Sean Pribyl

Partner at Holland & Knight LLP

Speaker

Sean T. Pribyl is a Partner in Holland & Knight's Washington, D.C., office where he supports the firm’s Maritime, Transportation, International Trade, and National Security and Defense practices. With over 25 years of combined experience in the maritime sector, Mr. Pribyl focuses his practice on regulatory compliance, the Jones Act coastwise laws, port security and safety, marine casualty investigations, international trade and sanctions, oil/gas/renewable energy, emerging technologies, and MARPOL defense.

Prior to joining Holland & Knight, Mr. Pribyl worked as a senior claims executive and lawyer in Arendal, Norway, with the world's largest P&I Club. Prior to his time in Norway, he practiced law at an international law firm in Washington, D.C. Before entering private practice, he served as a U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) judge advocate (“JAG”) at the Eighth Coast Guard District in New Orleans, during which time he was the primary legal advisor to the USCG program offices and commands on unmanned systems. He was later assigned to the Office of Maritime and International Law at USCG Headquarters and was appointed a DOJ Special U.S. Attorney. Prior to law school, he served for eight years as a merchant mariner deck officer aboard U.S.- and Marshall Island-flagged offshore supply vessels, oceangoing cargo ships, and fiber-optic cable ships. He also served for 12 years as a naval reserve officer.

Mr. Pribyl is also an internationally recognized thought leader on novel and emerging technologies and is a regular speaker at international conferences on topics related to maritime law, advanced automation, marine casualties, renewable energy, and environmental matters in the maritime sector. He is a widely published author in various outlets, including chapter contributions to multiple treatises.

Outside the firm, Mr. Pribyl is the Chair of the American Bar Association Admiralty and Maritime Law Committee and is a Proctor in Admiralty with the U.S. Maritime Law Association. He was a six-year Member of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) Marine Board and served on NAS Study Committees that published consensus peer-review reports titled The Coast Guard’s Next Decade: An Assessment of Emerging Challenges and Statutory Needs and Leveraging Unmanned Systems for Coast Guard Missions. Mr. Pribyl has also served as a Senior Advisor to the World Maritime University-Sasakawa Global Ocean Institute.

Mr. Pribyl earned his LL.M. in International Business and Economic Law from Georgetown University Law Center, where he also served as a Fellow in the Institute of International Economic Law. He holds a M.A. degree in National Security and Strategic Studies from the U.S. Naval War College, a J.D. from Washburn University School of Law, and a B.S. from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy.