Attorney Andy Jolley has been selected to replace Mik Jordahl as the new misdemeanor prosecutor for both Cottonwood and Clarkdale.
Jolley, who is a founder of Prescott Law Group and holds several other city contracts in the region, will begin providing misdemeanor prosecution, code enforcement and related legal services for the two communities after Jordahl retires at the end of September.
His contract was approved by the Cottonwood City Council Sept. 7 and by the Clarkdale Town Council Sept. 14, after the two communities interviewed three qualified candidates and determined that Jolley was the most qualified.
“He’s known in the community, he’s practiced in our court, he’s known to one of our council members who practices locally, and he actually does this kind of work,” Cottonwood City Attorney Steve Horton said at the Sept. 7 meeting. “Contract prosecution is a significant portion of his practice already, so we’re really thrilled to welcome him aboard.”
Not only does Jolley run his own practice, but he also holds misdemeanor prosecution contracts with the towns of Jerome and Tusayan and is the public defender for Williams. He also formerly held a defense contract with Yavapai County and had a contract with Mohave County, both of which he gave up to focus on his more recent endeavors.
Jolley grew up in Idaho and moved to Prescott with his wife Carol in 2007 after graduating from college. He attended the University of Utah where he earned a bachelor’s degree in political science before going to the University of Idaho College of Law, where he received his Juris Doctorate.
He launched his career at the Yavapai County Public Defenders Office before going to work at a private law firm. He opened his own office, Jolley Law PLC, in 2010, which eventually led him to help found the Prescott Law Group in 2013.
While he is experienced in misdemeanor prosecution, Jolley is also well versed as a defense attorney. While he has occasionally faced criticism over the years for practicing on both sides of the law, Jolley feels it has actually benefitted him as an attorney.
“I’m an oddity because I actually do both,” he said. “But I think it gives me a better perspective of how to handle cases and how to work them. I can read a police report and read it as a prosecutor, and I can read it as a defense attorney. But being able to read it as both makes cases, as a prosecutor, easy to prosecute, and as a defense, I know what the prosecutor is going to look at.”
Misdemeanor prosecution typically involves lower-level cases such as petty theft, disorderly conduct, property disputes and DUIs, among others. Jolley said his goal as a prosecutor is to help those faced with minor crimes so that they don’t become repeat offenders.
“In my perspective, misdemeanor prosecution is more interactive with the community and tries to help the community to deal with minor problems and move on,” he said. “It’s important to be engaged with the community so that the community knows who I am, knows what I’m about, knows that I’m not the bad guy, I’m trying to just work to keep the community moving in a good direction.”
One of the ways he hopes to accomplish this goal is by continuing the Repeat Offender Program started by Jordahl, which aims to work with transients and repeat offenders to get them on the right track.
“It’s a really good program and I want to continue that and keep that going,” he said. “My goal is to see people once. Everybody makes mistakes, but it’s the ones who you see over and over and over. It’s not that they’re breaking the law, it’s that something needs to change, so what can we do to help them change.”
In his personal time, Jolley enjoys spending time with his family and working on projects with his kids. He has coached multiple youth sports including soccer, football, basketball and baseball. He also owns the Prescott Creamery & Soda Shop, where he employs teens in the community and hopes to someday provide jobs for his own children.
For more information about Jolley and his practice, visit prescottlawgroup.com.
