Sean Claggett

Partner

Sean Claggett is an established Las Vegas personal injury attorney and handles difficult cases across the country. Sean founded Claggett & Sykes Trial Lawyers in 2005, and is the firm’s lead trial lawyer.

In 2017, Sean was recognized by his fellow trial lawyers of the Nevada Justice Association as Nevada’s Trial Attorney of the Year. In 2023, Sean and our trial team in New Mexico won a record $485 million jury verdict against a national healthcare company, Acadia Healthcare, Inc., for its involvement in placing children in a foster care home with a known sexual predator.

Education

Certifications & Achievements

Bar Admissions

Publications

Sean-Claggette
Attorney Badges

Proven Trial Success

In 2016, Sean had the fourth most influential verdict in the United States according to Courtroom View Network, stemming from a slip and fall at Lowe’s in which his client suffered a TBI after she slipped, fell, and knocked down a three-foot yellow warning cone. Lowe’s top offer before the verdict was $1,400,000.00, and the referring plaintiff attorney offered to resolve the case for $1,749,999.99. The jury returned a verdict in the amount of $16,430,000.00.

Sean’s trial success continued with two verdicts in 2018 in the amounts of $20,000,000.00 and $3,382,000.00. Sean’s verdict of $20,000,000.00 was recognized as the fourth most influential verdict in the United States according to Courtroom View Network, stemming from a negligence case against an HOA for failing to maintain its swing set. The HOA’s top offer before trial was $400,000.00, and the referring plaintiff offered the HOA to resolve the case for $949,000.00. The plaintiff in the case suffered a TBI.

Sean’s trial success continued in 2019 as he obtained a verdict of $645,814.33 in which there was a 16-day gap in treatment after the initial wreck, and then, after eight months of physical therapy treatment, there was a three and a half year gap in treatment before the plaintiff obtained further treatment for his back injury. The top offer from the defense was $50,000.00, and the referring attorney agreed to accept $180,000.00 to resolve the case prior to trial.

Later that year, Sean received an honorable mention from Courtroom View Network as having one of the year’s most impressive trials for his work on a medical malpractice trial where his client suffered a TBI. Sean asked for $63,000,000.00 in closing arguments and the case settled before the jury returned a verdict.

In 2020, Courtroom View Network named Sean to its “Who We’re Watching” list. Courtroom View Network says that after more than a decade of capturing trials for its streaming network, the lawyers on this list are its best of the best of the decade and are the lawyers that other lawyers should watch if they’re looking to improve their craft.

In 2021, Sean obtained a $38,750,000 verdict on behalf the mother of an 11-year girl who was killed by a garbage truck while crossing the street in a marked crosswalk. The top defense offer before trial was $1,000,000.

In 2023, Sean was part of the trial team which secured a jury verdict of $485,000,000 in New Mexico. We believe this is the largest single-plaintiff sexual abuse verdict ever. He also obtained a $48,630,000 verdict on behalf Amy Geiler, a woman left in a locked-in state as a result of medical negligence. We invite you to read Amy’s story here.

In February 2024, Sean secured a $20,000,000 verdict in a product defect case. The trial, which began in late 2023, took three months.

Education

Sean is a proud graduate from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. In 2000, he received a Bachelor or Arts in Political Science. Soon after, he graduated cum laude from UNLV’s William S. Boyd School of Law in 2003. During his time at the Boyd School of Law, he was a staff editor of the Nevada Law Journal as well as a member of the National Moot Court team. As a law student he won the Society of Advocates oral argument competition.

After graduating from Boyd School of Law, Sean was employed at a high-profile criminal defense law firm. After working for this firm for over two and a half years, Sean made the decision to start his own firm. On January 1, 2005, Sean opened his own law firm with a single client and one employee. Today Claggett & Sykes Trial Lawyers has over 60 employees, including over 20 attorneys.

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Notable Verdicts & Settlements
$485,000,000: Sexual Abuse

(Jury verdict / sexual abuse)

Notable Verdicts & Settlements
$38,750,000: Premises Liability

(Jury verdict / trucking / wrongful death)

Meet Sean Claggett, founder of Claggett & Sykes

Sean Claggett Named a “Titan of Trial” by Trial Lawyers University

Sean Claggett was named a “Titan of Trial” by Trial Lawyers University. He is one of only six attorneys selected for this honor. Watch his interview about the trial process here.

Awards

In 2009, Sean was elected by his peers to serve on the board of the Boyd School of Law Alumni Association. Sean has served as both the Vice President and President of this board. In 2010, Sean was named Alumni of the Year for the Boyd School of Law. In 2023, he was awarded the inaugural William S. Boyd School of Law Alumni Association Legacy Award.

Sean has also been recognized by Legal Aid of Southern Nevada for his Pro Bono work he has done over the year and also acts as an arbitrator for personal injury cases throughout the Las Vegas area. Additionally, in 2013, Sean became an adjunct professor at UNLV Boyd School of Law, where he currently teaches Law Practice Management.

Sean is a frequent speaker at conferences and seminars on trial techniques and has taught thousands of other trial lawyers from across the country. Sean has been recognized by many attorneys as one of the top trial attorneys in Nevada and was named Trial Lawyer of the Year in 2017 by his peers. It is no wonder that attorneys all over the country have requested him to consult or co-counsel on cases that are proceeding to trial.

Sean’s success as a trial lawyer has allowed him to expand his philanthropic passion. Sean and his firm have donated both time and money to charities such as the Challenged Athletes Foundation, HELP of Southern Nevada, Three Square, Child Seekers, March of Dimes, Greg Maddux Foundation, Boy Scouts of America, and Boys and Girls Clubs of Southern Nevada, just to name a few.

In his spare time, Sean enjoys cycling, playing and coaching baseball, traveling, and spending time with his wife and two kids.

Podcast

Sean Claggett is a popular podcast guest. We invite you to listen here:

  • Tip the Scales Podcast, Episode 79 - Sean Claggett – How Big Data Leads to Big Verdicts - May 1, 2024:
    🎧 Apple and Spotify
  • Tip the Scales Podcast, Episode 37 - Sean Claggett – Keep Your Balance: Focusing on What Matters Most - July 5, 2023:
    🎧 Apple and Spotify
  • Settlement Nation with Courtney Barber: The Winning Formula of Working Hard and Being Kind with Trial Lawyer Sean Claggett (Part 2) – December 7, 2023:
    🎧 Apple and Spotify
  • Settlement Nation with Courtney Barber: The Winning Formula of Working Hard and Being Kind with Trial Lawyer Sean Claggett – October 17, 2023:
    🎧 Apple and Spotify
  • On Premises – Sean Claggett on Brain Injuries & Collapsing Swingsets – December 5, 2022:
    🎧 Apple and Spotify
  • The Game Changing Attorney Podcast with Michael Mogill, Episode 118 – Litigating Legends: Lessons Learned from the Nation’s Leading Trial Attorneys – July 26, 2022:
    🎧 Apple
  • The Game Changing Attorney Podcast with Michael Mogill, Episode 79 – Sean Claggett: Fewer Cases, More Success: How Focus and Hard Work Lead to Wins – October 12, 2021:
    🎧 Apple and Spotify
  • Elawvate, Episode 18 – Pioneering a Data-Driven Approach to Trial with Sean Claggett:
    🎧 Apple
  • Cases That Made a Difference, Episode 6 – Sharing Knowledge with Other Lawyers:
    🎧 Apple and Spotify
  • Cases That Made a Difference® - Claggett & Sykes Wins Record $485 Million Sexual Abuse Verdict:
    🎧 Apple and Spotify