Attorney General announces Bernie Buescher as new deputy attorney general for State Services Section

Colorado Attorney General John Suthers announced today that he has appointed Bernie Buescher as the Deputy Attorney General overseeing the Colorado Department of Law’s State Services Section.

“I am pleased to welcome Bernie to my senior staff,” Suthers said. “Bernie is a proven leader and manager. His breadth of experience as an attorney, an elected official and a statewide executive will make him an excellent addition to the Office of the Attorney General’s management team. I look forward to working with him in this new capacity.”

The State Services Section provides legal advice and representation for numerous Colorado state agencies, including the governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, treasurer, attorney general and the judicial branch of Colorado government. The section handles complex constitutional litigation as well as the defense of voter-approved constitutional and statutory provisions. The State Services Section also represents the State Board of Education and the state’s public college and universities.

Prior to joining the Colorado Department of Law, Buescher served as Secretary of State from December 2008 until January 2011. He was the elected state representative for Colorado House District 55 from 2005 until 2008. Prior to his elected service, Buescher has served in numerous positions in the private and public sectors, including president of West Star Aviation, Inc., and executive director of the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Finance under Gov. Roy Romer. Buescher began his career as a law clerk for Colorado Supreme Court Justice Paul V. Hodges from 1974 to 1975. He then practiced law in Grand Junction for a number of years.

Buescher is a 1974 graduate of University of Colorado Law School and a 1971 graduate of the University of Notre Dame.

A native of Grand Junction, Buescher replaces Monica M. Marquez, whom Gov. Bill Ritter recently appointed to the Colorado Supreme Court. Buescher will begin work at the Office of the Attorney General on March 1, 2011.