Competitive sports were Sean’s primary activity growing up, including soccer, hockey and wrestling. In addition, most winter vacations included a family ski trip “out west” as the mountains became part of his upbringing.

After graduating from Ann Arbor Pioneer High School in 1988, Sean attended Michigan State University. Having started playing rugby as a senior in high school, Sean committed himself to a sport he would play competitively for the next 17 years. Working odd jobs during breaks and summers allowed Sean to train and travel around the world playing rugby, including numerous tours in North America, Europe and the Cayman Islands. Sean graduated from Michigan State in 1992 with a B.A. from the School of Social Sciences, with dual majors in Criminal Justice and Political Science.

In the fall of 1992, Sean headed off to law school at The University of Detroit-Mercy School of Law, balancing rugby with his graduate education and internships. During law school, Sean served on staff for the Michigan Business Law Journal and completed an internship with U.S. Federal Magistrate, Paul Komives.

Sean graduated from law school in 1995 and after passing the Michigan Bar Exam, accepted an associate attorney position with the large insurance defense firm in Farmington Hills, MI where he had worked as a law clerk since 1993. Sean’s practice included defense of personal injury actions, primarily in the area of motor vehicle, premises liability and construction defect claims.

Having enjoyed Michigan winters for the past 20 years, Sean took to the road in 1997 with his now-wife, Liz, and English Setter, Balin, for a cross-country trek to include the mid-south, Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, California and Washington. While sitting in a McDonald’s parking lot in Seattle, WA, Sean and Liz decided Colorado was the place for them and returned to take up residence in Boulder, CO.

After passing the Colorado Bar Exam in 1998, Sean began practicing law in Colorado. In 2000, he began representing employers and insurance companies in defense of workers’ compensation claims. In 2013, Sean started representing injured workers for The Sawaya Law Firm.

Sean brings almost 20 years of litigation experience to his workers’ compensation practice. Having represented insurance companies for the majority of his career, Sean provides unique insight into the workers’ compensation system from “both sides of the fence”. When not working, Sean spends his time with his family, which now includes Dr. Liz Knight and their 3 children: Calvin, Maegan and Kasey. The family splits their time between kid’s playing fields, ice rinks, Evergreen and Grand Lake, CO.