Former Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich is facing an ethics inquiry connected to his past investigation into alleged 2020 voting irregularities. Brnovich has recently accepted a position at the law firm Boies Schiller Flexner, where he is looking forward to being a “kick-ass litigator”. The success of his partnership at the firm will largely depend on his ability to resolve the inquiry and shed his political past while winning cases and attracting clients. (Bloomberg Law)
The law firm, which has previously been criticized for its work for the likes of Harvey Weinstein and Theranos Inc., refrained from commenting on Brnovich’s ongoing ethics inquiry. Boies Schiller did, however, clarify that they conduct a “careful process” before welcoming anyone into a partnership. Peter Zeughauser, a law firm management consultant, spoke on the matter, pointing out that hiring public officials with partisan reputations can be a “hot potato”.
Brnovich’s ethics probe likely originated from his tenure as Arizona’s Attorney General, where he issued an interim report highlighting “serious vulnerabilities” in the election system of Maricopa County amid his campaign for the Republican primary for Senate. Brnovich’s successor, Democrat Kris Mayes, later released a memo originally prepared by Brnovich’s office which found no evidence of systemic election fraud. The memo had not been previously made public by Brnovich, leading to calls for an ethics investigation.
The former AG’s new role at Boies Schiller sees him team up with a law firm known for taking on controversial work and clients. David Boies, the firm founder, received criticism over his aggressive defense strategies representing Harvey Weinstein and Elizabeth Holmes. Boies Schiller’s more recent clients include Tesla Energy, Delta Airlines Inc., and Progressive Inc. The firm is on track to secure a substantial fee from a $2.67 billion settlement they achieved in an antitrust case against health insurance offered by Blue Cross Blue Shield.
Matt Schwartz, a Boies Schiller managing partner, expressed the firm’s hope to benefit from Brnovich’s connections earned during his time as Arizona’s top law enforcement official in the quest for West Coast expansion.
Despite the pending ethics investigation, Brnovich is optimistic about leaving the “bar complaint stuff” behind him now that he has exited the political sphere. Brnovich defended his handling of the 2020 election investigation, rejecting the notion that he contributed to public fears of a faulty election system.