The Office of General Counsel does not represent or advise members of the public or other government agencies. The Office of General Counsel does not advise or litigate matters involving securities and financial products. The Securities Division handles those matters.
The Office of General Counsel assists staff in the presentation of cases before the administrative law judges, advises the Commission regarding the state’s Open Meeting Law and Public Records Law, advises the agency and commissioners on ethics issues and acts as an ethics investigator in the event a complaint is filed. The Office of General Counsel also assists the Commission in preparing draft orders, advises the Chair of the Commission on rules of order for public meetings and offers guidance to the Chair as the presiding officer, updating, interpreting and applying Commission rules and rules created under the Administrative Procedures Act; advising the Commission, its constituent divisions and its staff on legal matters; representing the Commission before the state and federal courts including the appellate courts, reviewing proposed legislation that may impact the Commission, and on occasion working with other government agencies, regulated entities and public service corporations about matters of public concern within the Commission's jurisdiction.
The Office of the General Counsel has the following sub-organizations: 1. Public Records Response Team; 2. Rules; 3. Litigation and Appeals; 4. Administrative Litigation and Hearings.
Duties and Functions
The Office of General Counsel provides legal
advice and proposes recommendations to the Commission, its individual
Commissioners, and agency staff on a wide range of matters including those
arising from the Arizona State Constitution, the Arizona revised statutes, and
applicable rules and regulations, and often times federal law.
Working
collaboratively with staff offices, the Office of General Counsel assists with
drafting orders, rules, guidance memoranda, and other documents to be
considered or issued by the Commission, and addresses legal issues arising from
Commission policies, practices, and procedures.
The
Office of General Counsel provides legal advice to the Chairman and the
Commissioners. In addition, it advises regulated entities, public service
corporations and other interested persons through their counsel, and attorneys
and officers of other Federal and state agencies, on legal questions pertaining
to Commission jurisdiction and other regulatory issues. In the event of
litigation before any state or federal court, the Office of General Counsel
represents the Commission or its employees therein, including
appeals.
Most of
the resources for the Office of General Counsel are devoted to Commission
proceedings and litigation. Major rate cases often involve thousands of
docketed filings and entail tens of millions of dollars in potential rate
increases, take months to prepare, and require close coordination with the
Commissioners, Staff and professional consultants.
Address:
1200 W. Washington St,
Phoenix, AZ 85007
Phone:
Main:
(602) 542-3402
