Sean has built his career around a singular focus: bankruptcy law, approached from every angle. He's represented Chapter 7 and liquidating trustees, secured lenders, landlords, individual and unsecured creditors, and small business debtors — giving him a rare, well-rounded perspective on how bankruptcy cases play out for every party at the table. His practice spans the full range of bankruptcy and related litigation, and he approaches every matter with a practical, results-driven sensibility shaped by years in bankruptcy courts nationwide.

Sean regularly represents Chapter 7 and liquidating trustees, pursuing recoveries for the benefit of creditors. He also serves as counsel to creditors of every kind, including secured lenders, landlords, individuals, and general unsecured creditors. He has substantial experience prosecuting and defending preference and fraudulent transfer actions. Sean has also represented numerous small business debtors and confirmed plans nationwide. In addition to his bankruptcy practice, Sean also handles general corporate matters, including out-of-court restructurings and the sale of "healthy" businesses.

Sean is a member of the Chicago Bar Association and the American Bankruptcy Institute. He writes and speaks frequently on bankruptcy and restructuring topics, most recently on merchant cash advance agreements in bankruptcy. Before joining FactorLaw, Sean was a partner at Levenfeld Pearlstein, LLC, in Chicago. Earlier in his career, he served as an extern to the Hon. Bruce W. Black, then Chief Judge of the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Illinois.

Education

The John Marshall Law School, J.D., cum laude, 2013
Augustana College, B.A., cum laude, 2010

Admissions

Illinois
U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois
U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit

Awards

Illinois Super Lawyers Rising Stars, 2019–2026
The Best Lawyers in America: Ones to Watch, 2024, 2025
Conrad B. Duberstein Bankruptcy Moot Court Competition
Candidacy Editor, The John Marshall Law Review

Publications and Presentations

Subchapter V Plans — The Best Interests Test and Owner Pay Issues

The Consequences of Suing a Debtor After the Bankruptcy Case has been Filed

Receivers and Bankruptcy: In re Southern Pointe Land and Section 543 of the Bankruptcy Code

Insider Section 363 Sales That Survive Scrutiny

Pass-Through Taxes: The Ninth Circuit BAP Holds There Is No Per Se Bar on Deducting Owner Taxes from Subchapter V Projected Disposable Income

Rejection Is Not Eviction: Section 365(h) of the Bankruptcy Code and the Deadline to Make an Election

When the Debtor Owns the LLC but not its Cash: In re Samy and the Property Interest Requirement of § 544(b)

The Hidden Preference “Defense”: Why an Assumed Contract Defeats the Trustee’s Claim

A Bankruptcy Filing Is Not a Removal Vote: Dissociation Statutes as Unenforceable Ipso Facto Clauses

Selling to Yourself in Chapter 11: When the “Third-Party” Buyer Is a Non-Statutory Insider

Merchant Cash Advance or Disguised Loan? What Bankruptcy Courts Look For

Pleading “Reasonable Due Diligence” under the Amendments to Section 547(b), ABI: Young & New Members Newsletter, Oct 1, 2022

Business Case Updates, Presentation: ABI Central States 2026, June 6, 2026

Defending Against Bankruptcy Avoidance Actions, DailyDac Webinar, Apr. 23, 2026

Merchant Cash Advances in Bankruptcy: True Sale or Loan, Effect on Post-Petition Receivables, Liens, and More, Stafford/BARBRI Webinar, Sep. 11, 2025

Going Bankrupt in Public – Ongoing Privacy Issues in Bankruptcy, Chicago Bar Association (Hon Robert E. Ginsburg Annual Program on Commercial Bankruptcy), Apr. 29, 2025

Subchapter V Creditor Issues, Presentation at ABI: Central States, 2024, June 18, 2024

Beyond the Silver Screen: Understanding Third-Party Releases — Insights from Mass Tort Cases and the Supreme Court, Chicago Bar Association (Hon Robert E. Ginsburg Annual Program on Commercial Bankruptcy), Apr. 16, 2024

Chapter 11 Filing Authority, Presentation to the Chicago Bar Association, YLS Bankruptcy Committee, Feb. 12, 2024

Getting it Right: Everything You Need to Know About Bankruptcy Appeals, Presentation to the Chicago Bar Association, YLS Bankruptcy Committee, Feb. 13, 2023

Advanced Topics in Avoidance Actions, Presentation to the Chicago Bar Association, YLS Bankruptcy Committee, Feb. 14, 2022

Section 365 of the Bankruptcy Code – Lessons for Vendors, Landlords, and Trade Creditors, Presentation to the Chicago Bar Association, YLS Bankruptcy Committee, Apr. 6, 2021

The Finality of Sale Orders under Section 363(m) of the Bankruptcy Code, Presentation to the Chicago Bar Association, YLS Bankruptcy Committee, Feb. 11, 2020

Dealing with PACA Trust Claims in Bankruptcy, Presentation to the Chicago Bar Association, YLS Bankruptcy Committee, Feb. 5, 2019

Bankruptcy and Operating Agreements: Filing Authority, Dissociation, and Operating Agreements as Executory Contracts, Presentation to the Chicago Bar Association, YLS Bankruptcy Committee, Nov. 1, 2017

Pre-Bankruptcy Considerations and Strategies for Corporate Attorneys, Presentation to the Chicago Bar Association, YLS Corporate Committee, Oct. 1, 2017

Trigger Warning: Petters, Substantive Consolidation, and its Effect on Pursuing State Law Fraudulent Transfer Claims, Presentation to the Chicago Bar Association, YLS Bankruptcy Committee, Nov. 1, 2016

Structured Dismissals in Chapter 11 Bankruptcies, Presentation to the Chicago Bar Association, YLS Bankruptcy Committee, Nov. 1, 2015