Sean M. Phelan

A significant part of Sean's practice is devoted to helping employees with disabilities, including mental or psychiatric disabilities, to obtain reasonable accommodations, such as medical leave, a reduced schedule, assistive devices, or other job modifications, that can enable employees to continue working. Sean also pursues discrimination and retaliation claims for her clients through negotiation, mediation and litigation. In addition, Sean frequently counsels and represents employees regarding severance offers, employment contracts and wage disputes.

Sean is fluent in spoken and written Spanish, and enjoys representing Spanish –speaking clients in employment claims. She has traveled, worked or studied in various parts of the world, including Chile, Switzerland, Costa Rica, and the Ivory Coast. Most recently, Sean participated in a number of research delegations to Cuba, where she studied the recent re-emergence of self-employment.

Sean is also a trained mediator and has completed Pepperdine University's course on Mediating the Litigated Case. She is available to serve as a mediator in employment disputes and welcomes opportunities to combine her mediation training and bilingual skills.

Client Comments about Sean:

"Sean worked sympathetically and patiently with me in a moment of personal crisis when I found myself unexpectedly being separated from my employment. Not only did she represent my interests fairly and professionally, she walked me through, step-by-step, the severance agreement I was offered. The supportive and candid advice she provided not only readied me for my transition out of my old job, but frankly gave me much more confidence to seek my next job with a new employer. I would highly recommend Sean to anyone who inquired."

Sales & Marketing Executive

"Ms. Phelan's representation goes above and beyond by demonstrating honesty, grace, and patience with her clients as well as before the court. I highly recommend Attorney Sean M. Phelan and the law firm of Frank Freed Subit & Thomas LLP."

Public employee

Education

J.D. – City University of New York (CUNY) Law School

B.A. – Cornell University

Bar Admissions

Washington; New York

Professional & Civic Involvement

Sean is the current Treasurer of the Washington Employment Lawyers' Association (WELA), and a past co-chair of the EEO Committee of the annual King County Pacific Coast Labor and Employment Law Conference. Sean is also a founding member of the Laurel Rubin Farmworker Justice Project, a program that has funded summer internships for law students who represent farmworkers in central and eastern Washington State. She is a past Chair of the Washington State Bar Association Labor and Employment Section, past co-chair of the Washington State Trial Lawyers Association Employment Section and a past Board Member of the King County Washington Women Lawyers. Sean has presented at numerous professional conferences and has been named A Rising Star by Washington Law & Politics.

In addition to her employment law practice, Sean has been an adjunct professor at Seattle University, where she has taught a legal writing lab.

Personal

When she is not lawyering, Sean is an avid traveler every chance she gets. She also enjoys encaustic painting, dancing, spending time with her dog Otis, cooking and reading.