Incoming Connecticut Attorney General William Tong has tapped longtime litigator Margaret Chapple to be the state's next deputy attorney general.

Chapple, who joined the Attorney General's Office in 1985 and has served in various capacities for four different attorneys general, will take over the helm as the office's No. 2 after she is sworn in on Jan. 9. Chapple will succeed Perry Zinn Rowthorn, the current deputy attorney general. Tong made the announcement on Friday.

“Our first priority will be to ensure a smooth transition from the [George] Jepsen administration to the Tong administration,” the 66-year-old Chapple told the Connecticut Law Tribune Wednesday. “Initially, there will be some team building going on. It's important that everyone on the administrative team understand their role and then we need to become oriented to the many things the Attorney General's Office is involved in right now.”