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Sean P. Murphy

Attorney

About Sean

Sean P. Murphy represents individuals and families in complex personal injury, medical malpractice, industrial workplace accidents and other serious civil cases.

Sean joined Gideon Asen after more than a decade as a trial lawyer, federal prosecutor, appellate advocate, and complex-litigation attorney. His career has taken him from federal civil rights trials in Springfield, Illinois, to felony courtrooms in the Bronx, to the U.S. Attorney’s Offices in Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C., to nationwide litigation involving contaminated drinking water, toxic exposure, and government responsibility. Across those roles, Sean has developed a practice rooted in preparation, judgment, and the belief that people harmed by powerful institutions deserve lawyers who can uncover the facts, explain them clearly, and fight for accountability.

Education

  • University of Illinois College of Law
    J.D., cum laude, 2014
    Rickert Award for Excellence in Advocacy
    CALI Excellence for the Future Award — Ethics, Economics & the Environment
    Trial Team Coach, National Champions
  • Brigham Young University
    B.A., Political Science, 2007

Admissions

  • Maine (pending)
  • New York State
  • Vermont (pending)
  • United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit
  • United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
  • United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
  • United States District Court for the District of Puerto Rico

Languages

  • Italian
  • Spanish
  • French

A Career Built on Accountability

Sean brings to Gideon Asen a rare combination of courtroom experience, investigative discipline, legal writing ability, and public-service commitment. From managing high-volume felony cases in the Bronx to helping lead federal investigations involving transnational drug trafficking, firearms, and money laundering organizations, Sean knows how to build cases from the ground up and prepare them to withstand pressure. He has worked with the FBI, DEA, ATF, HSI, CBP, and other law enforcement agencies; briefed and argued appeals before the United States Courts of Appeals; and, in private practice, helped litigate environmental and toxic tort cases involving PFAS contamination, AFFF firefighting foam, CERCLA claims, and Federal Tort Claims Act litigation against the United States.

That experience gives Sean a practical understanding of how large institutions operate, how they make decisions, and how difficult it can be for one person or family to force the truth into the open. He has seen how evidence gets buried in volume, how responsibility gets obscured by process, and how important it is for injured people to have someone on their side who knows how to investigate, organize, and present a case with clarity and force.

Following the January 6, 2021, attack on the United States Capitol, Sean volunteered to serve on detail to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. He became a founding member and leader within what became known as the Capitol Siege Section, serving as a Federal Assault Coordinator responsible for helping identify, investigate, and prosecute individuals who assaulted police officers at the U.S. Capitol on that day. In that role, Sean coordinated with prosecutors and FBI agents across the country, reviewed enormous volumes of video and documentary evidence, managed complex investigations, and helped develop litigation strategy in cases of national importance.

Protecting the Vulnerable

Sean’s appellate experience informs every part of his work as a trial lawyer. He knows that strong cases are not built only in the courtroom. They are built through disciplined investigation, precise legal analysis, careful writing, and strategic decisions made long before trial begins.

Sean’s commitment to representing vulnerable people began even before he graduated from law school. As a student attorney in the University of Illinois College of Law’s Federal Civil Rights Clinic, he represented incarcerated people in federal civil rights cases involving deliberate indifference to serious medical needs and failure to protect. He tried federal jury cases while still in law school and received the Rickert Award for Excellence in Advocacy, the College of Law’s highest honor for student advocacy.

At Gideon Asen, Sean uses the skills he developed in public service and complex litigation to represent people facing catastrophic injury, medical negligence, unsafe practices, corporate misconduct, and environmental harm. He understands that clients often arrive after their lives have been suddenly and profoundly changed. They may be grieving, injured, overwhelmed, or afraid of what comes next. Sean’s role is to help carry that burden: to listen, to explain, to prepare, to protect, and to fight for a result that can provide security, dignity, and accountability.

The Path Back to Northern New England

Sean’s path to Maine was not the traditional one. He was born in Utah, raised in Essex Junction, Vermont, and spent much of his childhood skiing at Stowe and Okemo and exploring the mountains, trails, and rugged beauty of Northern New England. After years in Illinois, New York, Puerto Rico, and Washington, D.C., Sean was drawn back north by the chance to join a firm whose mission matched the reason he became a lawyer in the first place: to stand with people when the stakes are highest.

For Sean, joining Gideon Asen is not simply a professional move. It is a return to a part of the country that helped shape him. He understands that people in Maine, Vermont, and New Hampshire value humility, preparation, honesty, and work ethic. They do not want flash. They want someone who will listen carefully, tell them the truth, and fight with everything the case requires. Sean aims to be that kind of lawyer.

Media & Public Commentary

Because of his experience as a federal prosecutor, appellate advocate, and attorney involved in nationally significant investigations, Sean is frequently asked to explain complex legal issues for the public. His commentary focuses on the rule of law, government accountability, the Department of Justice, January 6 prosecutions, constitutional principles, and the legal limits on the use of government power.

Sean’s media work reflects the same values that guide his litigation practice: facts matter, institutions must be accountable, and legal issues should be explained clearly enough that people can understand what is at stake.

Sean has appeared or been featured in:

Personal Life

Sean lives with his wife, Megan, their three children, Matilda, Serafina, and Felix, and their two Puerto Rican rescue dogs, Luigi and Daisy. His family is excited to experience Maine in all seasons — skiing, snowshoeing, hiking, boating, exploring the coast, and becoming part of the community. Sean is especially proud that his oldest daughter, Matilda, will join Bowdoin College’s Class of 2030.

Outside of the law, Sean has run nine marathons, climbed Mount Kilimanjaro, served as an Eagle Scout and Scoutmaster, and appeared as a contestant and Showcase Showdown winner on The Price Is Right. To unwind from high-stakes litigation, Sean enjoys daily word logic puzzles and tackling the latest Nintendo releases with his kids. Ultimately, Sean still believes there are few things better than a long run, a hard climb, a good book, a great meal, or a day on the beach or in the mountains with his family.