Sean concentrates his practice in defending product liability, construction negligence and other tort cases involving wrongful death and serious personal injury. During his thirty years of practice, Sean has had the privilege of representing utilities, industrial plant operators, petroleum refiners, gas liquids producers, manufacturers, railroads and similar companies where a hard hat is a required accessory, even for the senior business leaders.
Sean has extensive experience defending catastrophic fire and explosion cases involving multiple defendants, complex issues of causation, liability and insurance coverage, and the potential for extreme jury verdicts. He regularly appears in federal and state courts throughout the country on behalf of clients facing the worst case scenarios.
Sean provides his clients the bedrock skills needed to protect their rights at trial and on appeal — writing clearly, arguing forcefully, and making complicated issues easy to understand. He offers the judgment necessary to navigate the often twisting path to successful defense of major multi-defendant cases.
Sean respects the trust his clients place in him, and welcomes the responsibility of being their advocate. He has handled many sophisticated business lawsuits, but his greatest satisfaction comes from those catastrophic cases where emotion and sympathy make it most difficult for a company to receive a fair trial. It is those cases, where the challenges are the most daunting, that offer the greatest reward.
Sean is a member of the Claims and Litigation Management Alliance, the Defense Research Institute, the Illinois Association of Defense Trial Counsel and the Propane Gas Defense Association, and has been a frequent speaker on litigation topics to both legal and industry groups. Sean has been named a Leading Lawyer in Illinois from 2019 through 2022, an honor earned by less than 5% of Illinois attorneys.
EDUCATION
- University of Illinois College of Law, J.D., with honors, 1985
- Eastern Illinois University, B.A. with honors, 1982
BAR ADMISSIONS
- Illinois, 1985
COURT MEMBERSHIPS
- U.S. Supreme Court
- Illinois Supreme Court
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
- U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois (Member, Trial Bar)
- U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois
Sean concentrates his practice in defending companies that are the bedrock of the American economy in complex and catastrophic cases.