The Hon. Roopali Hardin Desai

Roopali is a partner in the firm’s litigation group, focusing her practice in the areas of complex civil litigation, political law, and civil appeals. Her practice involves representing clients at all stages of litigation in state and federal court, in front of administrative agencies, and in arbitration proceedings. Her clients include large and small businesses, non-profits, and political campaigns and parties. Roopali’s business clients rely on her experience and her creative approach to litigating when they need help resolving disputes in a variety of areas, including contracts, business torts, trade secrets, real estate, partnership, and products. She also regularly assists her clients in obtaining time-sensitive relief, including temporary and preliminary injunctive relief, expedited appeals, and special actions.

Roopali is also a leading election lawyer in Arizona. Her political and public law practice involves advising clients on all aspects of election law, including regulatory compliance and election challenges, representing clients in open meeting and public records matters, and assisting clients in the lawmaking process. Roopali is especially known for her experience representing initiative, referendum, and recall campaigns, and has served as legal counsel for numerous successful statewide and local measures. She is experienced in drafting ballot language and preparing initiative and referendum petitions, and is experienced in defending and prosecuting various types of pre- and post-election challenges to ballot measures, including seeking injunctive relief.

During the 2020 General Election, Roopali handled more than a dozen cases relating to voting procedures and election results. She represented the Arizona Secretary of State’s Office and defeated numerous cases seeking to challenge the results of Arizona’s election. Roopali’s political law clients include federal, state, and local candidates; political party organizations and clubs; independent expenditure committees; ballot measure sponsors, supporters, and opponents; corporate, union, and trade association PACs; nonprofit organizations; and governmental bodies such as state agencies, cities, and towns.

Named as one of twelve national honorees by USA Today’s 2022 Women of the Year, Roopali is a tireless advocate for a better Arizona. In recent years, she has obtained significant victories in the areas of voting rights, public education, public health, criminal justice reform, and government transparency. Her commitment to the community extends beyond her legal cases. She serves on several community boards, she is a Professor of Practice for the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law, and volunteers for a local food pantry that feeds hungry families. Roopali is also the proud mother of three vibrant daughters and the wife of an artist and art professor. When not tending to the needs of her busy law practice, she tends to her garden with her family, hikes in the Phoenix Mountain Preserve and other majestic mountains in Arizona, and cooks her favorite Indian dishes.