Sean E. Coonerty

Practice areas

Personal Injury – General: Plaintiff, Personal Injury – Medical Malpractice: Plaintiff

Focus areas

Animal Bites, Birth Injury, Brain Injury, Construction Accident, Delayed or Incorrect Diagnosis, Dram Shop Laws, Informed Consent, Medical Malpractice, Motor Vehicle Accidents, Personal Injury – Plaintiff, Premises Liability – Plaintiff, Slip and Fall, Trucking Accidents, Wrongful Death

Sean E. Coonerty is a highly accomplished personal injury attorney renowned for consistently achieving settlements exceeding $1 million, whether through trials or pre-trial negotiations, on behalf of clients who have suffered injuries in accidents. His primary focus is on representing construction workers, including those involved in ladder or scaffold accidents, incidents where heavy objects have fallen on them, or slip/trip and fall accidents at construction sites. Sean is particularly committed to advocating for lower-level laborers, who often find themselves in the most perilous work situations with minimal safety protections. Consequently, he possesses extensive expertise in the New York State Labor Law, the New York State Industrial Code, and OSHA regulations, frequently securing favorable judgments for his construction clients solely through his legal writing skills.

Beyond his legal career, Sean is actively engaged in various community organizations. He sponsors initiatives at construction worker organizations such as New Immigrant Community Empowerment (NICE), La Colmena, and the Liga Mexicana de Beisbol de New York Inc. baseball league. He is also a dedicated member of the Brain Injury Association of New York State (BIANYS) and participates in church-based programs, collaborating with numerous pastors to offer assistance to church congregants, particularly within the Latin communities.

Sean’s roots trace back to West Islip, Long Island, New York, where he attended West Islip High School. During his high school years, he excelled as a varsity tennis and soccer player, serving as the captain of the tennis team in his senior year, earning the title of Most Valuable Player, and achieving an undefeated record with his doubles team. He graduated in the top 6% of his class, which comprised over 425 students.

His journey began early in life, as Sean worked on the Great South Bay. At the age of 15, he started as a mate on the fishing boat, Captain Rod, based at the Captree Boat Basin. By 16, he became a deckhand at Fire Island Ferries in Bay Shore, where he eventually rose to the position of Ferry Captain, responsible for a crew of four and up to 400 passengers on vessels measuring up to 85 feet long by the time he was 19.

Sean pursued higher education at Binghamton University, where he earned a B.A. in Economics on an academic scholarship. Following his graduation, and after a year of full-time work at Fire Island Ferries, he received a scholarship to attend Brooklyn Law School. During his first year in law school, he interned for Federal Judge Hon. Denis Hurley in Hauppauge, NY. After completing his second year, Sean became a Summer Associate at Aaronson, Rappaport, Feinstein & Deutsch, LLP, in Manhattan, NY. Following a successful summer, he was offered a full-time position at the firm upon graduating from law school, becoming the first associate ever hired directly from law school. In this role, he was involved in all aspects of medical malpractice defense litigation, representing physicians of various specialties and medical institutions such as Brookdale Hospital, Brooklyn Hospital, and Methodist Hospital. He also contributed to the preparation of high-exposure cases for trial and participated in steering committees for the Phen-Fen and Breast Implant class actions. Additionally, he co-authored an article for The New York Law Journal on the Physician-Patient Privilege.

However, Sean’s perspective shifted after witnessing the injustices faced by plaintiffs during his time defending doctors and hospitals. In February 2001, he changed his career path, joining Geller & Siegel, LLP, a plaintiff’s personal injury and medical malpractice firm, as an Associate Attorney. By January 2008, he had become a partner, and the firm’s name changed to Geller, Siegel & Coonerty, LLP. Since 2011, the firm has operated as Siegel & Coonerty, LLP, with Sean continuing to represent a diverse range of plaintiff clients in personal injury, medical malpractice, and wrongful death cases. His specific areas of focus include construction and workplace accidents, automobile accidents, slip/trip and fall accidents, premises liability, and any other accidents resulting from negligence. Sean has managed numerous cases from the initial interview through trial, achieving verdicts in multiple New York City boroughs, as well as Nassau, Suffolk, Westchester, and Dutchess Counties. One of his notable trials involved representing a construction worker who fell 60 feet in an elevator shaft; after six weeks of trial, the case settled for $4.6 million.

Presently, Sean serves as the Managing Partner of the firm, overseeing its operations, and personally reviewing each case from its inception, providing a comprehensive outline for its handling until resolution. He maintains an open-door policy for clients, offering a direct line to his desk, emphasizing a client-focused approach. While his partner, Andy, now primarily handles significant trials, Sean remains actively involved in securing pre-trial mediations, where he has achieved numerous multimillion-dollar settlements.

Sean is licensed to practice law in New York State and the Federal Courts in the Eastern and Southern Districts. His exceptional legal prowess has earned him the distinction of being recognized as a Super Lawyer continuously since 2014. Super Lawyers represent the top 5% of lawyers specializing in personal injury and medical malpractice in the State of New York, as chosen by their peers.

In the course of his extensive legal career, Sean had the pleasure of meeting Ada Luz, his favorite Court Stenographer, during countless depositions. Their connection blossomed into love, leading to their marriage in May 2005. They now reside in Garden City, Long Island, New York, with their two children. Together, Sean and Ada Luz actively participate in various charitable organizations, including The Coalition for Children Against Abuse and Neglect, Circulo de Hispanidad, Team for Kids, and the Children’s Medical Fund. In addition to his legal pursuits, Sean enjoys playing tennis and platform tennis, skiing, coaching his children, and indulging in his passion for sports.