge and expertise needed by these governments.
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