Sean Sullivan

PARTNER

Sean concentrates his practice in defending product liability, construction negligence and other tort cases involving wrongful death and serious personal injury.

He serves as advisor and advocate for clients facing high-risk litigation involving multiple defendants and complex issues of causation, liability and insurance coverage. He regularly appears in state and federal courts throughout the country where he provides the bedrock skills needed to protect his clients’ rights at trial and on appeal – writing clearly, arguing forcefully and making complicated issues easy to understand.

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, the National Association of Railroad Trial Counsel (for which he serves on the Executive Committee) and the Propane Gas Defense Association (for which he has served as President and Board Member). Sean has been a frequent speaker on litigation topics to both legal and industry groups and has been named a Leading Lawyer in Illinois.

In his spare time Sean is an avid soccer fan and amateur photographer – and mostly a husband and proud parent.

EDUCATION
University of Illinois College of Law, J.D., with honors, 1985
Eastern Illinois University, B.A. with honors, 1982
BAR ADMISSIONS
Illinois
Michigan
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 Central District of Illinois
U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois
U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin
PRESENTATIONS/PUBLICATIONS
Forensic Chemistry at Trial: Refuting Claims of Diesel Fuel Contamination at a Complex Industrial Site, 21st Annual Railroad Environmental Conference, Champaign, IL
Other People’s Money – Using Indemnity and Additional Insured Agreements to Shift Liability, National Association of Railroad Trial Counsel Annual Meeting, Boulder, CO
Who’s In Control? Why the Defense Bar Should Challenge the IPI Instructions on Construction Negligence, IDC Quarterly
Can You Prove It? Why and How to Document Your Good Deeds, Propane Gas Defense Association Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
Illinois Association of Defense Trial Counsel
Claims & Litigation Management Alliance
National Association of Railroad Trial Counsel (Executive Committee)
Defense Research Institute
Propane Gas Defense Association (Past President)