Vanessa Kubota is an attorney in Dickinson Wright’s Phoenix office, focusing her practice on litigation and government enforcement matters. She previously served as a federal prosecutor with the U.S. Department of Justice and has experience in appellate advocacy, including arguing on behalf of the United States before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and authoring several successful appeals. Vanessa also successfully petitioned for review before the Arizona Supreme Court. Earlier in her career, she served as a judicial law clerk to Vice Chief Judge David D. Weinzweig of Division One of the Arizona Court of Appeals, where she further developed her research, writing, and courtroom advocacy skills. Admitted to practice before multiple federal courts, Vanessa approaches her work with careful analysis and a strong commitment to advocacy. In addition to her legal practice, she has pursued advanced study in Tibetan literature and philosophy, an academic foundation that shapes the perspective she brings to her work.
Education & Credentials
Education
Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law - Arizona State University
J.D.University of California, Santa Barbara
B.A., Religion/Religious StudiesCentral Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies
- Fulbright Scholar
- Studied Tibetan literature, history, and logic, Sanskrit, and Nyingma philosophy
Bar Admission
Spoken Languages
- Tibetan
- Hindi
- Sanskrit
Professional Involvement
- Proof Editor, Federal Bar Association, The Federal Lawyer, 2025–Present
- Associate Member, National Crime Victim Bar Association, 2023–Present
Court Admissions
- Supreme Court of the United States
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
- U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona
Publications/Presentations
- Author, “He’ll Make a Word Magician of You Yet: Review of Zen and the Art of Persuasive Writing,” University of Arizona Journal of Appellate Practice, 2026.
- Author, “18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(5)(A) and Rehaif’s (Slippery) Fourth Prong: Applying the Ninth Circuit’s Reasoning in Gear to Visa Overstays,” DOJ Journal of Law and Policy, 2026.
- Co-author, “The Crime Victim’s Right to Justice,” Arizona State Law Journal, January 7, 2026.
- Author, “Zen Body, Zen Mind: Can a Law Student Learn Mediation in Law School?,” Penn State Arbitration Law Review, May 15, 2025.
- Author, “A Law Clerk's Transition: From Umpire's Apprentice to Fighter in the Ring,” ABA Journal, July 22, 2024.
- Translator, Loving Life As It Is: A Buddhist Guide to Ultimate Happiness (English Translation), Penguin Random House, April 11, 2024.
- Author, “What’s In a Word?,” Multilingual Magazine, January 23, 2024.
- Author, “Law Needs A Balance Between Humanism And Formalism,” Law360, May 1, 2023.
- Author, “No-Impact Victim Impact Statements: How California's Parole Hearing System Fails to Protect Victims' Rights,” Criminal Law Bulletin, October 3, 2022.
- Author, “Subjective Feeling or Objective Standard? The Misuse of the Word ‘Repugnant’ in the Model Rules of Professional Conduct,” Georgetown Journal of Legal Ethics, July 5, 2022.
- Author, “Apprenticeship in the Halls of Justice: The Joy of the Appellate Clerkship,” Arizona Attorney Magazine, March 30, 2022.
- Translator, “Well-Intentioned Notes on the Ngondro of the Dzogpa Chenpo Longchen Nyingthig,” Ari Bhöd Publishing, October 8, 2018.
- Translator, “The Essence of the Mahayana Teachings,” Manju Katila, December 31, 2015.