Overview

Steve serves as a trusted advisor and lead litigation counsel to many top national and international companies. His clients include technology, healthcare, pharmaceutical, communications, financial services, real estate, manufacturing, and state and federally regulated companies, as well as developers, property owners, and others.  

After gaining in depth knowledge of his clients’ businesses, Steve serves as a single, highly responsive source to efficiently and effectively manage their outside counsel needs, such as intellectual property, data privacy and cybersecurity, advertising, labor and employment, corporate and transactional, mergers and acquisitions, health and regulatory, real estate, litigation, and tax.

Experience

Solutions in action

Steve was part of the team of attorneys who prevailed before the U.S. Supreme Court in the precedent-setting case AOSI v. U.S. Aid. Thanks to the team’s efforts, the Court held that the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution prohibits the federal government from placing conditions on federal funding to private organizations that require the organization to adopt and publicly profess a viewpoint that mirrors the government’s view but is not held by the organization itself. 

He also prevailed in Evans Development v. Salt Lake City Corporation, in which the Utah Supreme Court held that a condemning authority had exceeded the limits of its authority to take property through the exercise of eminent domain power.

Steve’s other notable representative experience includes:

  • Prevailed in a multi-billion-dollar breach of contract dispute between an aerospace company and the U.S. government after a multi-week trial.
  • Successfully defended against several privacy-related class action and arbitration claims, involving claims under California, Illinois, Florida, and New York wiretapping and invasion of privacy statutes.
  • Prevailed at trial and on appeal to the Utah Supreme Court in a high-profile case in which a city challenged the constitutionality of the Utah State Legislature’s creation of a government-run logistics and distribution corporation.
  • Defended against and obtained highly favorable settlements in class action disputes arising from data breaches.
  • Successfully defended an insurance company against multimillion-dollar claims alleging breach of contract and tortious interference, obtaining a settlement shortly after finishing opening statements in a jury trial.
  • Achieved a unanimous jury verdict awarding a property developer nearly $2 million in just compensation in an eminent domain case.

Credentials

  • University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law, Juris Doctor (J.D.), Executive Editor, Utah Law Review, 2010
  • Brigham Young University-Idaho, Bachelor of Science (B.S.), Social Work, 2007

  • Utah
  • District of Columbia
  • United States Supreme Court
  • United States Court of Appeals, Tenth Circuit
  • United States District Court, District of Utah
  • Utah Supreme Court

  • Leading Litigation: General Commercial Law, Chambers USA, 2022-present
  • Selected to Business Litigation Appellate, Eminent Domain Super Lawyers, Super Lawyers®, 2023-2025
  • Selected to Business Litigation, Appellate, Eminent Domain Rising Stars, Super Lawyers®, 2015-2022
  • Utah Legal Elite, Utah Business magazine, 2016-Present
  • Best Lawyers®, Commercial Litigation, 2019-Present

During law school, Steven received the following honors and awards:

  • Traynor Scholarship for Excellence in Legal Writing & Scholarship Recipient
  • Best Individual Oralist, 2009 National Moot Court Competition Regional Round
  • First Place Team, 2009 Traynor Moot Court Competition
  • CALI Award Recipient for Highest Grade in Legal Writing, Constitutional Law I, Civil Procedure, Criminal Procedure, Evidence, Innocence Law, Takings, Civil Rights Practice, Rights of Crime Victims, Lawyering Skills, and Judicial Process.

Engagement

  • Board of Directors for First Tee Utah