Legal Corner – Meet the New ACAA President

Robert Pickels, City Attorney, Sedona

Robert Pickels is the president of the Arizona City Attorney's Association (ACAA). The ACAA is an association of all municipal attorneys in the state of Arizona, both in-house attorneys as well as attorneys, representing cities and towns on a contract. The ACAA has an annual conference where city and town attorneys can get together and discuss current municipal legal issues, and get CLE credits. The ACAA also has a roundtable discussion at the Annual League of Arizona Cities and Towns Conference.

Please tell us a little about your background and where you were educated.

I was born and raised in Orange County, California. I attended Tustin High School (Home of the Tillers) and received my undergraduate degree from California State University, Long Beach. After a working for a couple of years in retail security, I attended law school at Western State University in Fullerton, California. My wife, Lisa, and I will celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary next year and our only child, Joey, was just admitted to practice law by the Oregon Bar.

What is your background and experience in municipal law?

When I graduated from law school, I took and passed the California Bar Exam in 1995. I worked as a sole practitioner in the southern California area, including eastern Imperial County near Yuma, Arizona where we moved permanently in 1996. In 2002, I took and passed the Arizona Bar Exam and went to work as a Civil Deputy for the Hon. Patricia A. Orozco (Ret.), who at that time was the Yuma County Attorney. After two years as a staff attorney representing various County departments and special taxing districts, I was appointed as the Chief Civil Deputy County Attorney, a role in which I served for another five years. I left the practice from 2007-2015 during which time I served as the Yuma County Administrator. My time in administration gave me a unique perspective on how local government functions. I often say that while public attorneys live in a world of “black and white,” I needed to see the “shades of gray” to succeed in administration. When I was ready to return to public practice, I accepted my current role as the Sedona City Attorney in 2015 and have thoroughly enjoyed learning the municipal side of government.

Please tell us about your history and involvement with ACAA.

Upon being appointed as Sedona’s City Attorney, I started active participation in the ACAA. In my previous roles in government service, I came to understand the value of connecting with colleagues who have common challenges and were willing to share their learned experiences. That was ACAA. I have been so impressed over the last several years at the level of knowledge and generosity of the membership. I was immediately welcomed and encouraged to share my own experiences with the group.

What do you hope to accomplish in your year as president of ACAA?

Building on past successes is a theme that I’d like to rely on. The presidents who have served during my short tenure have been truly inspiring. The role of city attorneys in Arizona is, to me, such an integral one in our governance structure. In this time when the authority of local governments is being continually challenged, I think it’s important to reinforce the importance of what we do within our communities. Raising awareness about the need for internal leadership within our organization is also a goal that I would like to achieve. As some of us more “seasoned” attorneys take our leave from public practice, the next generation of leaders need to be ready to step up and serve. Above all, I hope that we have some fun, never take ourselves as seriously as we do our work, and continue to make Arizona’s cities and towns proud.