Joseph Kanefield

Joseph Kanefield has been a Professor of Practice at the University of Arizona College of Law since 2007 teaching Election Law.  He is a partner at Snell & Wilmer and for nearly 30 years has assisted clients with legal issues affecting state and local government as a skilled litigator and appellate counsel. 

Joseph helps individuals, organizations, and government officials navigate the increasingly complex regulatory environment governing political activity. He advises clients on an array of issues including election law, campaign finance law, constitutional law, civil and appellate litigation, gaming law, licensure, state and local tax matters, procurement, and public-private partnerships. Joseph also counsels clients on strategic legal questions arising from pending legislation and government inquiries and has extensive experience in government relations at all levels.

Joseph has been involved in some of the most important issues facing the State of Arizona, including cases involving election law, immigration, consumer fraud, white collar crime, civil rights, and constitutional governance. He has appeared and argued in dozens of federal and state appellate proceedings, including before the U.S. Supreme Court. Prior to joining Snell & Wilmer, Joseph served as chief deputy and chief of staff to Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich. In this capacity, Joseph oversaw close to 500 attorneys that represented the State of Arizona in matters such as consumer protection, civil rights law, white collar crimes, organized crime, public corruption, illegal drugs, and statewide felony conviction appeals. 

Prior to working in the Attorney General’s office, Joseph was a partner at Ballard Spahr for eight years where he chaired the firm’s political law practice group.  Joseph also served as General Counsel to Arizona Governor Jan Brewer, advising on 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. 

Joseph served as President of the State Bar of Arizona from 2011-2012 and is a past-President of the State Bar Young Lawyers Division. He also served four terms as an elected representative to the State Bar Board of Governors from Maricopa County. Joseph has served on numerous boards and committees, including the City of Phoenix Judicial Selection Advisory Board, the Commission on Elected Officials’ Salaries, the Access to Justice Task Force, the United Blood Services Community Leadership Council, and the Phoenix Boys Choir. 

In 2013, he was elected to membership in the American Law Institute. Joseph has written several articles on election law for the Arizona Attorney magazine and has taught dozens of continuing legal education courses covering topics such as election law, redistricting, state and local tax, and legal writing. Joseph holds an AV Preeminent® Peer Review Rating from Martindale-Hubbell®

Joseph received his undergraduate degree in economics from Arizona State University and his law degree from the University of Arizona.