Sean Ponist
Professional Affiliations
Admissions
Education
Recognized Excellence
Sean E. Ponist is a highly regarded trial attorney and the owner and founder of the Ponist Law Group, with offices in San Diego and San Francisco. As a skilled civil litigator and former prosecutor, Sean is a forceful courtroom advocate for his clients. Over his 22-year career, he has tried over 35 cases to verdict and brings significant litigation and trial experience to his representation of clients.
In acknowledgment of his accomplishments, Sean has been recognized as a “Super Lawyer,” a distinction awarded to less than 5% of attorneys, for more than ten years (2011- Present). Additionally, Sean is a fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America, a trial lawyer honorary society whose membership is limited to less than 1% percent of North American lawyers, judges and scholars. He has also been recognized as one of the Best of the Bar by the San Diego Business Journal.
High Stakes Advocacy
Sean’s practice covers a broad range of high stakes civil litigation matters, including real estate (purchase and sale disputes, nondisclosure issues, broker malpractice, commercial unlawful detainer, and other real property issues), construction and construction defect (construction delay, construction and design defect cases, mechanic’s liens and other construction issues), business litigation (breach of contract actions, officer and director liability, unfair competition, business insurance claims, securities litigation and other business partnership and corporate disputes), financial elder abuse and defense of government enforcement actions (white collar defense). As a former prosecutor, Sean is able to aggressively prosecute claims on behalf of their clients as well as defend against actions brought by others.
Legal Experience
Sean started his career as a Deputy District Attorney with the Marin County District Attorney’s Office, where he tried more than 25 misdemeanor and felony cases to verdict. Thereafter, he was the Associate General Counsel for Marcus & Millichap, one of the largest commercial real estate brokerage companies, where he handled a wide range of real estate matters. Sean later was a Principal at Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy where he handled complex, high-stakes commercial litigation. Prior to founding Ponist Law Group, Sean was a Partner at Peterson, Martin & Reynolds, where he focused on real estate, construction, and business litigation matters.
Articles and Presentations
Sean has published numerous articles and presented on a variety of real estate and litigation topics, including: