Sean has devoted his legal career to public finance, serving as bond counsel, disclosure counsel, underwriters’ counsel and bank counsel. Sean opened the San Francisco office of Hawkins in 2000. His practice areas include government finance, nonprofit corporation finance and representation of banks, including direct placement loans. His government clients include the City and County of San Francisco, the cities of Oakland and San Jose and the counties of Alameda, Santa Clara and Solano. Sean has recently worked on nonprofit corporation financings for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, California Academy of Sciences, Claremont McKenna College, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Salk Institute, Scripps Research Institute and Stanford University. Sean frequently represents banks in connection with a variety of credit facilities, including direct placement loans.

Sean has extensive experience serving as bond counsel and disclosure counsel to public agencies in general obligation and lease financings, water, sewer and other enterprise financings, transportation and redevelopment and multifamily housing bond financings. He has worked with numerous California counties and cities, including the counties of Alameda, Solano, San Francisco, Santa Clara and Tehama and the cities of Oakland, Roseville, Salinas, San Mateo, San Jose, Tulare and Watsonville. Sean has also worked with a variety of special districts including the Central Marin Sanitation Agency, Oro Loma Sanitary District, Santa Clara Valley Water District and Sausalito-Marin City Sanitary District. 

In Hawaii, Sean has served as bond counsel and disclosure counsel to the State of Hawaii, the University of Hawaii, the County of Maui and other public agencies in the State of Hawaii. 

Sean is active in the area of nonprofit corporation finance, including higher education, k-12 private schools, cultural institutions and research and scientific institutions. He  frequently serves as bond counsel, disclosure counsel, lender's counsel, and underwriters’ counsel for financings in this area. Sean has worked with a variety of nonprofit institutions, including the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, California Academy of Sciences, Claremont McKenna College, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Los Angeles Natural History Museum, Loyola Marymount University, the Salk Institute, Scripps College, Stanford University, University of San Francisco and numerous other educational and cultural institutions. Sean has worked with a wide variety of primary and secondary private schools, including the Branson School, Francis Parker School, La Jolla Country Day School, Marin Academy, Menlo School, Polytechnic School and University High School.

As part of his higher education practice, Sean has worked with public universities such as California State University and the University of Hawaii, and, earlier in his career, the State University of New York.

Sean is a frequent speaker at bond finance conferences, including conferences sponsored by the American Association of Port Authorities, The Bond Buyer, the California Association of Museums, the California Society of Municipal Analysts, the Association for Governmental Leasing and Finance and the California Debt and Investment Advisory Commission. Sean is the past President of the Bay Area Municipal Forum, served on the Board of Trustees, and the Finance and Audit Committees, of the San Francisco Asian Art Museum and served as a member of the Citizens Advisory Committee of the Marin Municipal Water District.

Professional Membership

  • National Association of Bond Lawyers

Sean is the past President of the Bay Area Municipal Forum, served on the Board of Trustees, and the Finance and Audit Committees, of the San Francisco Asian Art Museum and served as a member of the Citizens Advisory Committee of the Marin Municipal Water District.