Every once in a while, the outstanding work done in this office catches public notice. Sunday, Dec. 11, was one of those times. The Arizona Republic devoted nearly a full page to the story of how our office seized $100 million, which turned out to be a key development in the unraveling of the $450 million Bayou Management hedge fund.

The seizure was made by Cameron "Kip" Holmes, chief of our Financial Remedies Section. His fast and thorough work has been acknowledged in not only the Republic, but also in national media that include The New York Times and Wall Street Journal. But for his swift response, Bayou investors would probably have nothing left of their investments.

As I said about Kip in the Republic's story, "He's one of the first and few who understand PBI (prime bank instrument) fraud, which has pried tens of millions out of financial institutions worldwide....his knowledge base was the prime reason we were able to move so quickly, when the federal government was not."

Kip's successful role in the Bayou fraud case is representative of the quietly efficient, highly professional lawyering that takes place on a daily basis in our office. Our lawyers rarely make the headlines, whether it's arguing a child custody case in court, or helping the State Retirement Fund handle billions of public dollars, or sure-handedly assisting dozens of state agencies, or meticulously preparing civil lawsuits or prosecuting complex criminal cases. The legal talent in this office is broad and deep, and it's great to see the high quality of their work gain public attention.

If you would like to read the Republic's story of Kip's record financial seizure, click here.

Terry Goddard