Clients depend on Sean for his 33 years of experience with complex commercial disputes, securities litigation and regulatory investigations.
Overview
Sean defends directors, officers and general partners in derivative lawsuits and advises them on meeting their fiduciary duties, regularly conducts internal investigations for financial institutions, public companies and their board committees. He also advises, and where necessary, litigates over trade secret disputes and covenants not to compete.
He has defended companies and financial institutions against consumer and securities class actions, handled FINRA and AAA arbitrations and represented both plaintiffs and defendants in securities fraud cases.
Sean co-chairs our Business Torts Litigation practice group.
Sean regularly represents companies and individuals in the agricultural, animal health and food production industries.
Before joining the firm, Sean spent five years with the Commercial Litigation Branch of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Experience
Sean has pursued and defended several claims for misappropriation of trade secrets, breach of fiduciary duty, unfair competition and tortious interference with contract, and has recovered substantial damages and injunctive relief for clients in such actions including through bench and jury trials.
He has defended numerous public companies, financial institutions, and financial professionals in SEC and CFTC investigations.
He represented shareholders in several successful lawsuits related to a public company proxy contest.
Sean has represented companies and corporate officers in connection with responding to grand jury subpoenas.
He has defended False Claims Act litigation.
He has defended a bank and its publicly-traded holding company in multiple class action lender liability cases.
Sean has successfully defended FINRA and AAA arbitrations seeking tens of millions of dollars in damages.
Sean has conducted internal investigations of possible insider trading, self-dealing transactions and other financial and accounting improprieties.
News & Insights
News
Speaking Engagements
Regularly presents on best practices in internal and regulatory investigations, particularly SEC investigations
Several presentations on drafting and enforcing non-competition agreements
Regularly presents on securities litigation and white collar crime issues
Publications
"10b-5 Litigation Questions Follow Justices' Macquarie Ruling," Law360, May 2024
"In Good Measure: Workforce Demographics and Statistical Proof of Discrimination," The Labor Lawyer, Volume 23, Number 1, Summer 2007
Recognitions
Recognitions
Missouri Lawyers Weekly Top Verdicts and Settlements List, 2021
Selected as "Lawyer of the Year" by The Best Lawyers in America©, 2016, 2021
Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America® list, 2010-2025
Ranked by Benchmark Litigation as a Future Local Star, 2013 - 2018, 2024
Professional & Civic Activities
Professional & Civic Activities
KCMBA Military Matters Program, Volunteer
The Children's Place of Kansas City
- Former Director and Board Chair
UMKC Community Fellows Program
Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association
- Federal Courts Advocate Section
Practices & Industries
Admissions
- North Carolina, 1991
- Missouri, 1997
- Kansas, 2012
- United States Court of Federal Claims
- Various United States District and Circuit Courts
Education
Harvard University, J.D., cum laude, 1991
University of Chicago, B.A., 1988
- Phi Beta Kappa; Student Marshall
