Steve leads Husch Blackwell's national cannabis practice.
Since 2010, Steve’s major focus has been on the burgeoning cannabis industry, where he guides clients through the tangle of shifting regulations governing the sale and use of cannabis in both the marijuana and industrial hemp sectors.
Prior to cannabis, Steve honed his skills representing midcap public oil and gas companies and acting as a general corporate transactional attorney for numerous industries, guiding clients through mergers and acquisitions, securities laws, the capital markets, regulatory issues and intellectual property issues. He understands that a cannabis business’s success hinges not only on high-quality products and service, but also on smart business and legal decisions regarding corporate structure and financing, lease or real property purchase negotiations, permits and licenses, and employment procedures.
Cannabis clients also rely on Steve for help as their businesses scale quickly. He helps negotiate remediation plans and stipulated settlement agreements with state and local agencies, and he represents landlords and tenants in warehouse leases and development of commercial greenhouses used by cannabis tenants.