1983 – 1984
Law Clerk, Hon. Terence T. Evans,
(then) United States District Court Judge, Eastern District of Wisconsin
1984 – 1986
Associate, Jenner & Block, Chicago, Illinois
Practiced litigation in commercial, antitrust, bankruptcy and white collar criminal disputes
1986 – 1996
Associate and Shareholder, Whyte Hirschboeck Dudek S.C., Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Practiced business and commercial litigation and counseling in antitrust, distribution, health care, products liability, environmental and municipal disputes
1996 – 2018
Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge
Appointed by Governor Tommy Thompson
Elected and re-elected without opposition in 1997, 2003, 2009 and 2015
2019 – Present
Full-time mediator, arbitrator, court-appointed special master
Presided over more than 500 mediations, over $90 million in settlements so far
Education
Harvard Law School, 1983
Marquette University, summa cum laude, 1980
Other Distinctions
In 2019 voted the #1 Mediator in the Midwest by The National Law Journal in their 2019 Reader Rankings Survey. In 2021 voted the Best Mediator in the Wisconsin Law Journal Reader Rankings Survey.
Recommended to both President Obama and President Trump by the Wisconsin Federal Nominating Commission and Wisconsin’s Senators for nomination to the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, and for nomination to the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin
American Board of Trial Advocates Wisconsin Trial Judge of the Year, 2015
Wisconsin Law Journal “Leaders in the Law,” 2008
Contributing author, “Contract Law in Wisconsin,” (State Bar CLE Books, 4th ed. 2013); he authors and edits Chapter 5, “Contract Interpretation and the Parol Evidence Rule”
Principal Author, Local Rules of the First Judicial District
Judge Sankovitz has extensive experience in a wide variety of disputes as a mediator, arbitrator, special master, judge and attorney:
- Contracts (including construction, employment, real estate and UCC)
- Leases
- Warranties
- Insurance (including coverage and bad faith)
- Employment (including wrongful termination and employment covenants)
- Corporate governance, shareholder and fiduciary disputes
- Partnership
- Mergers and acquisitions
- Tortious interference
- Misrepresentation and fraud (including securities)
- Antitrust, distribution and dealership
- Construction defects
- Product liability
- Professional liability (including attorney, accounting and engineering malpractice)
- Negligence and personal injury (including asbestos claims)
- Intellectual property
- Bankruptcy and receivership litigation (including preference and fraudulent conveyance)
- Class action litigation
- Consumer
- Defamation, libel and slander
- Attorney fee disputes
- Tax assessment
- Eminent Domain
- Divorce
- Sexual Abuse
As of March, 2026, Judge Sankovitz is winding down his practice and is not taking on new cases. He is working to conclusion all of the cases he has accepted to date.
Mediation
Arbitration
Notable Settlements
