On Wednesday, July 10, 2024, the Supreme Court of New Jersey issued an Order reinstating attorney Sean Lawrence Branigan to the practice of law in the state.
The case is entitled “In the Matter of Sean Lawrence Branigan,” with case no. 089611.
Branigan was suspended from practicing law for three months beginning on March 8, 2024. This suspension followed a determination by the state’s Disciplinary Review Board (DRB) regarding Branigan’s conduct related to his law firm’s multi-year advertising campaign.
According to the DRB’s decision, between April 2016 and September 2019, Branigan served as the managing attorney of Branigan & Associates, LLC, overseeing the firm’s extensive direct mail solicitation efforts directed at individuals facing various legal charges. During this period, the firm was estimated to have sent as many as one million solicitation letters and envelopes to prospective clients throughout New Jersey.
Many of these mailings contained potentially misleading language. For example, some letters referenced potential jail time or criminal consequences for traffic offenses, where such outcomes were highly unlikely. Letterheads also sometimes listed county names prominently above the law firm name, in a way that could imply the letters were official court notices. At least one letter listed the address of a private mail handling facility as the law office location.
In June 2023, after a formal disciplinary investigation, the DRB determined Branigan had committed multiple violations of New Jersey ethics rules related to attorney advertising. While the DRB acknowledged no clients suffered harm, they stressed the large volume of non-compliant mailings sent over an extended period after regulators had notified the firm of issues. As such, they recommended a three-month suspension as the appropriate level of discipline.
The Supreme Court agreed with the DRB’s findings and imposed the suspension through an order in February 2024.
However, on July 10, 2024, the Court issued an order reinstating Branigan to practice following the conclusion of his suspension period.
The Disposition states:
“It is ORDERED that Sean Lawrence Branigan is reinstated to the practice of law, effective immediately.”
According to avvo.com, Mr. Branigan is a sexual harassment attorney in West Orange, New Jersey. He attended the New York Law School, graduating in 2000. He acquired his law license in New Jersey in 2005.
A copy of the original filing can be found here.
