Peterson Martin Reynolds
Sean Ponist has successfully tried over 25 cases to verdict. As a skilled civil litigator and former prosecutor, Mr. Ponist brings significant litigation and trial experience to his representation of clients. His practice covers a broad range of real estate and business disputes, including disputes concerning real estate sales and ownership, real estate brokerage, real estate development, construction and construction defect, title and boundary issues, commercial unlawful detainer and landlord-tenant issues as well as
business contract and partnership disputes.
Mr. Ponist was recently selected as a 2011 Northern California Super Lawyer, a distinction awarded to no more than 5% of lawyers. He has also published numerous articles on real estate topics, including recent articles in The Daily Journal (“Recovering Lost Profits in Real Estate Transactions” and “Should Equitable Indemnity Apply Against Negligent Misrepresentation Claims?”) and California Lawyer magazine (“The Nonrefundable Deposit – Not!”).
Additionally, he has lectured for the San Francisco Bar Association (“Bringing Down the House: Assessing Damages in Real Estate Cases”), the San Mateo County Bar Association (“When Real Estate Deals Go Bad”) and for the National Business Institute (“Direct and Cross-Examination for Civil Litigators”).
Mr. Ponist is admitted to practice before all California federal and state courts, the California Supreme Court, the Ninth Circuit and the U.S. Supreme Court. He is active with
the local Bar Associations and was recently selected to serve on the Executive Committee for the San Francisco Bar Association’s Real Property Section and previously served on the Board of Directors of the San Mateo County Barristers.
Additionally, Mr. Ponist is active in the community and is a member of the Belden Club, a San Francisco based real estate organization, and ProVisors, a network of over 2,000 top business professionals. He further serves on the Board
of Directors for Home and Hope, a nonprofit providing assistance to homeless families, and has volunteered with the Special Olympics, Cal Mentor, and Project Angel Food.
Mr. Ponist graduated from UC Davis School of Law, receiving his Juris Doctor degree in 1999. At UC Davis School of Law, Mr. Ponist was active with Moot Court and on the Mock Trial Team. Prior to law school, Mr. Ponist attended UCLA where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy in 1995 and was a Departmental Scholar.