Sean J. Murphy is the Vice President, Advocacy and General Counsel, for the American Association of Orthodontists (AAO). Sean joined the AAO in 2016, and his responsibilities include overseeing the AAO’s state Component Legal Support Fund, serving as the treasurer for the AAO’s Political Action Committee (AAOPAC), and helping oversee the AAO’s legal and legislative issues. Sean has presented legal courses to both AAO residents and orthodontists throughout North America. Sean also contributes to several AAO publications, including the AAO’s print bulletin, e-bulletin, and podcasts. For 2019, Sean was selected by Association TRENDS as a leading lobbyist for the 2019 Salute to Association Excellence event. Sean received his bachelors degree from Augustana College (Rock Island, IL) and his law degree and health law certificate from Saint Louis University School of Law, which is frequently ranked as the top health law program in the country. Prior to joining the AAO, Sean was a business litigator for seven years at a national law firm, Thompson Coburn LLP (with offices in St. Louis, Chicago, DC, and LA), where he represented national and international companies in countless disputes. As a litigator, Sean was selected to the 2014 and 2015 Missouri & Kansas Super Lawyers’ Rising Stars Lists and was selected to the 2012 Missouri Bar Pro Bono Hall of Fame. Sean is licensed to practice law in Missouri and Illinois.