With an exceptional legal career spanning nearly three decades, Peter Kozinets brings unparalleled expertise in appellate advocacy, commercial litigation, criminal investigations, and public records and First Amendment law.
Peter handles appeals from start to finish — and litigates high-stakes motions in trial courts. At Zwillinger Wulkan, he has briefed or argued appeals involving civil rights, the Arizona Public Records Law, police shootings, qualified immunity, personal injury and other torts, and commercial disputes. He’s also been deeply involved in tribal governance litigation concerning the separation of powers between executive and legislative branches, and related special prosecutor proceedings.
Before joining Zwillinger Wulkan, Peter served as Senior Litigation Counsel at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona, where he handled high-profile appeals and trials, advised, trained, and mentored Assistant U.S. Attorneys, and earned recognition for outstanding advocacy —including the prestigious FBI Director’s Award for Excellence in Criminal Investigations. Peter worked in the USAO’s Civil Division on tort cases, and then in the USAO’s Appellate Division, where he briefed or argued more than 50 appeals and post-conviction matters. At the same time, Peter served as a member of the White Collar Section trial team that prosecuted the former owners of a website that marketed illicit services in 400 U.S. cities.
Peter has played pivotal roles in other landmark cases. At Steptoe & Johnson LLP, he represented journalists and publishers in First Amendment, defamation, and public records disputes, as well as intellectual property and commercial litigation. And as co-counsel with the ACLU and the Mexican-American Legal Defense Fund, he argued several case-shaping motions in a long-running racial profiling lawsuit against the Maricopa County Sheriff.
Peter remains deeply engaged in the legal community. He is a co-author of the Arizona Appellate Handbook, and serves on the Executive Council of the Appellate Practice Section of the Arizona State Bar. He has taught Trial Advocacy, White Collar Crime, and Media Law classes at ASU’s Sandra Day O’Conner College of Law. He is a long-time member of the Sandra Day O’Connor Inn of Court, and has served on the boards of several community organizations.
Experience
Peter’s academic credentials include graduating cum laude from Harvard Law School, where he was an Ames Moot Court Finalist, and magna cum laude from Harvard College, where he edited the Harvard Political Review and reported for the Harvard Crimson.
After law school, Peter served as a judicial law clerk to the Hon. Roslyn O. Silver in the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona.
Peter’s addition strengthens Zwillinger Wulkan’s reputation as a leader in high-stakes litigation and innovative legal solutions.
- Awarded the FBI Director’s Award for Excellence in Criminal Investigations concerning the prosecution of the former owners of a website that marketed illicit services across the country. A jury trial resulted in several guilty verdicts and the recovery of roughly $215 million in assets for victims.
- Awarded Certificate of Appellate Excellence in Oral Advocacy by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for successfully handling several Ninth Circuit oral arguments.
- Named as U.S. Attorney Office’s Senior Litigation Counsel in 2022, and served in that role until 2025; developed and presented trainings in collaboration with national U.S. Department of Justice and local appellate experts; advised and mentored newer AUSAs; developed and presented legal writing classes for lawyers at all levels.
- Invited to teach at Arizona State University’s Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law in classes including Media Law, Trial Advocacy, and White Collar Crime; invited to teach legal writing at the Arizona State Bar’s Leadership Institute.
- State Bar of Arizona
Appellate Practice Section
2021 – Present
Executive Council Member
2025 – Present - Sandra Day O'Connor Inn of Court
Pupilage Group Leader
2009 – 2016 - Arizona State University Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law
Trial Advocacy, White Collar Crime, & Media Law
Guest Lecturer - Family Promise Program at Temple Chai
Volunteer Co-Coordinator
2017 – 2021 - American Bar Association
Communications Law Forum
1999 – 2013 - Anti-Defamation League
Board of Directors, Arizona Region
2010 – 2013 - Arizona Center for Law in the Public Interest
Board of Directors
2002 – 2013 - Co-Chair of Judge Learned Hand Awards
American Jewish Committee Arizona Chapter
2005 – 2006
Publications
- State Bar of Arizona, 2020
“Arizona Appellate Handbook 2.0, Vol. 2”
Co-Author of Chapter on Superior Court Special Actions - Arizona Attorney, 2011
“Discovery in the Age of Facebook”
Co-Author - Communications Lawyer, 2010
“Access to Metadata in Public Records: Ensuring Open Government in the Information Age” - Communications Lawyer, 2007
“Access to the E-Mail Records of Public Officials: Safeguarding the Public’s Right to Know”
Decisions
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United States v. Blackshire, 98 F.4th 1146 (9th Cir. 2024)
Won affirmance of convictions in Indian country domestic violence prosecution where defendant forfeited-by-wrongdoing his right to confront the victim by causing her absence at trial. -
United States v. Eller, 57 F.4th 1117 and 2023 WL 395938 (9th Cir. 2023)
Secured affirmance of convictions for livestreaming child sex abuse from the Philippines. -
United States v. Lacey, et al., 2022 WL 4363818 (9th Cir. 2022)
Won affirmance of order overruling Backpage.com owners’ double-jeopardy objections to retrial on prostitution- and money laundering-related charges. -
United States v. Lane, 2021 WL 2029193 (9th Cir. 2021)
Obtained affirmance of convictions for aggravated sexual abuse of child victims. -
United States v. Bachler, 831 F. App’x 836 (9th Cir. 2020)
Government appeal; persuaded the Ninth Circuit to reverse the trial court’s suppression of evidence critical to the prosecution of a prohibited possessor of firearms. -
United States v. Pacheco, 977 F.3d 764 and 829 F. App’x 207 (9th Cir. 2020)
Won affirmance of convictions involving sexual abuse of unaccompanied noncitizen children. -
United States v. Orsinger, 698 F. App’x 527 (9th Cir. 2017)
Secured affirmance of defendant’s life sentence for committing four murders in Indian country. -
Melendres, et al. v. Arpaio, 2010 WL 582189 (D. Ariz. Feb. 12, 2010)
Litigated a class action challenging the Maricopa County Sheriff’s “crime suppression sweeps” in Latino communities; obtained spoilation-of-evidence sanctions against the Sheriff’s Office. -
Griffis v. Pinal County and Phoenix Newspapers, Inc., 215 Ariz. 1, 156 P.3d 418 (2007)
Drafted briefs resulting in ruling that officials’ work emails are subject to public inspection under the Arizona Public Records Law unless they are solely “personal.” -
Lake v. City of Phoenix, 222 Ariz. 547, 218 P.3d 1004 (2009)
Drafted amicus brief in case resulting in ruling that “metadata” is covered by the Arizona Public Records Law. -
Phoenix Newspapers, Inc. v. Keegan, 201 Ariz. 344, 35 P.3d 105 (Ct. App. 2001)
Drafted briefs in landmark Arizona Public Records Law case involving access to the “AIMS” high school graduation test; opinion reaffirmed the public’s strong right of access to public records.