Sean is licensed to practice state courts in North Carolina and Washington State (currently on inactive status), and in the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals, the Eastern District of North Carolina, and Western District of Washington Federal Courts.

A graduate of Lewis & Clark Law School in Portland, Oregon, Cecil represented the law school in a national moot court competition at UCLA in 2005 after placing first in the intra-school competition. After law school, Sean's first job was as a public defender, there he realized a lifelong passion for helping the underprivileged and questioning authority. Following his years as a public defender, Sean opened an office on the 13th Floor of the Hoge building in Seattle's Pioneer Square neighborhood. At the Hoge building, Mr. Cecil's practice focused on criminal defense and civil litigation. Attorney Cecil has been lead counsel in several jury trials, has successfully argued motions in numerous criminal and civil cases, and has represented clients in state and Federal courts as well as countless administrative proceedings.

While in the Hoge Building, Sean was heavily involved with the Urban Indian Law Clinic at the Chief Seattle Club in Seattle, providing mostly pro bono legal services to the club's clientele comprised of city-dwelling Native Americans. In 2012 the Northwest Indian Bar Association presented him with an award for outstanding pro-bono contributions related to Mr. Cecil's work at the clinic. He is a member of the Water Protector's Legal Committee, formed in response to environmental injustice involving pipeline placement and threats to native nations' sovereignty.

Mr. Cecil worked as a contractor providing indigent defense for Wake County starting from December 2016 to November 2020. The demanding and high volume nature of that work gave him the opportunity to develop familiarity with local criminal procedure and the judges, D.A.'s and (importantly!) clerks at the Wake County Justice Center. He continues to fulfill his passion for indigent defense in federal court as a member of the Criminal Justice Act panel for the Eastern District of North Carolina, defending serious federal criminal charges.

Sean worked with the fantastic legal team at Edelstein & Payne until 2023. After both the firm's name partners essentially retired, Mr. Cecil opened the Law Office of Sean Cecil, PLLC, to continue providing quality legal services in the same vein.

Mr. Cecil is a member of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, the WCBA/10th Judicial District Bench Bar Committee, the Wake County Academy of Criminal Trial Lawyers, the NORML lawyer's committee, and the Water Protector's Legal Committee.

Sean moved to North Carolina in 2014 to be closer to his wife Katie's family. They currently reside in Raleigh, NC with their two children, American Pit Bull Terrier Lucille, rescue mutt Beans, a parakeet named Pudgie-Mo, and three hermit crabs. Mr. Cecil's practice in North Carolina includes state and federal criminal defense, personal injury, and the occasional employment or civil rights matter.