Steve is an accomplished litigator and trial attorney with experience in complex and multi-party civil litigation. He passionately defends large companies in high-exposure lawsuits involving myriad issues including premises liability, product liability, catastrophic injuries, wrongful death claims, automobile accidents, construction defect claims, toxic torts, and environmental contamination.
Using creative legal arguments and a command of case facts, Steve saved his clients over $30 million in a construction lawsuit involving the installation of defective drywall at a luxury condominium. He has also obtained summary judgments in numerous federal and state court cases involving multimillion-dollar damages claims, including early dismissal of a $12 million contract claim against a general contractor. Steve used a Daubert challenge to obtain final dismissal of a toxic tort claim involving cancer brought against a national product manufacturer. He has also obtained winning trial results in brain injury, premises liability, and product defect cases.
Before coming to Shook, Steve was a managing partner in the Seattle office of a national civil litigation and insurance defense firm. He has 15+ years of experience leading litigation and trial teams at large law firms. This includes representing defendants and plaintiffs in complex and high exposure matters in both Washington and Florida. He has delivered hundreds of millions of dollars in winning results for clients while contemporaneously exceeding business metrics in client service, reporting, firm management, marketing, mentoring and team retention. His clients trust him to provide diligent, creative and tenacious legal advocacy.
Representative Matters
2023: Represented State Farm in a Snohomish County reasonableness hearing (“mini-trial”). Prepared defense and successfully cross-examined a dozen witnesses, including national brain injury experts, fact witnesses and plaintiff.
2022: Won final summary judgment in Walla Walla County lawsuit against large homeowner’s association and board of directors for breach of governing documents and breach of fiduciary duties. Plaintiffs sought over $1.5 million dollars in damages.
2021: Won final summary judgment in King County personal injury lawsuit, wherein plaintiff suffered serious injuries after leaping from balcony to escape a fire in her condominium. Plaintiff sought $2.3 million dollars for her injuries.
2013: Trial win in Miami, Florida, for drywall subcontractor sued for widespread property damage at luxury high-rise condominium caused by drywall sourced from China. Plaintiffs asserted over $35 million in damages.
Presentations
Anatomy of a Nuclear Verdict, Webinar, June 2023.
Wrongful Death, Construction Defect, and Jury Pools: Recent Changes in Washington State Law and Resulting Challenges, Webinar Series, December 9, 2022.
Legal Strategies and Practical Tips for Washington Claims Professionals, Webinar Series, June 24, 2022.