Sean Mulhall is an attorney at Milton, Leach, D’Andrea & Ritter.
WHAT DOES HE DO?
A civil litigator with the firm for six months, Mulhall specializes in railroad defense under the Federal Employers Liability Act and maritime work.
THE BIG CLIENTS
CSX and Florida East Coast Railway.
EDUCATION
St. Thomas University in Miami.
WHY GO INTO LAW?
“I was always interested in civics, history and government. I thought it would be something I would be good at.”
HOMETOWN
Nashville.
DE-BRIEFING
Fresh out of law school, Mulhall worked on a federal congressional campaign prior to joining the public defender’s office. “That [the public defender’s office] is where I got my trial experience.”
15 MINUTES
While working on the campaign, Mulhall had the opportunity to meet politicians Newt Gingrich and Jack Kemp. “They’re both impressive guys in their achievements and their philosophies.”
WHAT DO YOU ENJOY ABOUT THE PROFESSION?
“The intellectual challenge. You have to like to read; it’s a constant learning experience. That’s why they call it a practice — because you can never know everything.”
WHAT’S CHALLENGING ABOUT IT?
“Again, that it’s a constant learning process. There’s always a new issue to understand. Plus, there’s the competition aspect. If you’re in litigation you have a competitive nature. The goal is advancing your clients interests and hopefully prevailing.”
PROFESSIONAL TIES
A member of the Jacksonville Bar Association, Mulhall is on the organization’s Law Week Committee.
FAMILY
Since the arrival of his son Ryan, Mulhall stays busy with him and his wife Joanna at their Ponte Vedra Beach home.
HOBBIES
Inshore fishing, camping and riding mountain or road bicycles are his passions. When he’s not tuned into the television show “Band of Brothers,” Mulhall is pushing his way through “The Histories” by Herodotus. “It’s like an ancient version of the Discovery Channel.”
His favorite restaurant? Either Bistro Aix in San Marco or Al’s Pizza in Atlantic Beach suit him just fine.
HOW HAS SEPT. 11 IMPACTED THE JUDICIARY?
“There has been a positive reaction in the legal community. The JAG Corps are helping out. Initially, the legal implications relate to the estates and wills of the deceased. In particular areas like [Washington] D.C. or New York, there is a lot of work with families of those who died at the World Trade Center or the Pentagon. It’s amazing the amount of probate work to hit the New York court system. I’m sure at some point there will be litigation in terms of the building’s collapse, the condition of the structure, but I’m not experienced in construction law.”
—by Monica Chamness