I was excited to join the Arizona Attorney General’s office, starting in February 2023 as the new Consumer Protection and Advocacy Section Chief Counsel in the new administration of Attorney General Kris Mayes. With prior experience in the AG’s Consumer Protection Section, it has been exciting to rejoin the mission of protecting the people of Arizona from fraud and corporate abuse. I am honored to lead an energized and dedicated group of attorneys, investigators and staff.
I started out as a young lawyer in San Diego, working in private civil litigation, including trial and arbitration experience, and significant lender liability investigations related to the 1990s Savings and Loan crisis before joining the California Department of Justice as a prosecutor in the Criminal Division, as a California Deputy Attorney General. There, I worked on trial and appellate cases, and had the privilege of working on matters in the California courts of appeal, the California Supreme Court, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and the U.S. Supreme Court. While I enjoyed this work, I was happy to return home to Arizona in 2002 as an Assistant Attorney General, initially working in Criminal Appeals and Capital Litigation where I also served as a hotline deputy providing time-sensitive guidance to prosecutors in trial. But some of my most rewarding work came from my time in the Consumer Protection and Advocacy Section, where I worked on cases involving national or global corporations, as well as local and statewide cases, on issues ranging from predatory payday lending to real estate fraud to privacy law.
In 2010 I opened my own law firm, Vince Rabago Law Office, PLC where I continued developing my work on consumer law issues and non-profit entity representation. I also worked on regulatory investigations, election and political law cases, foreclosure fraud, lender liability, and constitutional law cases, among other matters. During this time, I had the opportunity to work on high profile matters, including environmental litigation, social justice matters and civil rights cases. This included Amicus Curiae representation on statewide issues in both federal court and the Arizona Supreme Court, on behalf of a wide variety of clients ranging from entities such as the National Consumer Law Center to national Latino civil rights organizations like the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC). My real estate litigation experience led me to serve on the Arizona State Bar’s Real Property Law Section Executive Council as an elected member since 2018.
I truly enjoyed having my own law office, but in 2019, I took the chance to be an Assistant Attorney General / In-House Counsel for the Pascua Yaqui Tribe, a federally recognized Indian tribe. This position provided me with a unique opportunity to work on important matters in Indian Country. Among other things, I successfully counseled and guided the Tribe’s award-winning housing department through transactions resulting in the largest tax credit construction projects in Indian Country in the entire United States, providing more than $80 million in value to the Tribe and its members. I also handled and oversaw the successful acquisition of approximately $40 million in commercial real estate and worked on a team that successfully obtained the passage of significant federal legislation, among other things. It was exciting to learn the intricacies of a sovereign native nation and to help them navigate working with key federal agencies. One of my more unique and interesting roles was representing the Tribe’s Athletic Commission, where I worked in the arena of boxing and mixed-martial arts regulatory legal matters.
Growing up in Douglas, Arizona, a small town in Cochise County on the U.S. Mexico border instilled in me a deep sense of community and I continue to be involved in many community-led activities. These have included serving as an Arizona Alliance for Retired Americans Board Member, an appointed member on the City of Tucson 2015 Redistricting Committee, and other community roles, including co-leading a successful, non-partisan bond campaign for the purpose of building a new animal care facility. I am fortunate to have grown up learning about my Mexican-American culture and Spanish language. I am proud to have been recognized as a role model and leader, serving in roles on Governor Janet Napolitano’s Latino Advisory Council and the University of Arizona President’s Hispanic Advisory Council. I have been honored to be recognized with various community service and civic awards, such as being selected as one of the “Top 40 Under 40” Tucson business and community leaders in 2007, and also receiving Community Service Awards from the FBI and LULAC. I take great joy from my two children who are now off in college.
Overall, I am thankful for my academic and practical experience from attending the University of San Diego (USD) School of Law, where I developed my strong interest in public interest law. There, I studied and worked at the USD Center for Public Interest Law, under Professor Robert C. Fellmeth, one of the original “Nader’s Raiders.” In 2010, I was honored to be recognized as a Public Interest Trailblazer by the Center. In my new role, I am excited to collaborate with other states to try and make a big difference for consumers in today’s information society which is facing a world of rapidly and ever-evolving technology. As the new Consumer Chief for Arizona, I am ready for the challenge.
