Sean M. O'Brien, Esq.

Background
Sean has been with the Bradshaw Law Firm since 1996. Prior to joining Bradshaw, he clerked for Justice David Harris of the Iowa Supreme Court. Sean also serves as an adjunct professor in Drake University’s Undergraduate and MBA program lecturing on business law. He regularly speaks on various legal topics at programs sponsored by a number of organizations such as the Property Loss Research Bureau (PLRB), the Iowa Law Enforcement Academy, the Iowa Insurance Division and the National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies. A list of topics for insurance professionals or civic organizations is available upon request.

Practice Areas
General practice including, but not limited to Construction Law and Litigation, Insurance Law and Litigation, Litigation and Trial Law

Education

• Grinnell College (B.A., Economics, with honors, 1992) – Phi Beta Kappa
• The University of Iowa College of Law (J.D., with distinction, 1995)
  • Van Oosterhout Memorial Moot Court Competition
  • Senior Note and Comment Editor, Journal of Corporation Law, 1994-1995

State Bar Admissions
Iowa, 1995

Federal Court Admissions

• U.S. District Court, Northern District of Iowa
• U.S. District Court, Southern District of Iowa
• U.S. Court of Appeals, 8th Circuit
• U.S. Supreme Court

Leadership Positions
International Association of Arson Investigators, Iowa Chapter, Prosecution Section – Director, 2002-Present

Professional Memberships and Admissions

• American Bar Association
• Defense Research Institute
• Iowa Defense Counsel Association
• Iowa State Bar Association
• Polk County Bar Association

Other Memberships

• International Association of Arson Investigators
• National Association of Subrogation Professionals

Sample of Reported Cases

• Bailey Travel Corp. v. Gen. Cas. Co. (Iowa Ct. App. June 13, 2001) (unpublished)
• Bradshaw, Fowler, Proctor & Fairgrave, PC v. Winke (Iowa Ct. App. Sept. 12, 2001) (unpublished)
• Butner v. Beyer (Iowa 1999)
• Cline v. Union County, Iowa (S.D. Iowa 2001)
• In re Robinson (Bankr. S.D. Iowa 1999)
• Rossmanith v. Union Ins. Co. of Providence (Iowa Ct. App. Nov. 16, 2001) (unpublished)

Publications

• Audio and Video Surveillance in Civil Litigation, The Iowa Lawyer (1999)
• Ode from a Law Clerk, The Iowa Lawyer (1999)
• Suing Ned Devine: Enforceability of Promise to Share Lottery Proceeds, The Iowa Lawyer (1999)
• 1997 Appellate Court Update–Litigation Related Cases, “Off the Record”, published by the Litigation Section of the Iowa State Bar Association (1998)
• My Way or the Highway: The Tort of Constructive Discharge, The Iowa Lawyer (1998)
• When Does a Treating Physician Become an Expert Witness Under Rule 125?–A Consideration of Iowa Case Law, The Iowa Lawyer (1998)
• Note, Caveat Venditor A Case for Granting Subsequent Purchasers a Cause of Action Against Builder-Vendors for Latent Defects in the Home, 20 J. Corp. L. 525 (1995)

Practicing: Construction Law and Litigation, Insurance Law and Litigation, Litigation and Trial Law