Bio

Steve solves litigation and transactional problems. His litigation expertise includes a wide variety of real estate and commercial contract disputes, including boundary disputes, construction disputes, Uniform Commercial Code cases and sales and use tax challenges. He has experience with Arkansas state agencies and commissions, in particular, the Arkansas Public Service Commission. His utility regulatory experience includes rate cases, Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity applications, merger applications, generic policy dockets, rulemakings, interconnection agreements, and show cause orders, among other types of proceedings.

Steve’s transactional experience includes real estate and personal property sales and leases, as well as lending transactions and contracts for utility, information technology, and personal services. His lobbying assignments include utility and industrial regulation, insurance, taxation issues and debt collection.

Experience

  • Negotiated office, production facility and warehouse commercial leases for owners and tenants
  • Commercial lending for borrowers, banks, insurance companies and other lenders
  • Lender liability defense, including alleged promises to renew credit and alleged fraud to acquire the borrower’s collateral
  • Negotiated natural gas and electricity public utility service contracts for manufacturers and food processors
  • Arkansas Public Service Commission interstate pipeline company navigable river crossing applications
  • Certified rice seed sales contract litigation for a large farming corporation
  • Represented major unsecured grain processor and trader in grain trading firm collapse
  • Litigation involving custom designed manufacturing production lines in the ceramics and other industries
  • Suit regarding navigability of a lake for a large agricultural landowner
  • Court challenge to natural gas pipeline compressor fuel sales and use taxes

Honors

  • 2019 Pulaski County Volunteers Organization; Center for Arkansas Legal Services Attorney of the Year
  • Best Lawyers in America – Energy Law and Commercial Litigation
  • Best Lawyers in America – 2013 Energy Law “Lawyer of the Year”
  • Mid-South Super Lawyers, Business Litigation
  • Martindale-Hubbell AV Rating
  • Appointed to Arkansas Public Service Commission Rules of Practice and Procedure Revision Committee

Affiliations

  • Pulaski County and Arkansas (Uniform Laws Committee, Chair, Business Law Section)
  • Arkansas Bar Foundation
  • Metropolitan Junior Chamber of Commerce, Director and Legal Counsel
  • Greater Little Rock Chamber of Commerce Leadership Class VII
  • Central Arkansas Debtor-Creditor Bar Association
  • Volunteers Organization for Central Arkansas Legal Services, member
  • Baptist Health Foundation Board of Trustees
  • SCG Legal Board of Directors
  • St. James Methodist Church Learning Center, Board of Directors
  • St. James Methodist Church, Administrative Board, Endowment Committee and Lay Reader
  • West Memphis Jaycees, President

Education

  • University of Arkansas William H. Bowen School of Law, Juris Doctor (High Honors)
  • Member, UALR Law Journal
  • University of Arkansas, Bachelor of Science, Mechanical Engineering

Admissions

  • Arkansas