Sean Comerford Email & Phone Number

New York, United States

Brooklyn, New York

Handle all aspects of civil personal injury and property damage litigation against the Authority in both Supreme Court and Civil Court, New York State. Conduct depositions of plaintiffs, Authority witnesses, other parties, and nonparty witnesses, and generate case analysis and recommendations based on elicited testimony. Engage in all aspects of civil motion practice including motions for summary judgment and dispositive motions based on Notice of Claim requirements. Consider and respond to all forms of discovery demands made on the Authority and manage outgoing Authority discovery demands. Evaluate liability, engage in settlement negotiations, and settle cases when advantageous to the client. Answer pleadings filed against the Authority and implead third-parties when appropriate. Handle all types of court conferences (e.g., preliminary, compliance, and status conferences) and motion calendars. Conduct investigatory statutory hearings of claimants in the pre-suit phase pursuant to the Public Authorities Law (akin to GML 50(h) hearings). Handle all manner of virtual conferences, meetings, hearings, etc. throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Member of committee to establish department-wide policies and controls for dealing with evidence collected from social media, which committee’s work led to alterations and improvements to the Authority’s discovery demands.

Greater New York City Area

Litigation associate at firm active in Superstorm Sandy breach of contract cases against major property and casualty insurers. Represented families in jurisdictions throughout the five boroughs of New York City, Nassau County, and New Jersey, including in Federal court. Successfully settled hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of claims through mediation and other forms of alternative dispute resolution before both private mediators and judges. Ensured compliance with all FEMA regulatory activity regarding the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) and dealt directly with FEMA representatives regarding settlement when warranted. Handled depositions of clients and of expert witnesses, including witness preparation. Complied with discovery demands and appeared for court conferences and motion calendars. Crafted motions, judicial correspondence, pleadings, stipulations, and other court documents. Arranged terms and scope of representation with prospective clients and devised retainer agreements.

Greater New York City Area

In-house counsel to multistate startup property insurance adjusting and consulting firm that worked in conjunction with the Gauthier, Houghtaling & Williams firm on its Sandy litigation campaign. Chiefly responsible for ensuring compliance with state and federal insurance regulation and case law, FEMA position statements and bulletins, and state-specific regulations applicable to public adjusters and insurance solicitation and advertising activity. Advised management on intellectual property issues related to trademark, copyright, data privacy, and social media usage. Drafted contracts such as client retainers and expert consulting agreements. Liaised with outside counsel regarding litigation preparation and expert witness reports. In addition to legal responsibilities, implemented organization-wide cloud-based project management system, customized and oversaw company’s customer relations software (Zoho CRM), and visited loss locations with colleagues to assist onsite in damage review and coverage negotiations.

New York, New York

Reviewed pending sidewalk injury claims against the Authority for transfer to New York Corporation Counsel pursuant to cooperation and indemnification agreements. Analyzed evidence gathered for pending premises liability cases to identify contradictory statements and other means of impeachment of plaintiffs’ witnesses to assist counsel in preparation for trial. Prepared motions to dismiss for suits against the Authority based on failure to comply with notice of claim and statutory limitation requirements. Prepared liability analysis memoranda in anticipation of future civil litigation involving the Authority.

Brooklyn Law School, Brooklyn, Ny

Researched and wrote articles and summaries regarding case law, legislation and regulatory initiatives to feature on the Trade Secrets Institute’s website (tsi.brooklaw.edu). Monitored trade secret developments including new case filings, judicial opinions, and proposed statutes. Planned and moderated a symposium on the intersection between trade secrets and the public good, focusing on trade secret protection’s role in the controversial topics of data mining and hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”).

Brooklyn Law School, Brooklyn, Ny

Supervised attorney in clinic that acts as a pro bono law firm for startup companies that push the boundaries of law and technology. Prepared copyright, trademark and Computer Fraud and Abuse Act exposure assessments for clients. Assisted a client with formation of an LLC in Delaware and compliance with related foreign business requirements of New York. Initiated a copyright awareness project for high school students. Led coordination and developed judging criteria for a “Legal Hackathon” with the goal of crowd-sourcing legal solutions to modern intellectual property and technology law problems.

New York, Ny

Gathered evidence for anti-counterfeiting trademark enforcement, including preparation for lawsuits against counterfeiters who operate their own websites as well as sell via third-party platforms. Researched new social networks and auction sites to assess relative volumes of counterfeit activity and to efficiently allocate enforcement resources. Composed take-down requests to be sent to online service providers hosting infringing content.

Aizumisato, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan

Prepared original teaching materials and lesson plans and taught English to schoolchildren in Japanese equivalents of grades K through 9 at several rural public schools. Acted as liaison between Japanese-speaking supervisor and superintendent and other English-speaking teachers. Translated English-language documents into Japanese and interpreted for meetings and work-related gatherings.

Juris Doctor, Law

Activities and Societies: Brooklyn Journal of International Law, Brooklyn Law Incubator and Policy (BLIP) ClinicEarned certificate.

Bachelor Of Arts, English, Music (Double Major)

Activities and Societies: Jazz Ensemble, Jazz Combo, Concert Band, Percussion Ensemble, Guitar Ensemble, Brass Ensemble, Pep BandPhi Beta.

High School Diploma

Activities and Societies: Played tuba in wind ensemble, orchestra, marching band, etc.