Sean T. O’Connell

Attorney Sean O’Connell has been with Shaheen & Gordon since the start of his legal career. He maintains an active practice, working regularly as a mediator while serving as chair for the firm’s Business Law practice group, a department he helped to establish and grow.

As a business attorney, Sean has helped clients in New Hampshire and Maine manage the life and health of their businesses, including purchase and sales, acquisition, entity selection and creation as well as corporate dissolution, drafting, defending and challenging non-compete, and other restrictive covenants. Whether through business transactions or litigation, Sean is focused on reaching efficient and fair outcomes and helping clients build things that last.

Sean is also an active mediation lawyer, certified in Intensive Mediation by Harvard Law School’s Program on Negotiation. Through his litigation practice, Sean has worked on hundreds of mediations, building experience and strategy in alternative dispute resolution (ADR). Sean brings an effective and informed approach to the mandatory state mediation process; helping each party work toward a mutually agreeable solution to their disagreement without the need for an expensive, stressful, and protracted court case.

An affable conversationalist and active community member in his native Durham, NH and across the Seacoast, Sean understands the needs of business owners and knows how to help people find common ground and move forward. He has a knack for seeing the big picture: When people come to him with problems, he takes a step back to look for the broader issues that led to this point and works to resolve them.

Sean’s work has been recognized with awards from The Best Lawyers in America®. He has served on the boards of several locally active organizations, including the Children’s Museum of New Hampshire, Dover Police Charities, Dover Children’s Home, the UNH Alumni Awards Committee, and Great Bay Rowing, which he also founded.

His interest and involvement in strengthening local businesses was celebrated by the Dover Chamber of Commerce when it named him Citizen of the Year in 2024.

Sean received his B.A. in Political Science from the University of New Hampshire in 1987 and then went on to compete in the U.S. National Rowing Team for several years. Sean received his Juris Doctorate from UNH Law School in 1995.

Outside of work, Sean loves getting outdoors with his family, whether that’s hiking, gravel biking, or simply spending the day at the lake. He is also an avid music fan and constantly listens to new songs as he works. (Spotify informs him that he’s one of their most active listeners.)