As head of the firm's corporate practice group, Steve practices primarily in the areas of general corporate, mergers and acquisitions, private equity, finance and e-commerce law, with a lesser emphasis on securities law.

Steve has extensive experience with a wide range of corporate and securities transactions involving publicly and privately held companies, which include:

• counseling clients in the planning, structuring, financing and operation of their businesses,
• structuring and implementing a variety of acquisitions, mergers, tender offers and divestitures,
• engaging in venture capital, private equity, fundless sponsor and leveraged buyout transactions on behalf of buyers and sellers,
• representing clients in debt and equity financings, recapitalizations, restructurings and workouts,
• assisting clients with employment, consulting, buy-sell, non-competition and similar agreements,
• representing clients in public and private securities offerings and registrations, and
• providing securities compliance advice to investment advisers.

Representative Transactions
In recent years, Steve has completed transactions in which he represented:

• two private equity companies in the $140 million sale of an aviation logistics business with international operations,
• an international manufacturer with an underwritten offering of $100 million of senior secured notes, a subsequent $65 million exchange of senior notes and a $50 million restructuring of senior bank debt,
• a publicly-held manufacturer of friction materials and parts in the $94 million sale of a primary business segment with operations in China,
• stockholders of a company providing billing services to the health care industry in a $90 million sale and recapitalization transaction,
• a privately-held holding company in the acquisition of several steel foundries with combined assets valued at more than $80 million,
• a large regional beer and wine distributor with over $57 million of acquisitions of competing distributors,
• owners of a direct marketer of apparel, cosmetics, health-related merchandise in a $49 million leveraged buyout, $40 million refinancing and $17 million dividend recapitalization,
• a private equity group with the $22 million leveraged recapitalization of a consumer products company,
• a fundless sponsor in a $21 million leveraged acquisition of a national retailer of patio and outdoor furnishings,
• stockholders with the sale of a privately-held regional newspaper company for $37 million,
• an internet start-up having a valuation in excess of $40 million in its formation and structuring, and assisting it with its first three rounds of private financing,
• a startup company in raising capital to support its integrated network video solutions business, and
• stockholders in their investments in an early growth stage zero emission vehicle manufacturer.

Prior Professional Experience
Prior to joining the firm in 1989, Steve served as Judicial Law Clerk to Ohio Supreme Court Justice Ralph S. Locher.