Sean Higgins

Partner

Sean.Higgins@lewisbrisbois.com

Sean Higgins is a partner in the Houston office of Lewis Brisbois and a member of the Appellate and Toxic Tort & Environmental Litigation Practices. He represents clients in appellate courts in Texas, California, Michigan and in various federal circuits, including the Fifth, Sixth and Tenth Circuits. He has obtained reversal of millions of dollars in jury verdicts and has numerous significant published decisions to his name. Sean also regularly represents clients at trial in business disputes, toxic tort and general liability cases. He has won numerous jury trials and takes pride in the fact that no client of his has ever paid a jury verdict. Sean also specializes in supporting other trial counsel in ensuring that appropriate legal arguments are made and preserved for appeal. Sean maintains a sharp focus on counseling clients, with an eye toward obtaining the best and most economical outcomes.

Areas of Focus:

Appellate
Sean represents clients in appellate courts in Texas and throughout the United States. He has obtained reversal of multiple multi-million dollar verdicts and has secured appellate intervention in cases prior to trial. He has also designed advanced motion and appellate programs for clients.

Business Litigation
Sean regularly represents clients in business disputes involving unfair competition, protection of trade secrets and general contractual claims. He is skilled at guiding his clients past business and reputational risks. However, when issues arise he is equally skilled in navigating the litigation, arbitration, mediation and appeals processes.

Toxic Tort 
Sean represents defendants in asbestos, benzene and other toxic tort cases that generally involve manufacturers or distributors of chemicals or the equipment that exposes individuals to chemicals in the workplace as well as owners and lessors of premises where toxic chemicals are used.

Primary Area(s) of Practice

  • Appellate
  • Complex Business & Commercial Litigation
  • Toxic Tort & Environmental Litigation
  • COVID-19: Commercial & Contractual Litigation Disputes
  • Asbestos Litigation

Additional Experience

Admissions

Texas

California

Michigan

Education

University of Wisconsin-Madison

Juris Doctor, 1991

Oakland University

Bachelor of Arts, Political Science and Government, 1988

Representative Cases

  • Obtained defense verdict for a start-up oil field services company and its officers against a competitor’s claim that his clients converted confidential information and violated a covenant not to compete, recruit or hire. After a two-week trial, the jury took just 15 minutes to return a verdict in favor of defendants and award damages on a counter-claim and attorney’s fees.
  • Obtained a defense verdict for a property owner in an underground storage tank case.
  • Obtained reversal of multimillion-dollar verdicts in asbestos (mesothelioma) cases. 
  • Obtained dismissal of more than 1,000 asbestos claims in the Federal MDL Asbestos Litigation. 
  • Member of a team of attorneys who represented two major automobile manufacturers in asbestos friction litigation at the trial and appellate level. The representation culminated in a successful Daubert/Havner challenge before the Texas statewide pretrial judge.