Practice:

• Design & Construction
• Environmental
• Real Estate

Bar Admissions:

Massachusetts
Rhode Island
U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island
U.S. District Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia
U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit
U.S. Supreme Court

Experience:

Mr. Coffey heads the Firm's Providence, Rhode Island office and concentrates his practice in the areas of environmental, land use and real estate development law and government procurement. Mr. Coffey also currently serves as an Executive Committee member of Burns & Levinson. He represents owners and developers of real property and financial institutions with respect to land use proposals involving environmental requirements and regulations, particularly the remediation and adaptive reuse of Brownfields sites. He represents business clients before state and federal environmental regulatory agencies, state financing authorities and federal and state courts. Mr. Coffey also represents both business and industry before state and federal agencies with respect to air and water pollution and waste regulation. He represents public utilities, marine industries, manufacturing businesses and municipalities with respect to regulatory compliance. Mr. Coffey represents municipalities in regulatory approval, privatization procurement and financing of capital improvements to water supply and wastewater facilities.

Prior to joining Burns & Levinson in 2002, Mr. Coffey was with Peabody & Arnold LLP, where he was a Partner and member of the Business Group.

Mr. Coffey served the former Rhode Island Department of Natural Resources as staff counsel and assisted in the development of legislation creating the Department of Environmental Management where he served as legal counsel and chief legal counsel from 1977 to 1983. Mr. Coffey drafted many of the existing environmental laws in Rhode Island, including statutes dealing with hazardous waste management, solid waste disposal, wetlands protection, air pollution control, water pollution control and groundwater protection.

Memberships:

• American Bar Association
• Rhode Island Bar Association
• Providence Preservation Society, past President
• Rhode Island Bar Association, past Chair of the Committee on Environmental Law
• Save The Bay, past Board Member
• United Way of Southeastern New England, past Chair

Additional Information:

• He served as a Rhode Island State Senator from Providence's Second District from 1985 to 1991.
• In 1998, he completed a nine-year term as one of two Rhode Island advisors to the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Education:

• J.D., Boston University School of Law, 1976
• B.S.F.S, International Relations, Georgetown University, 1972

Awards:

• For over ten consecutive years, Mr. Coffey has been selected by Best Lawyers in America® as a leader in his field, Environmental Law. Best Lawyers® is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey in which 16,000 leading attorneys throughout the country cast more than half a million votes on the legal abilities of other lawyers in their specialties. Inclusion is considered a singular honor.
• On December 12, 2006, Mr. Coffey was honored at the annual meeting of the Providence Center, on the 20th anniversary of the Center's Homeless Outreach Team. The Providence Center is the area's largest community counseling and mental health agency. Sean was honored for his work as a Rhode Island state Senator, 20 years ago, in establishing and providing state funding to support the Team. The program has expanded over the years and has been designated by the state of Rhode Island to take its methods and services throughout the state.
• In 1988, his efforts as a member of the Rhode Island Senate were acknowledged with a commendation for Outstanding Leadership by the Rhode Island Historical Preservation Commission and a Citation for Achievement by the Providence Preservation Society.
• In 1990, his legislative leadership was acknowledged by both the Sierra Club and Common Cause.
• In 1995, he was named Community Volunteer of the Year by the United Way of Southeastern New England and Civil Libertarian of the Year by the Rhode Island affiliate of the American Civil Liberties Union.
• Rhode Island Super Lawyer in 2009, 2008 and 2007. The selection of attorneys is based on a poll and internal research done by Law & Politics Magazine and reviewed by an independent blue ribbon panel of their peers. Listed attorneys and finalists consist of the top 5% of attorneys in Rhode Island. The listing appeared in the November issue of Rhode Island Monthly and in New England Super Lawyers Magazine.

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