Sean T Burns
Sean.Burns@kennedyslaw.com
+1 212 832 4920
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Profile
Education
- St. John's University School of Law, JD, 1998
- Manhattan College, BA, 1995
Sean is a partner in the New York office. The principal focus of his practice has been in insurance defense and employment law, in particular the handling of New York Labor Law claims and litigation arising from large-scale construction projects. He is routinely Lead Counsel in catastrophic personal injury litigation for clients in real estate, construction and property management. Sean is experienced in handling the defense of professional liability matters for architects, engineers and lawyers, as well as negligent security and premises liability disputes, complex product liability matters, as well as employment discrimination and harassment claims and has tried cases in both civil and criminal court.
Earlier in his career, Sean was a Senior Assistant District Attorney in the Kings County District Attorney’s Office where he prosecuted hundreds of felony cases at the Grand Jury and trial levels.
Sean has volunteered as a Judge in the Cardozo and St. John’s Law School Mock Trial Competitions. He received his undergraduate degree from Manhattan College and Juris Doctorate from St. John’s University School of Law, where he was a member of the Irish Law Society. He also served as Director of Trials in the St. John’s Criminal Law Institute.
Sean is admitted to practice in the State of New York, and the Eastern, Southern and Northern Districts of NY Federal Court.
Sean contributed to Kennedys' 'Global forecast 2024: Evolving insurance risks' report, published in January 2024.
Sean also contributed to the Claims inflation and personal injury claims: a global review report, published in June 2023.
Recognized by New York Super Lawyers for Insurance Defense (2014-2018)
Qualifications and admissions
- New York
- US District Court, Eastern, Northern and Southern Districts of New York
Market recognition
- New York Super Lawyers for Insurance Defense (2014-2018)
Work highlights
- Lead Defense Counsel in consolidated multi-fatality bus crash defense litigation with a stated demand of $100 million dollars which resulted in a complete dismissal of all counts against client.
- Lead Defense Counsel for a site safety company on a project where a tower crane collapsed killing six and successfully obtained a dismissal of all claims.
- Successfully defended insured at trial in a claim for traumatic brain injury arising from an assault committed by its employee.
- Successfully defended the owners of a multi-national movie theater in several trials involving premises liability allegations.
- Successfully defended insureds in various administrative hearings involving claims of employment discrimination claims.
- Defended and advised numerous security companies in large scale personal injury litigation matters in the Courts of the State of New York.
- Defended clients in large scale complex product liability claims; including mass tort and class action litigation.
Presentations and publications
- “Additional insureds and contract indemnification: Evaluating risk transfer,” In-House Client Training (October 2023, January 2024)
- “US casualty & coverage overview,” In-House Client Training (June 2022)
- “Premises Liability Accidents: What to do/What to know,” In-House Client Training (May 2022)
- “Premises Liability Do’s & Don’ts,” In-House Client Training (October 2021)
Construction and engineering
Insurance and reinsurance
Retail
Transport and logistics