Sean has followed an unconventional path to joining Patterson’s List, which has given him invaluable professional and interpersonal experience. Sean studied at Monash University where he was a member of the team that won the oral submission rounds of the 2001 Willem C Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot in Vienna. But what Sean remembers most fondly about that adventure was the opportunity to go snowboarding in the Alps and the unique experiences of travelling through Austria.
Sean was admitted to practise in Victoria in 2004 after completing Articles of Clerkship at Garland Hawthorn Brahe in their Commercial Litigation department. He continued to broaden his experience in litigation at several Family Law circuits of the Federal Magistrates’ and Federal Circuit Courts in regional Victoria.
Outside of law, Sean has explored his passion for writing, photography, snowboarding and travel, and has had numerous feature articles, travel stories, interviews and photos published in Australasian and international snow-sports magazines. Sean was the Senior Photographer for Australian-NZ Snowboarder Magazine and travelled to two Winter Olympics as an AOC accredited photographer.
In 2011 Sean accepted a full-time position on the Gold Coast as the Online Editor and Photo Editor of Australia’s biggest surfing magazine, Surfing Life. The role provided for international travel and a focus on website redevelopment and social media engagement … and lots of “meetings” out on the waves just in front of the office.
After a successful action-sports media career, Sean wanted to return to law in a different capacity, and so he completed the Bar Association of Queensland Bar Practice Course in 2015 and was called to the Bar shortly after. Sean has appeared in the Federal Court, the District Court and the Magistrates’ Courts in Queensland, as well as in mediations and hearings in the Federal Circuit Court in Brisbane.
Sean returned to Victoria in 2016 and has appeared in final and interim hearings in the Family Court and Federal Circuit Court in Victoria and NSW, and Victorian Magistrates Courts. Sean now predominantly practises all areas of family law arising from matrimonial and de facto relationships, including parenting and property proceedings, and accepts country Circuit briefs.
Sean still continues to write travel articles and take photos for snow-sports publications and commercial partners, and during winter you will find him up in the High Country most weekends. Sean is the Vice-President of the Tarnagulla Golf Club in central Victoria, he also surfs along Victoria’s Surf Coast, and plays social basketball and tennis.