Newly appointed Ohio Attorney General Nancy Hardin Rogers has shifted job duties for her second-in-command and taken other steps to wipe out any perceived conflicts of interest with two law firms.

Rogers, the former Ohio State University law dean who was appointed attorney general a week ago, informed her staff on Tuesday that Thomas Winters, first assistant attorney general, would be shifted to chief deputy attorney general. Rogers made the shift because both she and Winters have ties to Vorys Sater Seymour and Pease LLP, Central Ohio's largest law firm. Vorys, which handles a number of cases for the attorney general's office, employs Rogers' husband, Douglas, and was where Winters worked before joining former AG Marc Dann's staff last year.

With both top staffers in the office associated with the firm, a change had to be made, spokesman Jim Gravelle said. Before Dann resigned from office May 14, Winters - the only other employee permitted to handle attorney general's duties under state law - could step away from any case involving Vorys.

The office doesn't consider Winters' new post a demotion as he's still the chief lawyer for legal and law-enforcement matters, Gravelle said. Sheryl Creed Maxfield, a 24-year veteran of the office, will take the first assistant's post.

Rogers on Tuesday said Maxfield has the discretion to continue or discontinue cases Vorys handles, but the office will halt any new special-counsel appointments with the firm.

While the attorney general's office has no current association with Pittsburgh-based Buchanan Ingersoll and Rooney PC, which employs Rogers' daughter, Jill Spiker, the office won't contract the firm until Rogers steps down as attorney general or the Ohio Ethics Commission makes a formal ruling regarding a potential conflict of interest.

Rogers' actions Tuesday put any issues or contracts related to Ohio State, Vorys and Buchanan Ingersoll squarely in Maxfield's charge.