Steve represents and counsels clients in a broad range of commercial real estate transactions, including financings/commercial lending, acquisitions, dispositions, sale-leaseback transactions, commercial leases, rights-of-way and easement agreements, and portfolio acquisitions and dispositions around the nation ranging from $50 – $900 million. He also advises builders, developers, and landlords seeking government approvals to pursue project entitlements and in defending alleged regulatory violations. He represents borrowers in varying financing transactions, including mezzanine loans. Steve regularly represents national industries in leasing across all product types and leads the firm’s real estate initiatives for clients engaged in the cannabis industry in 13 states.
Steve is first and foremost a business lawyer and applies his strong business sense to a practice focused on real estate, both during times of economic prosperity and during downturns and times of crisis. He has substantial experience with foreclosures, loan workouts, complex lease and joint venture restructurings, and pursuing borrowers and guarantors for deficiencies and for fraud. For example, Steve was a member of a team of lawyers who represented Resolution Trust Corporation in creditor remedies against borrowers and guarantors of commercial real estate loans following the savings and loan crisis, resulting in workouts; foreclosures; negotiated settlements; and state, federal, and bankruptcy court proceedings.
Coming from a family of successful entrepreneurs, Steve has an entrepreneurial spirit and mindset. He is familiar with accounting, tax, economic, and risk management concepts, and has held significant management positions in two public Fortune 300 companies with an emphasis in real estate, banking, and finance. His diverse business and legal experience allows him to understand clients' objectives and help them develop creative and efficient strategies for achieving them. Steve has written and presented on a variety of real estate and cannabis-related topics and has been published in The Real Estate Finance Journal.
Steve received his J.D. from the University of Minnesota Law School. He was a staff member and then managing editor of Law and Inequality: A Journal of Theory and Practice and a graduate research assistant to Professor Carol Chomsky (professor of American legal history). He holds a M.S. in justice studies from Arizona State University, summa cum laude, and a B.A. in sociology, magna cum laude, from Macalester College.