A NOTE TO READERS. This profile was researched and written independently by Awesome Attorneys’ editorial team. Sandweg & Ager, P.C. did not pay for, request, or review this article prior to publication, and placement on Awesome Attorneys’ editorial pages cannot be purchased. Nothing in this article is legal advice, and reading it does not create an attorney–client relationship. Past results do not guarantee, warrant, or predict the outcome of any future case.
At a Glance
| Firm | Sandweg & Ager, P.C. |
| Founded | 2006, when the founders’ previous firm disbanded |
| Office | 1221 E. Osborn Rd., Phoenix, AZ |
| Founders | William H. “Bill” Sandweg III (Georgetown University Foreign Service School; Arizona State University College of Law, magna cum laude) and John Ager, former mentee turned law partner |
| Certifications | Both Sandweg and Ager are Certified Specialists in Personal Injury and Wrongful Death Litigation, State Bar of Arizona Board of Legal Specialization |
| Practice focus | Catastrophic personal injury and wrongful death, with an emphasis on medical malpractice |
| Recognition | Sandweg: Best Lawyers in America (medical negligence and personal injury), Fellow and former Regent of the American College of Trial Lawyers, past president, Phoenix ABOTA chapter |
| Contact | sandwegandager.net · (602) 648-3200 |
A Mentor, a Mentee, and a Firm Built From a Dissolution
Bill Sandweg’s path to law was unusual: after undergraduate study at Georgetown’s Foreign Service School, he received an Air Force commission and served five years as a jet pilot flight instructor before attending Arizona State University’s law school, where he graduated magna cum laude and served as senior editor of the Arizona State Law Journal. He built a decades-long reputation as a Phoenix medical malpractice trial lawyer, eventually becoming a Fellow and Regent of the American College of Trial Lawyers — one of the most exclusive trial-lawyer organizations in the country — and a past president of the Phoenix chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates.
John Ager met Sandweg nearly 25 years ago as a law student clerking at the mid-sized firm where Sandweg was a partner. Sandweg mentored him directly, describing the profession to Ager in blunt terms: “in this business you’ll either sink or swim.” When that original firm disbanded in 2006, the two struck out on their own, founding Sandweg & Ager to focus exclusively on personal injury and wrongful death victims, particularly those harmed by medical negligence. Both are Certified Specialists in Personal Injury and Wrongful Death Litigation, and Ager notes that a significant share of the firm’s cases come as referrals from other attorneys — a signal, he says, of the firm’s standing among its peers.
Practice Areas
The firm concentrates on catastrophic injury and death cases with a specific emphasis on medical negligence, alongside broader personal injury and wrongful death litigation. Sandweg has litigated personal injury cases for more than 45 years; Ager has focused on medical negligence litigation for 25 years. Ager chairs sub-committees for the State Bar of Arizona’s Civil Practice and Procedure Committee, giving the firm direct insight into the procedural rules governing the cases it litigates.
Track Record
The firm states that Sandweg has “successfully tried scores of cases” over his career. Awesome Attorneys did not locate an itemized verdicts-and-settlements ledger with individual case dollar figures as of the research date. The firm’s client-referral pattern from other attorneys is a notable, if informal, indicator of peer confidence in its results.
ABOUT THESE RESULTS. Case-outcome descriptions above reflect the firm’s own published characterization of its practice and have not been independently confirmed against court records. Past results do not guarantee, warrant, or predict the outcome of any future case; every matter turns on its own facts and law.
In Clients’ Words
One client testimonial on the firm’s site, regarding attorney John Ager, described him as “a godsend to my family and me,” noting he “took care of us and was very patient.” Awesome Attorneys did not locate additional detailed, individually attributable client reviews on major third-party platforms as of the research date.
Beyond the Courtroom
Sandweg is an adjunct professor at ASU’s Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law, where he teaches jury selection. Ager is past chair of the State Bar of Arizona’s College of Trial Advocacy, the state’s leading trial-skills training program for developing lawyers, and continues to serve on its faculty.
Recognition
Sandweg is listed in The Best Lawyers in America for both medical negligence and personal injury, is a Charter Member of Arizona’s Finest Lawyers, and is recognized by Southwest Super Lawyers (2007–2022 per Super Lawyers’ own records). Both Sandweg and Ager hold the State Bar of Arizona’s Certified Specialist designation in Personal Injury and Wrongful Death Litigation — the strongest peer-reviewed credential this series tracks, and notably held by both named partners rather than one.
Arizona Legal Backdrop
| A.R.S. § 12-542 | Two-year statute of limitations for personal injury and wrongful death claims |
| A.R.S. § 12-821.01 | 180-day notice of claim requirement before suing a public entity or employee |
| A.R.S. § 12-821 | One-year statute of limitations for suits against public entities |
| A.R.S. § 12-2505 | Arizona’s pure comparative negligence rule |
| A.R.S. § 12-502 | Tolling of limitations periods for minors and persons under a legal disability |
Given the firm’s medical malpractice focus, A.R.S. § 12-2603 and § 12-2604 govern the outset of most of its cases. The firm’s own materials also note that Arizona limits punitive damages in medical negligence cases to the combined amount of special and general damages, and that such damages require clear and convincing evidence of egregious conduct — a higher bar than the preponderance-of-the-evidence standard for ordinary negligence.
The Awesome Attorneys Assessment
Sandweg & Ager stands out for having two named partners who both hold the Board of Legal Specialization certification in Personal Injury and Wrongful Death Litigation, rather than the more common pattern of one certified specialist anchoring a firm’s marketing. Sandweg’s ACTL Regent status and Ager’s State Bar College of Trial Advocacy leadership add institutional weight, and the firm’s mentor-to-partner origin story is genuinely documented rather than a marketing narrative.
The honest caveat is familiar to several profiles in this series: Awesome Attorneys could not locate an itemized results ledger or a deep bench of individual client reviews, leaving the firm’s client-referral reputation as the strongest available proxy for outcome quality short of a direct conversation with the firm.
Methodology & Sourcing
This profile was researched using sandwegandager.net (firm site, attorney profiles for Bill Sandweg and John Ager), Super Lawyers, Attorney at Law Magazine’s feature profile, Lawyer.com, and ASU’s faculty directory. All statutory citations were checked against the Arizona Revised Statutes as published by the Arizona State Legislature. No compensation was sought or received from the firm, and the firm was not contacted prior to publication of this profile.
Publisher Disclosure & Independence Notice
This profile is an independent editorial article published by Awesome Attorneys. Awesome Attorneys does not endorse, recommend, or warrant any lawyer or law firm profiled on this site, and inclusion in this series is not paid placement. “Awesome Attorneys” is a brand name only; it is not a rating, ranking, or claim that any profiled firm is superior in any legal category. Awesome Attorneys maintains a separate attorney directory; only listings there marked “Sponsored” or “Ad” reflect a paid relationship. Facts in this profile are current only as of the research date and are subject to change; readers should confirm any detail directly with the firm.