Attorney General Brnovich Announces Hiring of Next Chief Deputy and Chief of Staff Three Recent Senior Staff Promotions

Today, Attorney General Mark Brnovich announced the hiring of Joseph Kanefield as his next Chief Deputy and Chief of Staff. Kanefield will join the office in May to transition into the role of Chief Deputy and Chief of Staff and replace Michael Bailey. The change results from the nomination of current Chief Deputy and Chief of Staff Michael Bailey who was recently nominated by President Trump to serve as U.S. District Attorney for Arizona.

Brnovich also announced three recent senior staff promotions within the Attorney General's office. Joseph Sciarrotta is the new Civil Litigation Division Chief, Beau Roysden is Chief of the recently established Appeals & Constitutional Litigation Division, and OH Skinner is the new Solicitor General.

Joseph Kanefield will serve as General Brnovich’s next Chief Deputy and Chief of Staff. Kanefield will oversee the wide variety of highly complex and specialized professional legal services provided by the Office, which includes a staff of 1,100 employees statewide, including over 450 attorneys. Kanefield is currently a Partner with the national law firm Ballard Spahr LLP. Kanefield has a broad range of government-centric legal expertise, including election and campaign finance law, constitutional law, civil and appellate litigation, administrative law, consumer, and state and local tax matters. Kanefield has extensive experience as a litigator at all levels of federal and state courts. He has previously served as General Counsel to Governor Jan Brewer, State Election Director for the Arizona Secretary of State’s office, and as an Assistant Attorney General from 1995 to 2004, where he worked in the Tax Section and Solicitor General’s office.

“I am genuinely thrilled to once again join the exceptional lawyers at the Arizona Attorney General’s office,” said Kanefield. “General Brnovich has done an outstanding job of restoring public confidence in the Attorney General’s office and building a team of remarkable professionals who dedicate their lives to serving the people of Arizona. I am honored to be a part of Attorney General Brnovich’s team and to continue the fine job that Mike Bailey has done over the past four plus years.”

Joseph Sciarrotta has been promoted to Division Chief Counsel of the Civil Litigation Division. The Civil Litigation Division consists of the Consumer Protection & Advocacy Section (including Tobacco Enforcement) the Civil Rights Section; and the Bankruptcy Collections & Enforcement Section. Sciarrotta previously served as Deputy Division Chief Counsel of the State Government Division at the Attorney General’s office. Prior to that he served in other high-level roles in state government, including as General Counsel to Governor Jan Brewer, General Counsel of the Arizona Department of Administration, and Chairman of the Governor’s Regulatory Review Council. Sciarrotta also has extensive experience in private practice, as in-house counsel for major corporations and at a private law firm.

Beau Roysden has been promoted to Division Chief Counsel of the newly established Appeals & Constitutional Litigation Division. The Appeals & Constitutional Litigation Division consists of the Capital Litigation Section; the Civil Appeals Section; the Criminal Appeals Section; and the Special Litigation Section. The Solicitor General’s office is now housed within the Appeals & Constitutional Litigation Division. Roysden was formerly the Acting Division Chief of the Civil Litigation Division. Roysden previously was in private practice at Ballard Spahr LLP in Phoenix and Kirkland & Ellis LLP in Los Angeles. He served as a judicial law clerk to the Hon. Andrew Hurwitz on the Arizona Supreme Court.

OH Skinner has been named the new Solicitor General. Skinner will lead the Office’s practice at the U.S. Supreme Court. He also serves as the Office’s primary point of contact on multi-state amici efforts at federal and state appellate courts across the country and on comments to the federal government on regulatory matters. In addition to his duties as Solicitor General, Skinner leads the Office’s class action fairness practice and is the Chief of the Special Litigation Section, which includes the Federalism and Government Accountability Units. Skinner has been with the Attorney General’s office since 2016, serving in senior roles within the Civil Litigation Division and leading special litigation matters for the Office. Skinner previously worked in private practice at WilmerHale LLP and Ropes & Gray LLP in Boston, MA. He also served as a judicial law clerk to the Hon. J.L. Edmondson of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.