Jim Barton practices political and government relations law at Torres Law Group. His clients include political committees formed by Arizona trade unions, independent expenditure committees, and those seeking to promote or challenge ballot measures. Jim represented the Clean Energy for a Healthy Arizona and Invest in Education statewide ballot measure committees in 2018. He also represented Arizonans for Fair Wages and Healthy Families in 2016, defending the Minimum Wage Ballot Initiative against challenges to its place on the ballot and its constitutionality, then went on to successfully challenge the constitutionality of HB 2579 — an effort by the Legislature to reverse portions of the Minimum Wage Act. Jim was lead counsel in the case Torres Consulting & Law Group v. NASA, in which the Ninth Circuit held that NASA had violated the Freedom of Information Act in excessively redacting public records related to prevailing wage compliance. Before joining Torres Law Group, Jim represented the Citizens Clean Elections Commission and the Arizona Secretary of State as an Assistant Attorney General in the Arizona Solicitor General’s Office. In that capacity, he also litigated election law cases, including Arizona Free Enterprise v. Bennett, for which he served as counsel of record before the United States Supreme Court. He also represented the Secretary of State in investigating campaign finance and election law violations and served as a member of the Open Meeting Law Enforcement Team. After receiving his Juris Doctor, magna cum laude, from the Arizona State University College of Law in 2005, Jim clerked for Arizona Chief Justice Ruth McGregor. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in physics and philosophy at Northwestern University and served as a submarine warfare officer in the United States Navy from 1993 to 1998. During his service on board USS Billfish (SSN 676), Jim was awarded a Navy Expeditionary Medal and twice awarded a Navy Achievement Medal. In 2017 he received LUCHA’s Community Luchador award, and in 2019 the Arizona Capitol Times named him a Leader of the Year for Advancing Law in Arizona.
Judith R. Baumann is the City Attorney for Tempe. She oversees a 26-person law firm that is organized into two divisions that handle all of the City's civil and criminal matters. The Office handles litigation, criminal prosecution, and advises the Mayor, City Council and City Departments. Prior to joining the Tempe City Attorney’s Office in 2008, Ms. Baumann spent fifteen years in private practice, handling both transactional and litigation matters. She is licensed and has practiced before the State and Federal Courts of Arizona. She graduated from Arizona State University College of Law and holds an undergraduate degree in History from ASU. She was awarded Outstanding Graduate by the Women Law Students’ Association and Pro Bono Distinction. While at ASU College of Law, Ms. Baumann formed the Advocacy Program for Battered Women, along with a colleague. As City Attorney, Ms. Baumann continues to practice law as a member of the firm, providing legal advice in a wide range of areas including property, procurement, information technology, public finance, construction law, litigation, employment law, constitutional law, code enforcement and nuisance issues, and general advisory matters. Ms. Baumann is a member of the State Bar of Arizona, the American Bar Association Law Practice Management Division, and the Maricopa County Bar Association. She previously served on the Board of the Wellness Community of Central Arizona.
Emily Rajakovich joined the Governor's Office in 2017 as Director of Boards and Commissions, where she oversees appointments to 200+ state-level boards and commissions. During her time with the Governor’s Office, Rajakovich administered hundreds of board appointments. She also serves as a policy advisor to the Governor on regulatory affairs, and in that capacity, developed the Universal Licensing Recognition policy, making Arizona the first state in the country to recognize out-of-state occupational licenses for Arizona residents. She joined the Governor’s Office from the Flinn Foundation's Arizona Center for Civic Leadership where she helped grow its flagship initiative — the Flinn-Brown Civic Leadership Academy — into a premier network of civic leaders committed to state-level public service in Arizona. Her responsibilities included recruiting and developing Flinn-Brown Fellows in preparation for state service as elected officials, agency executives, or board and commission members. Emily also worked for a public affairs firm in Washington, D.C. She has a bachelor’s degree in history and law degree from the University of Arizona. She will soon become the State Human Resources Director at ADOA.