Practice Areas: Personal Injury, General Litigation, Business Litigation; view more
Licensed in Texas since: 1992
Education: South Texas College of Law Houston
Selected to Super Lawyers: 2004 - 2023 Call today:
512-361-2799
Howry, Breen & Herman, L.L.P.
1900 Pearl StreetAustin, TX 78705 Visit website
Details
As partner at Howry, Breen & Herman LLP, Sean Breen is a personal injury attorney who represents clients throughout the state of Texas, with a focus on the west and central parts of the state. An experienced trial attorney, his practice includes personal injury cases, catastrophic injury cases, burn and spinal cases, construction litigation, insurance, business and commercial issues.
His personal injury cases include construction accidents, bicycle accidents, product liability, burn and spinal cases and medical and pharmaceutical injuries. Mr. Breen attended the University of Texas at Austin, where he graduated in 1988 with a Bachelor of Arts before attending law school. At South Texas College of Law Houston, he earned his Juris Doctor in 1992 and since then has become a seven- and eight-figure litigator.
Mr. Breen is admitted to practice in the state of Texas, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas and the U.S. Court of Appeals, 5th Circuit. Mr. Breen is also admitted to practice in the state of Colorado and before the U.S. District Court, District of Colorado. He is a member of the Texas Trial Lawyers Association, the American Board of Trial Advocates, the Texas Young Lawyers Association, the Austin Bar Association, the American Bar Association, the Colorado Bar Association, Pitkin County Bar Association and the Colorado Trial Lawyers Association. He is a Founding fellow of the Austin Bar Foundation and also a Fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation.
Mr. Breen is a member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum and the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum, 7 and 8 Figure Litigators by America's High Stakes Litigators , and he was named an Elite Lawyer of the South by the National Law Journal. He has been honored with a Hall of Fame Verdict for the #1 Premises Liability verdict case in 2011 by Texas Lawyer and again in 2017 Texas Lawyer honored him with a Hall of Fame Top Texas Verdict in a Products Liability case. He is a member of the National Trial Lawyers: Top 100 Civil Plaintiff and Top 10 Business Tort Trial Lawyers, and for his high ethical standards and long list of successful results, he is AV Preeminent* peer-review rated, the highest rating, through Martindale-Hubbell.
* AV®, AV Preeminent®, Martindale-Hubbell Distinguished and Martindale-Hubbell Notable are certification marks used under license in accordance with the Martindale-Hubbell certification procedures, standards and policies. Martindale-Hubbell® is the facilitator of a peer review rating process. Ratings reflect the anonymous opinions of members of the bar and the judiciary. Martindale-Hubbell® Peer Review Rating™ fall into two categories – legal ability and general ethical standards.
Austin Office:
1900 Pearl Street
Austin, TX 78705
Georgetown Office:
4411 South IH-35,
Georgetown, TX 78626
By Appointment Only
Colorado Office
Snowmass Center
16 Kearns Road, Suite 301F
Snowmass Village, CO 81615
By Appointment Only
Practice areas
Personal Injury - General: Plaintiff, General Litigation, Business Litigation, Insurance Coverage, Real Estate: BusinessFocus areas
Insurance, Litigation, Personal Injury - Plaintiff, Wrongful Death
- 50% Personal Injury - General: Plaintiff
- 20% General Litigation
- 10% Business Litigation
- 10% Insurance Coverage
- 10% Real Estate: Business
First Admitted: 1992, Texas
Professional Webpage: https://www.howrybreen.com/attorneys/sean-breen/
- , Attorney Sean Breen talks about settlement with Kendrex White's family
- , Malfunctioning Restraining System Causes Driver to Fall from 7-Story Parking Garage
- , Golden Advocates: The Extra Mile Award
- , Austin Women's Car Falling Off Parking Lot on KVUE
- , Catastrophic Paralysis Case Handled by Attorney Breen & DK Global
- HBH won a settlement in a workplace accident with a tractor, where a ranch hand was run over by an inattentive worker. Net to Client $580,000; expenses $22,200; attorney fees $400,000
- HBH recovered for a client on a motorcycle who was severely injured and suffered amputation of his leg when struck by a negligent tractor-trailer in a negligently designed traffic redirection zone. HBH filed suit and recovered against the truck driver and his company first, and then prosecuted the case against the road contractor for negligent work regarding the roadway. $1,090,000 net to client; $130,000 case expenses; $780,000 attorney’s fees.
- HBH recovered against an insurance company on underinsured motorist policy for brain injury in a car accident. The client was injured when an underinsured motorist caused an accident, but the insurance company claimed it did not cause a traumatic brain injury. HBH proved it did and recovered policy limits for the client from a zero offer initially. $631,300 net to client; $48,700 case expenses; 320,000 attorney’s fees.
- HBH recovered a settlement for a Good Samaritan helping at an accident site on the highway that was hit and killed by another truck. The client had stopped and was assisting with an accident when another truck lost control and crashed into the first accident scene. $886,000 net to client; $21,000 case expenses; $313,000 attorney’s fees
- Attorneys Sean Breen and Chris Lavorato, along with California co-counsel Ara Jabagchourian, secured one of California’s Top 100 Settlements for 2019 (awarded by The Recorder in conjunction with VerdictSearch) after representing a client who was seriously injured on a motorcycle, when he was struck by a vehicle on the Pacific Coast Highway in Sunset Beach, California. Our client sustained a broken leg, wrist, nose, and fractured vertebrae at C7 and sought damages for economic and non-economic losses. Liability in the case was hotly contested, and while aggressively and efficiently prosecuting the case in discovery, the case settled for the full policy limits of $1,250,000. (Net to client $744,785.54; Costs 5214.47; Attorney fees 500,000).
- HBH secured a settlement for the victim of an accident with an 18 wheeler. The 18-wheeler made a dangerous left turn without yielding to oncoming traffic; killing a driver traveling in the opposite direction. We recovered policy limits for his wife and their child. Wife had just found out she was pregnant when the husband was killed. Net to clinet $1,106,000; expenses $4,000; attorney fees $490,000
- HBH recovered a settlement against a major hotel chain for an airline pilot that was injured when a bar chair in a hotel lounge broke causing our client to fall backwards. The same make and model chair had experienced 7 prior failures in the bar. Our client suffered serious and permanent injury and was no longer able to work in the aviation field. $977,000 net to client; $72,000 case expenses; $700,000 attorney’s fees.
- We represented the family of a woman killed by a negligent driver and negligent trucking company. Both initially denied all responsibility but after we sued them and conducted depositions and expert testimony, they settled and we secured all available insurance. $1,081,380 net to client; $100,619 case expenses: $888,000 attorney’s fees.
- HBH recovered for brain and significant personal injuries to a cyclist when struck by a car on Loop 360 in Austin. The cyclist was on the shoulder when the driver drifted while not paying attention and struck him. Even though wearing a helmet, he suffered a traumatic brain injury and will need long-term medical care. $1,540,000 net to client; $52,000 case expenses $920,000 attorney fees.
- HBH recovered a settlement for a juvenile client who was abused and shot on private property. The settlement also had safeguards to prevent further abuse and contact with the victim. Net to client $1,468,000; expenses $32,000; Attorney Fees 1,000,000
- We represented a young man who suffered a traumatic brain injury in a crash caused by a drunk driver. While he worked hard to recover and was able to finish college and get a job, his brain injury posed economic losses and long term issues of health care and earning capacity. We filed suit and hired 6 experts and prepared a lifecare plan supported by medical evidence to compensate him for his loss and protect his future. $2,941,000 net to client; $97,736 cases expenses; $1,352,000 attorney’s fees
- HBH recovered for a hospital against a construction general contractor and a flooring sub for defective concrete slab work and flooring. The Defendants improperly installed flooring which later bubbled up and caused serious issues, including problems in operating rooms. HBH took the case on contingent fee and aggressively moved it to trial where the case settled. $1,510,000 net to client; $200,000 cases expenses; $1,140,000 attorney’s fees.
- HBH secured a settlement for a developer who suffered damages due to the negligence of design professionals and subcontractors in a downtown Austin condo redo project. The professionals and subs were negligent and caused damage to the structure during the renovation project, causing additional expenses to repair it and lost profits during the delay needed to repair. HBH set the case for trial and recovered full settlement after taking the depositions of the corporate representatives. $1,669,000 net to client; $130,491.71 case expenses; $1,059,318 attorney’s fees.
- HBH recovered a settlement for the family of a 19-year-old who drowned in a hotel swimming pool. HBH sued a national hotel brand and prepared the case for trial against multiple law firms, proving that the hotel was negligent in failing to provide a safe pool. $1,756,355 net to client; $164,644 case expenses; $1,280,000 attorney’s fees.
- HBH secured a settlement for a developer who suffered damages due to the negligence of design professionals and subcontractors in a downtown Austin condo redo project. The professionals and subs were negligent and caused damage to the structure during the renovation project, causing additional expenses to repair it and lost profits during the delay needed to repair. HBH set the case for trial and recovered full settlement after taking the depositions of the corporate representatives. $1,669,000 net to client; $130,491.71 case expenses; $1,059,318 attorney’s fees.
- Secured a settlement for the family of a father who was killed and children injured as a result of a drunk driver who was overserved at a bar. The at fault driver visited a sports bar and consumed excessive amounts of alcohol and proceeded to drive home. The sports bar failed to stop serving the alcoholic beverages even though the patron displayed obvious signs of intoxication. Net to Clients $2,619,666; expenses$103,000; attorneys fees 1,064,000.
- HBH recovered against a major airline and medical group for a client who suffered a heart attack on an international flight yet the airline refused to divert and land the plane to provide essential medical treatment. The pilot and a doctor connected by radio on the ground both refused to divert the plane for treatment, causing massive damage to the client’s heart due to delay in treatment. $2,143,132 net to client; $276,867 case expenses; $1,580,000 attorney’s fees
- HBH recovered a settlement for a client that was rendered a quadriplegic in a swimming pool that was not filled to the proper level. Due to the low level, the client suffered a spinal cord injury when diving into the pool. $2,457,000 net to client; $321,583 case expenses; $2,000,000 attorney’s fees.
- HBH prosecuted a case against a major car manufacturer and recovered a settlement for the family and client who suffered amputations and was severely burned in a post-crash fuel fed fire due to a product defect. The gas tank was not designed and equipped with a device to keep gas from spilling out if the vehicle rolled over in an accident. $2,562,000 net to client; $139,138.00 case expenses; attorney’s fees $1,800,000.
- HBH secured a settlement prior to trial for a client who was permanently injured by a premises liability and construction defect. Our client suffered spinal damage and other life-long injuries and required medical treatment the rest of her life. $3,365,000 net to client; $235,300 case expenses; $2,400,000 attorney’s fees.
- HBH won a multi-party settlement for the family and young son of a woman tragically killed in a boating crash. HBH was the lead firm on the case. $4,400,000 net to client; $150,000 case expenses $2,900,000 attorney’s fees.
- HBH won an Arbitration award for a client against an insurance company for bad faith non-payment of policy proceeds. The litigation spanned two years and involved witnesses from all over the world and with experts in numerous fields. Net to Client $6,890,665.62; Costs $364,545.90; Attorney Fees 2,744,789.48
- HBH secured a settlement for a multi-story building that was suffering damage due to construction defects. The recovery included all attorney’s fees and expenses to repair the building. $6,558,000 net to client; $745,000 case expenses; $3,597,000 attorney’s fees.
- HBH won a record-setting 12.4 Million Dollar jury verdict for a young man paralyzed in a diving accident in an apartment swimming pool. The verdict was the largest premises liability verdict in Texas at the time and led to changes in pool safety at apartment complexes that catered to college students. After a $7,578,417 reduction for contributory negligence and settlement on appeal, $2,475,000 net to client; $321,583 case expenses; $2,025,000 attorney’s fees.
- HBH won a record-setting 15.8 Million Dollar jury verdict for a client and her family after she was rendered quadriplegic when she was struck and run over by a defective runaway E-Z-GO golf cart/utility vehicle. It is the largest personal injury verdict in the history of that federal district. HBH also protected the verdict on appeal, winning that too. After a $7,367,684 reduction for credits and offsets, $4,038,316.00 net to client, $600,000 case expenses; $3,794,000 attorney’s fees.
- National Top 100 Trial Lawyers, Civil Plaintiff (2009-2020)
- Top Personal Injury Law Firm in Austin by Texas Lawyer, Best of 2020
- 7 Figure Litigators® and 8 Figure Litigators®, America’s Premier High-Stakes Litigators®, 2020
- Super Lawyers®, since 2004
- Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum, 2011
- Texas Verdicts Hall of Fame, 2011 and 2016
- Named the Best Lawyers®, 2017 Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants “Lawyer of the Year” in Austin, (by BL Rankings, LLC d/b/a Best Lawyers and Co., LLC)
- Top 50 US Verdicts, 2017
- Best Lawyers in America®, Personal Injury Litigation (2011), Commercial Litigation and Construction Law (2009)
- Named the Best Lawyers®, 2020 Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs “Lawyer of the Year” in Austin
- Bachelor of Arts, University of Texas, 1988, 1988
- J.D. South Texas College of Law, 1992
Selections
- Super Lawyers: 2004 - 2023
