PHOENIX, Ariz. (Legal Newsline)-Dozens of state legal officers will meet this week in Arizona for the winter meeting of the National Association of Attorneys General.

At the top of their agenda is how to best tackle mortgage fraud and other consumer protection issues.

Also a major topic of discussion will be cross-border topics including partnerships with Mexican law enforcement officials, a statement said.

The three-day meeting runs Tuesday through Thursday in Phoenix, at the historic Arizona Biltmore Hotel.

Thirty-one attorneys general have registered for the conference, hosted by Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard, a Democrat, said NAAG spokeswoman Marjorie Tharp.

Speakers and panelists at the conference include Arizona Supreme Court Chief Justice Rebecca White Berch and Associate Justices Andrew Hurwitz and W. Scott Bales.

Unlike NAAG's summer confab, the convention is closed to the public, including lobbyists and other interested parties. NAAG is led this year by Nebraska Attorney General Jon Bruning, a Republican.

The meeting comes as dozens of state attorneys general face reelection campaigns or bids next year for higher office, including governor and U.S. senator.

Among attorneys general not attending the meeting is Lisa Madigan of Illinois, Jerry Brown of California, who is preparing for a run for governor, and Martha Coakley of Massachusetts, who is the midst of an intense U.S. Senate Democratic primary.

From Legal Newsline: Reach staff reporter Chris Rizo at chrisrizo@legalnewsline.com.