Commercial real estate, business and M&A, hospitality, construction, and financing transactions, plus ongoing general counsel support for developers, hotel owners, investors, and closely held companies throughout Washington, California, and Arizona. Guidance from a lawyer who has worked on both sides of the table, in private practice and as in-house general counsel.
Transactional work, from the letter of intent through closing and the years after it. We focus on getting deals documented and done, and on giving clients practical advice they can act on.
Acquisitions, dispositions, leasing, and development of commercial property, from site control and entitlements through construction contracting and closing.
Mergers, acquisitions, and other corporate transactions for buyers, sellers, owners, and investors, from structuring and negotiation through closing.
Counsel to hotel owners and developers on new development and on the brand and operator agreements that shape a hotel's value.
Representing borrowers and lenders in acquisition, construction, and bridge financing secured by real property.
Ongoing legal support for small and mid-sized businesses without an in-house department, from someone who has done the in-house job.
Experience as in-house counsel shapes how we work. Clients get advice that fits the business decision in front of them.
We focus on the decision you need to make and the risks that matter to it, not a memo that covers every possibility.
You work directly with an experienced attorney on your matter, not a rotating team.
Flat-fee and monthly retainer options are available for defined transactions and ongoing general counsel work.
Attorney · Real estate & business transactions
Steven has practiced law for more than 27 years, including nearly 15 years in California before moving to Washington. He has deep experience in both states, particularly in King, Pierce, and Kitsap Counties and throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. He also represents clients on Arizona matters, where he has handled development work as in-house counsel. His practice focuses on commercial real estate, business and M&A, hospitality, and construction transactions and on advising businesses on their day-to-day legal needs. He was a real estate partner in the Seattle office of a prominent national law firm focused on energy, environmental, and natural resources law. He was also a partner at a national law firm focused exclusively on the hospitality industry, where he concentrated on hotel development and negotiated hotel management and brand franchise agreements. He has also represented several municipalities in Northern California and the Pacific Northwest as outside real estate counsel.
Steven has also served as in-house general counsel to two real estate developers. One is the developer of a waterfront mixed-use community representing more than $1 billion in private investment, one of the largest privately funded developments in the history of the Pacific Northwest. The other is a real estate investment and development company named to the Inc. 5000 list of America's fastest-growing private companies in each of the past two years. In those roles he oversaw acquisitions, financing, entitlements, and corporate matters across multiple states.
This mix of private practice and in-house work shapes how he advises clients. He knows what a business needs from its lawyer: clear answers, documents that work, and counsel who understands the commercial stakes.
Steven grew up in Gig Harbor. He and his wife have two children, both undergraduates at the University of Washington in Seattle. In his spare time, he enjoys cycling, running, downhill and cross-country skiing, and traveling with his wife.
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