Sean Coutain

Mr. Coutain is one of Seattle’s most exceptionally qualified attorneys. His career spans a rare combination of white-collar criminal defense, corporate regulatory matters, and traditional “street crime” cases. A Harvard Law School graduate, Mr. Coutain spent the first nine years of his career in the white-collar defense practices at two of the world’s most prestigious law firms—Skadden and Proskauer—where he represented senior executives, including Executive Chairmen, CEOs, CFOs, Heads of Internal Audit, and sales executives, in high-stakes criminal and regulatory enforcement matters. He brings deep expertise in securities fraud, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) violations, revenue recognition issues, and a wide range of corporate criminal investigations.

Mr. Coutain began his legal career in California, working for six years in Los Angeles and another six in Silicon Valley. He was a trial team member in several nationally prominent cases, including United States v. Gregory Reyes (the first criminal trial involving stock option backdating) and United States v. Barry Bonds, the federal prosecution of Major League Baseball’s all-time home run leader.

His experience is global in scope. Mr. Coutain has led or participated in criminal, regulatory, and corporate internal investigations in the U.S., Australia, Israel, Ukraine, Russia, Mexico, Brazil, Germany, China, Taiwan, the Netherlands, Canada, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, India, France, the United Kingdom, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates. He also served as in-house counsel overseeing regulatory compliance and internal investigations at major technology firms such as Meta, Snap, and Applied Materials.

In addition to 18 years in private practice, Mr. Coutain spent four years as a state and federal public defender handling a wide range of charges, including DUI, domestic violence, fraud, drug and weapons trafficking, RICO violations, assaults, sex offenses, human trafficking, extraditions and homicides.

• Free Consultation
  Seattle Defense offers in-depth one-hour paid consultations for $500, which will be credited towards your retainer if you hire the firm. We also offer free, 15 minute case reviews to determine whether Seattle Defense is the right firm for your case.
• Rates, Retainers and Additional Information
  Seattle Defense charges flat fees for non-corporate criminal matters, and hourly rates for corporate internal investigations and white-collar criminal cases.

California

Washington

Washington State Bar Association

ID Number: 62459

Since 2024

Associate

Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP

Current

Harvard Law School

J.D

2003

McGill University

B.A

2000

Washington State Bar Association  # 62459

Member

2024 - Current