(Reuters) - Former Wisconsin deputy attorney general Paul Connell has joined Cozen O'Connor in Chicago, calling the firm's state attorneys general practice the "market leader in the space."

Connell, who was most recently at Reed Smith, adds to Cozen O'Connor's 16-lawyer state attorneys general group, the firm said Monday.

While other law firms have recently launched similar practice groups, Cozen "dedicates the most resources to understand how all of the state actors think and analyze issues," Connell said.

Law firms over the past several years have been adding state attorney general groups with former staffers and officials from state offices across the country and others with experience handling state and federal enforcement actions. Several of these new groups have popped up in the past year or so, including at Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler, Holland & Knight, Crowell & Moring and O'Melveny & Myers.

Cozen O'Connor launched its practice in 2015 with 10 attorneys and government professionals from Dickstein Shapiro. Included in that pickup were Bernard Nash and Lori Kalani, who co-chair the group.

Prior to joining Reed Smith in March 2019, Connell served as deputy attorney general and senior counsel to then Wisconsin attorney general Brad Schimel, a Republican. In that role as Schimel's primary legal adviser, which he held from 2015 to 2019, Connell directed legal strategy in Wisconsin's multistate consumer protection cases and advised state agencies and the governor's office, the firm said.

In private practice, Connell focuses on consumer protection, privacy and environmental law across industries in matters that involve state attorneys general and the U.S. Department of Justice, Cozen said, adding that he has had "positive outcomes" in matters involving privacy and data protection, antitrust and health care fraud, among others.

Connell, also a former federal prosecutor, said he anticipates the next two years will be "big years" with respect to state attorneys general, who may delve into new issues like artificial intelligence and vaccine roll-out and pandemic response in addition to traditional targets in industries such as pharmaceuticals.

He also expects a "linear enforcement strategy" and closer alignment between the incoming Joe Biden administration and federal and state agencies.

Nash, co-chair of the practice group, said the firm knew it had to expand at the top level as clients are "put at a greater risk with investigations and scrutiny." The firm was impressed with Connell when he was in the Wisconsin office and at Reed Smith, Nash said, which he noted shares some clients with Cozen.

Philadelphia-based Cozen O'Connor has more than 750 attorneys in 30 offices.

Casey Ryan, Reed Smith's global head of legal personnel, in an emailed statement said the firm thanks Connell for his contribution and wishes him well in his new endeavor.