Experience
Steve concentrates his practice as a trial attorney representing clients in cases involving catastrophic loss, death, and serious property damage. He also represents clients in all manners of commercial disputes including breach of contract, debt collection, and business reputation damages.
Steve regularly litigates products liability matters, representing international and domestic manufacturers, designers and distributors of consumer and industrial products in claims for strict liability, negligence design and manufacturing, failure to warn, and breach of warranties. He also routinely represents motor carriers, brokers, and their insurers, in liability and coverage claims.
Steve’s retail and hospitality practice, which spans national and regional stores, hotels, and restaurants, includes cases involving slip and falls, general premises liability, falling merchandise, third party criminal conduct claims, negligent security, defective products, false arrest and detention, malicious prosecution, food contamination, defamation, invasion of privacy, assault and battery, and other intentional torts, as well as claims involving the negligent hiring, retention, and supervision of employees.
Steve’s experience in construction law involves representing builders, developers, and contractors in all types of disputes related to claims of construction defects, worksite incidents and injuries, and also the enforcement and defense of mechanic liens. Before joining the Firm, Steve prosecuted construction defect claims for homeowners and developers, which lends a unique perspective on how to best represent his clients in often large and complex matters.
In addition to his active litigation practice, Steve advises clients in crisis-management practices when they are connected to losses involving high-exposure and publicity and oversees a 24/7 emergency response team for several of his transportation and construction industry clients. He also advises the Firm’s Workers’ Compensation clients as to their subrogation rights and interests in Third-Party claims.
Steve graduated law school with the honor of Order of the Barristers. During law school, he served as a law clerk for the United States International Trade Commission. Prior to law school, he received a one-year fellowship from West Virginia University to work in London as a researcher for two members of the British House of Commons.
Activities
Steve is a member of DRI: The Voice of the Defense Bar, where he serves as the Chair of Publications for the Product’s Liability Committee. He is also a member of CLM and routinely visits clients to provide training and CE credits for claims professionals.
Steve Co-Edits F&P’s Liability Chronicle, helps lead the firm’s liability webinar series and serves as a mentor to associate attorneys.
Steve’s interests outside of work include travel, taking in Broadway shows, following WVU sports, and teaching pageantry arts to high school students in several competitive marching bands in Maryland. Steve is a proud alum of the Cadets (97-99), a drum and bugle corps, where he won a world championship as a member in 1998. He is also an amateur baker (ask him about his secret recipe for chocolate chip cookies) and can most often be found swimming laps in his local pool.
Presentations
How to Break Plaintiff’s Medical Mills, Dallas, Texas, February 2020
Effective Strategies for Pre-Suit Resolution of Claims, Dubuque, Iowa, September 2019
Third-Party Claims and Subrogating the Workers’ Compensation Lien, Towson, Maryland, October 2019
Social Media in an E-Discovery World, Houston, Texas, August 2019
Effective Use of Emergency Response Teams, Lloyds of London, London, England July 2019
Ethics for Insurance Professionals, Washington, DC, June 2019
Effective Use of Surveillance, New Orleans, Louisiana, March 2019
Independent Contractors vs. Employees, Webinar, December 2018
