Sean Simpson has tried a wide variety of civil jury trials: elder abuse, insurance bad faith, personal injury, business torts, false imprisonment, medical malpractice, civil rights, coerced confessions, sexual harassment, age, gender, disability, and other discrimination cases. Known for taking any case that feels righteous, he’s even had a seven-figure verdict in a defamation case (that was turned down by two other firms). More than a dozen of these verdicts have included findings of malice, oppression, or fraud (punitive damages). After handling more than 250 cases of all shapes and sizes involving punitive damage allegations, he was nudged to write a practice guide on punitive damages expected to be released by Trial Guides in late 2024.
After graduating from law school in 1986, Sean spent three years working as a law clerk for judges at the trial and appellate levels. In 1990, motivated by a desire to help those who are the victims of misfortune, he started a small firm that concentrates on serving individuals and families whose lives have been changed due to the careless or intentional acts of others. In 1998, after obtaining a large verdict in a construction site injury case that had a companion workers’ compensation case, he started getting referrals from several workers’ comp specialists, quickly building a specialty area in construction injury cases.
Since 2001 Sean has obtained numerous noteworthy verdicts and judgments, including nineteen over $1 million—three of which were in excess of $10 million. Most of these verdicts were obtained due to conduct the jury considered egregious. In 2022, inspired by the incredible work of Courtney Rowley, Nick Rowley, and others at Trial Lawyers for Justice, Sean became of counsel with the firm.
Sean is licensed to practice in California, Illinois, Kentucky, and Missouri. He served nine years on the Board of Directors of the Consumer Attorneys of San Diego and is an active member of the Consumer Attorneys of California and the American Association of Justice. In March of 2014, Sean was honored by having one of his cases featured in the New York Times (“When Employees Confess, Sometimes Falsely”). He frequently serves as a guest speaker at seminars presented by the State Bar of California, California Young Lawyers Associations, Consumer Attorneys of California, Consumer Attorneys of San Diego, and the Continuing Education of the Bar. He has received an Outstanding Trial Lawyer award from CASD on five separate occasions and was selected CASD’s Trial Lawyer of The Year for 2006.
