Joseph A. Kanefield

 Joseph A. Kanefield focuses on government relations, civil and appellate litigation, public-private partnerships, administrative law, state and local tax matters, gaming, and election and campaign-finance law. Mr. Kanefield has extensive experience as a litigator at all levels of federal and state courts.

As General Counsel to Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer, Mr. Kanefield advised Gov. Brewer and the State of Arizona in litigation involving the state budget, civil rights, immigration, gaming, and health care issues. Before joining the Governor's Office, he served in the Arizona Secretary of State's office as State Election Director and in-house counsel. He also was an Assistant Attorney General and an attorney with the Arizona Department of Revenue.

Professional Activities

American Bar Association

State Bar of Arizona
Immediate Past President; past President, Young Lawyers Division; past Chair, Election Law Continuing Legal Education Program; past Chair, Access to Justice Task Force 

Maricopa County Bar Association

Arizona Commission on Salaries for Elective State Officers

Arizona Judicial Council

The University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law, Adjunct Assistant Professor, election law

Committee on the Impact of Wireless, Mobile Technologies and Social Media on Court Proceedings

United Blood Services Community Leadership Council
Member and past Chair

Recognition & Accomplishments

Named a Top Lawyer in Arizona for government relations in the 2013 edition of Ranking Arizona: The Best of Arizona Business

AV Peer Review Rating, Martindale-Hubbell

Recipient, the State Bar of Arizona's 2011 Distinguished Public Lawyer Award

Recipient, the American Jewish Committee's 2004 Judge Learned Hand Emerging Leadership Award

Recipient, the State Bar of Arizona's 2002 Outstanding Young Lawyer Award

Publications

"President's Message," monthly column in Arizona Attorney:

"It's Been A Great Ride," June 2012
"Lawyer–Artists Strike a Balance," May 2012
"The Price of Democracy," April 2012
"The Bar and Politics," March 2012
"A Century of Service," February 2012
"Justice Is Our Future," January 2012
"Tech Tools," December 2011
"Defending the Defenders," November 2011
"Public Lawyers and Public Service," October 2011
"Goals To Match a Bar's Mission," September 2011

Interviewed in "Elections Attorneys, Firms Reap Benefits of Litigious Campaigns," Phoenix Business Journal, October 5, 2012

Co-author, "The Arizona Redistricting Fight: Round Five," Arizona Attorney, September 2011

Co-author, "Who Speaks for Arizona: The Respective Roles of the Governor and Attorney General When the State Is Named in a Lawsuit," Arizona Law Review, Summer 2011

"State Bar President Joe Kanefield: Leader of the Band," article on Mr. Kanefield in Arizona Attorney, July/August 2011

Co-author, "A Supreme Conflict at the Summit of Arizona Government," Arizona Attorney, February 2010

"Election Law in Arizona," Arizona Attorney, November 2006

Co-author, "Promoting Access to Justice in Arizona: An Urgent Need," Arizona Attorney, April 2004

"Could Florida's Election Hurricane Happen in Arizona?" Arizona Attorney, March 2001

Board Memberships

Arizona Equal Justice Foundation

The University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law, Board of Visitors

Arizona Jewish Lawyers Association, Advisory Board 

The University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law (J.D. 1994)

Arizona State University  (B.S. 1990)

Arizona

U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit

U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit

U.S. Supreme Court