A member of the Real Estate, Construction & Development Service Line, Steven represents clients in all aspects of commercial real estate law. He handles the negotiation and drafting of contracts in a wide range of complex commercial transactions and commercial real estate closings and has successfully represented individual and corporate clients in the negotiation, purchase, leasing, and sale of various types of properties, including commercial office buildings and oil and gas distribution facilities.
Prior to joining Shumaker, Steven worked as a litigator, being retained as counsel by multiple title insurance companies to defend and/or pursue claims on behalf of their insureds. Steven has experience handling a wide range of complex commercial litigation matters in both state and federal court, including:
- Representing clients in jury and non-jury trials
- American Arbitration Association arbitration and class arbitration proceedings, mediations, and settlement negotiations
- Serving as part of a legal team representing over 12,000 members of JetSmarter, Inc. in a class arbitration against the company that resulted in a $3.1 million in cash payments to sub-class members who suffered the most damages, over $200 million of valuable flight credits and membership extensions for all class members, and numerous revisions to the membership agreement
While in law school, Steven served as a judicial intern to the Honorable Adalberto Jordan in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit and as an online articles editor on the Georgia Law Review. He worked as a law clerk in the land use department of a large Miami firm and also served as a legal research assistant, contributing to articles on legislative standing. Steven enjoys fishing, and spending time with his two rescue greyhounds.
Education
J.D., cum laude, University of Georgia School of Law, 2016
B.A., Philosophy, University of Rochester, 2013