National Nuclear Security Administration General Counsel Tim Fischer, chief legal officer for the NNSA, presents Los Alamos Field Office attorney Sean Counce with the NNSA Lawyer of the Year award. Photo Courtesy NNSA
Sean Counce, NNSA Los Alamos Field Office Counsel has received the NNSA Lawyer of the Year Award. Photo Courtesy NNSA
NNSA NEWS RELEASE
The Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) recently awarded Los Alamos resident and NNSA Los Alamos Field Office attorney Sean Counce the NNSA General Counsel Legal Excellence Award.
The Legal Excellence Award recognizes the highest standards of legal acumen and scholarship, integrity, ethics, and achievement that support the accomplishment of the NNSA missions.
“Sean is absolutely deserving of this award,” said Los Alamos Field Office Manager Ted Wyka. “I’m always confident in his legal assessment of matters and appreciate his professionalism.”
Peers at the Los Alamos Field Office nominated Counce for his “expert legal guidance and advice to all levels of the (field office) for various matters such as federal procurement, subcontracts, fiscal law issues, ethics, litigation, personnel issues, and the Freedom of Information Act/Privacy Act.”
The nomination highlighted Counce’s work in the Department’s plutonium pit production efforts, to include working with Triad’s legal counsel and business office to develop solutions related to the recruitment, retention, and transportation of skilled workers. He also coordinated with NNSA headquarters to provide coverage for a pilot bus transportation program within legal authorities and drafted proposed legislation to expand LANL transportation options.
The nomination noted: “Sean’s work products are exceptional, and his professionalism, kindness, and overall demeanor have been instrumental in developing and maintaining collaborative relationships with our M&O partners as well as our Field Office and Headquarters NNSA employees.”
Counce came to the Los Alamos Field Office in 2010.
His early career included serving as a senior trial prosecutor trying violent crime cases at the 2nd Judicial District Attorney’s Office in Albuquerque. He earned is Juris Doctorate degree from the University of Wyoming College of Law and is a member of the Wyoming and New Mexico state bar associations.
He joined the NNSA in 2007 as part of the counsel team in Albuquerque and provided support for Merit Systems Protection Board appeals, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission cases, and other legal matters.