Sworn in at the United States Naval Academy at age 17, Sean graduated with merit and an engineering degree in 1978. He was named Honor Graduate of his Naval Flight Officer class and flew P-3 Orion missions tracking Soviet submarines during the Cold War. Sean was then assigned to the Organization of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and was chosen by the Navy to serve as the personal military assistant
to Vice President George H.W. Bush.
Sean completed his active duty service in 1986.

Promising Young Lawyer

While at the Pentagon and White House, Sean attended Georgetown University Law Center at night. He won several academic awards and was selected as the sole evening division editor of the Georgetown Law Journal. Sean graduated magna cum laude in 1987 and returned to New York to become a litigation associate with Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison. His workload on corporate matters was complemented by pro bono work including representing aggrieved tenants in Manhattan Housing Court and a wrongly convicted inmate on death row, for which Sean was awarded the Thurgood Marshall Award.

Seasoned Prosecutor

In 1991, Sean was sworn in as an Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York. Sean tried many criminal cases to verdict and worked with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Drug Enforcement Administration, and New York Police Department, among other agencies. Sean’s more notable cases involved prosecuting more than 60 members of the “48 Hours” heroin distribution organization in Manhattan’s Lower East Side and overseeing the FBI’s “Operation Drex Paper,” which dismantled a nationwide stolen car network that was exporting hundreds of stolen cars per month.

Leader in Private Practice

Sean joined the New York office of the international law firm Latham & Watkins in 1995, where as counsel and later partner, he represented an array of clients in complex civil, regulatory and criminal matters. In 1998, Sean became a partner at Bernstein Litowitz Berger & Grossmann LLP, which represents many of the world’s largest institutional investors, including New York State’s Common Retirement Fund and Teachers’ Retirement System and many Taft-Hartley union funds. He rose to become co-managing partner of Bernstein Litowitz. Sean retired from the firm in October 2009 to run for the Democratic
Nomination for Attorney General.

Taking on Wall Street

At Bernstein Litowitz, Sean led teams that recovered billions of dollars for victims of corporate fraud and won praise for achieving significant corporate governance improvements. Sean was the lead attorney in the WorldCom securities case representing thousands of investors, including the New York State Common Retirement Fund.  His team recovered over $6 billion and, in a historic first, required all outside directors and key wrongdoers to contribute from their personal funds. Sean also represented thousands of retired investors in an audit malpractice case against Arthur Andersen in the Baptist Foundation of Arizona case. Sean led the team that recovered a $217 million settlement, the largest amount ever paid by Andersen.

Continued Military Service

After leaving active Navy service to practice law in New York, Sean served another 18 years in the Navy Reserve. Sean was selected for two Reserve commands, including a P-3 squadron of nine aircraft and 300 men and women. He flew missions tracking Soviet/Russian submarines, counter-narcotics missions over South America, and armed flights in support of the embargo of the former Yugoslavia. His military decorations include the Meritorious Service Medal, National Defense Service Medal and Navy Pistol Expert Medal.
Sean retired as a Navy Captain in 2004.

Family & Community

Sean has been married for more than twenty years to Anne Churchill, a member of the Screen Actors Guild and Actors Equity Association whose credits include “This is Spinal Tap.” The Coffeys and their children Kate, Cameron and Conor live in Westchester County.

Sean is a member of the Board of Visitors of the Georgetown University Law Center and Vice President of the United States Naval Academy Class of 1978. He is a devoted fan of the Yankees and Navy Football.