About Cleared
Cleared gets restaurants and bars open by handling the licenses and permits they need, starting in Denver. Once they are open, we renew and maintain those licenses and permits too. We started with liquor licenses and are building toward every license and permit that restaurants, bars and other regulated businesses need. Owners answer questions in one dashboard, in English or Spanish. Our staff prepare the filings, check them against the city and state rules, and submit them for the owner. We are a small team run by our two founders, working with outside counsel.
The role
You will be our part-time law clerk, working on real client filings and the rules behind them. Typical work:
- Research the Denver and Colorado rules that restaurants, bars and other regulated businesses are licensed under, and keep our rule summaries current. Today that is mostly the liquor code and the rules of Denver's Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection (DLCP) and the state Liquor Enforcement Division; next, the other licenses and permits these businesses need.
- Help map the licenses and permits we take on next: what each one requires, which agency issues it, and how its filing works.
- Review client application packets before we file them: right forms, right attachments, nothing missing.
- Track changes to forms, fees and procedures, and tell us what they mean for open applications.
- Help clients prepare for public hearings and neighborhood notice requirements.
- Write plain-language explanations of requirements for our client dashboard.
- Draft research memos on open legal questions for our outside counsel.
Our outside counsel reviews your legal work. You will not give clients legal advice on your own, and anything that calls for it goes to counsel.
Who we're looking for
Open to Colorado Law 2L and 3L students. Strong 1Ls are welcome to apply for summer.
- You read regulations and forms closely and catch what is missing.
- You write clearly for people who are not lawyers.
- You are comfortable calling or emailing a city office to get an answer.
- You handle confidential client records with care: owners share tax, financial and identity documents with us.
Nice to have: Spanish (many of our clients prefer it), restaurant or hospitality experience, or an interest in administrative law and small business.
Hours, pay and location
- Pay
- $25 an hour.
- Hours
- We expect about 12 hours a week. When you work them is flexible, around your classes.
- Start
- Anytime. We ask for a commitment of at least 3 months.
- Location
- Hybrid. Mostly remote, with occasional meetings in Boulder.
- Benefits
- Paid sick leave under Colorado law (1 hour for every 30 hours worked) and a flexible schedule. This part-time role does not include health insurance or a retirement plan.
- Applications close
- November 15, 2026. We review applications as they arrive.
How to apply
Fill in the application form with your resume, a short cover letter (why licensing and regulatory work interests you), and a writing sample of 5 pages or fewer. An unofficial transcript is welcome but optional.
Questions: elkan@clearedtoopen.com