About
Sean O'Hara
Employment Attorney
Sean O'Hara has been practicing employment law since 2011 — over 15 years of fighting exclusively for employees. In that time, he has represented more than 800 clients and recovered tens of millions of dollars on their behalf. He has never represented an employer. Every case he takes is on behalf of a worker.
Sean graduated from Hofstra University School of Law in May 2011, where he served as Research Editor for the Hofstra Labor and Employment Law Journal (Volumes 27 & 28) and completed the E. David Woycik, Jr. Intensive Trial Techniques Program. He is admitted to practice in New York and New Jersey, as well as the Eastern and Southern Districts of New York.
Over 15 years, Sean has built relationships with opposing counsel, mediators, and agencies that routinely expedite resolution — getting clients results faster and with less disruption to their lives. He has been recognized as a Super Lawyer every year since 2022 and as a Rising Star from 2018 through 2021, distinctions awarded to the top 5% of New York attorneys.
The Road Here
Aloha.
Sean O'Hara did not grow up in one place. He grew up in all of them. Born in Maine, his early years took him south to Alabama, then east to North Carolina, then north to Virginia — a childhood shaped by constant motion, new schools, new neighbors, and the particular resilience that comes from learning to belong somewhere new.
Then came Hawaii. The islands left a mark that never faded — the aloha spirit, the sense of community, the understanding that how you treat people matters more than where you come from. From Hawaii, the journey continued to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba — the naval station at the southeastern tip of the island, a world unto itself, surrounded by water and history.
That road — Maine to Alabama to North Carolina to Virginia to Hawaii to Guantanamo to New York — is not incidental to who Sean is as a lawyer. It is the foundation. He knows what it means to be the outsider, to navigate unfamiliar terrain, and to stand your ground when the odds are not in your favor. He brings that understanding to every client he represents.
Aloha — hello, goodbye, and everything in between. It means love, peace, and compassion. Sean carries it with him still.
Guantanamo Bay, Cuba
Home
Long Island.
After a lifetime of moving — Maine, Alabama, North Carolina, Virginia, Hawaii, Guantanamo — Sean O'Hara found his home on Long Island. The water, the communities, the people who work hard and expect to be treated fairly: it felt right.
Long Island is where Sean built his practice, raised his family, and put down roots. It is the place that shaped him as a lawyer — surrounded by workers, tradespeople, and professionals who needed someone willing to fight for them. That is the work he chose. That is the work he does.
This is home.
"I work exclusively for employees. My job is to level the playing field."
— Sean O'Hara
What Sean Fights For
Sexual Harassment
Representing victims of quid pro quo harassment, hostile work environments, and employer retaliation — in court and before the EEOC and NYSDHR.
Workplace Discrimination
Advocating for employees who have faced discrimination based on race, gender, age, disability, religion, national origin, or sexual orientation.
Wrongful Termination
Fighting for employees who were fired in violation of the law — including retaliation for whistleblowing, protected leave, or asserting their legal rights.
Wage & Hour Violations
Recovering unpaid overtime, minimum wage violations, and misclassification damages for workers across New York.
Education & Admissions
Education
- ◆Hofstra University School of Law — J.D., May 2011
- ◆Hofstra Labor and Employment Law Journal, Vols. 27 & 28 — Research Editor (Vol. 28)
- ◆E. David Woycik, Jr. Intensive Trial Techniques Program
Bar Admissions
- ◆State of New York
- ◆State of New Jersey
- ◆U.S. District Court — Eastern District of New York
- ◆U.S. District Court — Southern District of New York
Experience
- ◆Leeds Brown Law, P.C. — Senior Associate, Fall 2012 – Present
- ◆Supreme Court, Appellate Division, Second Department (Hon. Sandra Sgroi) — Law Fellow, Winter 2012 – Fall 2012
Leeds Brown Law, P.C.
Sean is a Senior Associate at Leeds Brown Law, P.C., a Long Island-based employment law firm with offices in Mineola and Manhattan. The firm focuses exclusively on employment and labor law, representing employees in discrimination, harassment, wage theft, whistleblower retaliation, and wrongful termination cases across New York.
Leeds Brown has recovered millions of dollars for workers who were mistreated, underpaid, or forced out of their jobs. Sean works alongside a team of experienced employment litigators who share his commitment to employee advocacy — and his refusal to represent the other side.
Recognition
Super Lawyers
2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026
Rising Stars
2018, 2019, 2020, 2021
Top 5%
of New York attorneys recognized by Super Lawyers
The Peacemakers, George P.A. Healy, 1868
Settlement & Mediation
Lawyers as Peacemakers
Lincoln understood that the most consequential victories are won at the table, not on the battlefield. Long before Appomattox, he was trading, persuading, and maneuvering — offering lenient terms to Confederate officers, pressing reluctant congressmen one by one to secure the votes for the Thirteenth Amendment, and making the moral case for emancipation as both a military necessity and an act of national conscience. The River Queen meeting in March 1865 was the culmination of that strategy: Lincoln and his generals gathered not to plan the next assault, but to negotiate the shape of the peace that would follow.
That is the tradition Healy's painting captures — and the one the best employment lawyers inhabit. Strength at the negotiating table does not come from bluster. It comes from preparation, from knowing the law cold, and from the credible threat of what happens if the other side walks away.
Sean O'Hara approaches every case with that same dual readiness. When settlement serves his client's interests — delivering fair compensation quickly and privately — he negotiates with the full weight of a trial-ready record behind him. Employers know that Sean prepares every case as if it will go before a jury, which is precisely why they come to the table.
Mediation and settlement are not compromises. In the right circumstances, they are the most powerful tools an employee's attorney can wield — securing real results without the cost and uncertainty of prolonged litigation.
Ready to Talk?
Consultations are confidential. There is no obligation.