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Kathi Sandweiss, a former award-winning television journalist, now enjoys a combined arbitration and appellate practice. She is a partner at Jaburg & Wilk, P.C., where she has practiced law over 30 years. Since 2016, Kathi has been an active commercial arbitrator on the roster of the American Arbitration Association. Her AAA cases have included complex asbestos trust claims, franchise agreements, service agreements, landlord/tenant disputes, emergency injunctive relief in a cannabis dispute and multiple consumer claims. She served as sole arbiter on a complex commercial case, with over $1.4 million in dispute, involving issues of breach of contract, UCC and agriculture law. She is currently chair of a three-arbitrator panel in a complex multi-state arbitration. In her capacity as an AAA neutral, she has addressed various procedural issues, including arbitrability, attorney disqualification, jurisdiction and discovery disputes.

She is on the Alternative Dispute Resolution Executive Council, State Bar of Arizona. She presented a seminar on arbitrability at the 2021 State Bar Convention and has written on the issue of delegation clauses in arbitration agreements – “Putting the Shine on Schein.”

Her arbitration practice is enhanced and enlightened by years of appellate experience – she has filed more than 150 appellate briefs and petitions for review in the Arizona Court of Appeals, the Arizona Supreme Court, the Bankruptcy Appellate Panel, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and the U.S. Supreme Court, and has 23 published opinions.

Contact & Links
Location
  • 1850 N. Central Avenue, Suite 1200
    Phoenix, AZ 85004
Languages
  • English
Education
  • Arizona State University, J.D., graduated 1986
  • University of California - Los Angeles, BA, graduated 1977
Bar Admissions
  • Arizona, 1986
Affiliations
  • National Academy of Distinguished Neutrals - Arbitrator
  • American Arbitration Association®’s Roster of Arbitrators and Mediators - Member
  • Arizona Appellate Practice Institute - Faculty Member
  • Arizona State Bar Appellate Practice Section - Past Chair
  • Maricopa County Superior Court - Former Judge Pro Tem
Court Admissions
  • U.S. District Court, District of Arizona
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit
  • United States, United States Supreme Court

Jaburg Wilk PC
Headquarters: Phoenix, Arizona

14 The Best Lawyers in America® awards

5 Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America awards

Best Law Firms Badge Visit Website View Firm Profile

Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America® 2025 for work in:
  • Appellate Practice
Awards:
  • Best Lawyers in America-Appellate Practice - 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024

  • Women in the Law 2017, Best Lawyers
  • Comercial Arbitration Panel Member, American Arbitration Association, 2016
  • Rated AV Preeminent by Martindale-Hubbell
  • Phoenix Magazine - Top Lawyer, Appellate Law, 2022

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What Exactly is That Rule About Unpublished Decisions and Can’t We Cite Them Now?


What Exactly is That Rule About Unpublished Decisions and Can’t We Cite Them Now?

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Sanctions and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Appeal


What is the most effective way to obtain sanctions for a frivolous appeal?

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Top Ten Things to Know About Appeals


An appeal is based on the record presented to the trial court.

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Putting the Shine on Schein, and What Does Vin Diesel Have to Say About Arbitrations?


In 2019, the Supreme Court held that there is no “wholly groundless” exception to the Federal Arbitration Act.

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