A member of the Real Estate and Development Service Line, Steven represents clients in all aspects of commercial real estate law. Steven handles the negotiation and drafting of contracts in a wide range of complex commercial transactions and commercial real estate closings. He 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. In addition, Steven has handled a wide range of complex commercial litigation matters in both state and federal court. He has represented clients in jury and non-jury trials, American Arbitration Association (AAA) arbitration and class arbitration proceedings, mediations, and settlement negotiations.
In 2019, Steven was part of the legal team that successfully represented over 12,000 members of JetSmarter, Inc. in a class arbitration against JetSmarter. The settlement included $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. Class members received benefits within fifteen months of the date of injury.
While in law school, Steven served as a Judicial Intern to the Honorable Adalberto Jordan in the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, and as an Online Articles Editor on the Georgia Law Review. In addition, he worked as a law clerk in the land use department of a large law firm in Miami, where he directly interacted with city, county, and state officials on a variety of land use matters. Steven also served as a Legal Research Assistant to Professor Matthew Hall, where he researched and contributed to articles on legislative standing.
In his personal life, Steven enjoys fishing, and spending time with his two rescue greyhounds.