Nancy Hardin Rogers, Ohio's new attorney general, demoted the office’s No. 2 lawyer today and announced several other steps designed to eliminate her own conflicts of interest.

Rogers, who took office last Wednesday, removed Thomas R. Winters from his position as first assistant attorney general and named him chief deputy attorney general. She said the move was intended to eliminate any appearance of a conflict of interest because Winters was a partner at Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP before former Attorney General Marc Dann hired him as his top legal deputy in January 2007. The Vorys firm has more than $1 million in legal contracts with the office.

Rogers announced that Sheryl Creed Maxfield, the office’s chief counsel, will replace Winters as first assistant attorney general.

Winters ran the office for two weeks after Dann resigned May 14 due to a sexual-harassment scandal. While Winters was not accused of any wrongdoing, he’s been dogged by questions about his own knowledge of misconduct in the office and apparent failure to act.

Rogers’ husband, Douglas R. Rogers, is a partner at the Vorys firm.

Rogers said this morning that her office won’t give any new legal work to the firm or her daughter’s law firm, Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC, until she leaves office or the Ohio Ethics Commission determines that there is no conflict of interest.

She said that Maxfield will have the authority to continue or terminate contracts with the two firms.