Sean T. Pribyl is a Partner in Holland & Knight’s Washington, D.C., office where he supports the firm’s Maritime, International Trade, Energy, Autonomous Transportation, and Space Technology practices. With more than 25 years of combined experience in the maritime sector, Mr. Pribyl focuses his practice on regulatory compliance, marine casualty investigations, international trade and sanctions, autonomous transportation, oil/gas/energy, offshore wind, the Jones Act, claims and disputes, 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 federal on-scene coordinator for the Deepwater Horizon Incident Management Team and lead legal advisor to a joint National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB)-USCG major marine casualty. 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 treatises such as Sustainability in the Maritime Domain, Autonomous Ships – Legal Issues, Damages Recoverable in Maritime Matters, and Regulating Drones in Maritime and Energy Sectors.
Outside the firm, Mr. Pribyl is a long-standing Member of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) Marine Board where he serves on various workgroups such as Maritime Decarbonization, Offshore Wind, Autonomous Shipping, Maritime Policy, and Novel Technologies. He 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, both of which examined legal regimes involving inter alia outer space operations and maritime law. Mr. Pribyl currently serves as a Senior Advisor to the World Maritime University-Sasakawa Global Ocean Institute. He is a Proctor in Admiralty with the U.S. Maritime Law Association, in which capacity he serves as Chair of the Committee on Autonomous Ships and Smart Marine Technology, the only U.S. legal committee dedicated to novel marine technology uses and advanced marine autonomy applications.
Mr. Pribyl is currently pursuing his LL.M. in International Business and Economic Law from Georgetown University Law Center, where he also serves 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.