Mission Statement
As a lawyer, Steve’s goal is to provide first-rate legal services to his clients, maintaining the highest levels of quality and ethics.
Background and Education
A lawyer, businessman, and writer, Steve is a lifetime resident of Chicago, Illinois, and earned his bachelor’s degree and law degree from DePaul University. As a law student, Steve was a Dean’s Scholar during his first and third years. He has been a Member of the Illinois Bar since 1992. Steve earned his law degree as an evening division student while working full-time as an information technology (IT) analyst and manager.
Thus, besides his legal experience, Steve has extensive professional experience in information technology and business. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree, With High Honor, from DePaul University where he was a recipient of DePaul’s most prestigious scholarship, the Arthur J. Schmitt Scholarship (now known as the Presidential Scholarship). Steve did his college preparatory studies at Chicago’s Gordon Tech High School, (then an all boys high school) where he graduated in 1981 in the top fifteen students of a graduating class of approximately 550, was named an Illinois State Scholar, ran cross-country, and competed in intramural bowling, basketball, and boxing.
Information Technology Experience
Steve served as an information systems programmer, analyst, and manager at Peoples Energy Corporation, in Chicago, Illinois, from 1985 – 1994. At Peoples Energy, Steve managed teams of professional, management, and executive management employees and independent consultants. He developed one of the first distributed processing applications for payment processing at a North American public utility company. He also successfully managed the company’s largest software development project to provide wireless access to up-to-date customer information hundreds of field personnel making service calls at customers’ residences and businesses.
Law Practice
Steve concentrates his law practice in Internet, e-commerce, and computer law. He also counsels small businesses in other sectors of the economy, and represents them in commercial transactions. Finally, Steve engages in some appellate litigation, in both civil and criminal matters. As an adjunct to his Internet law practice, Steve has been the founder and moderator of an online discussion group called “Web-Law” that focused on legal issues related to the Internet.
While working as an IT manager at Peoples Energy, Steve served as special legal counsel, advising the corporation on the constitutional issues raised by proposed Illinois legislation that would substantially affect Illinois utility companies. Further, Steve has been a Volunteer Attorney with Chicago Volunteer Legal Services (CVLS), providing free legal services to indigent clients. In 1995, CVLS recognized Steve by giving him its Distinguished Service Award for his work at CVLS’s downtown legal clinic.
Passionate about the possibilities of entrepreneurship for people with disabilities, Steve has founded groups on LinkedIn and Facebook to begin a conversation about the vast and untapped potential of a segment of the population that could make major, beneficial contributions to our economy.
Although the vast majority of Steve’s law clients are in Illinois, he has represented and counseled foreign clients in matters concerning United States federal law. To date, those clients have been from Brazil, Canada, Israel, and Mexico.
Writing and Publications
Steve is the author of a widely accepted book entitled, Internet Law: The Complete Guide, published by Specialty Technical Publishers. Fortune 500 companies, government entities, small businesses, and law libraries across North America use this three-volume treatise and manual.
Steve also served briefly as a National Reporter for the America Online E-commerce Project. Steve has published articles on Internet and e-commerce issues in Intermountain Contractor (now Mountain States Construction), a McGraw-Hill publication for the construction industry. He has been a contract author for West Group and was the author of the Revised (2002) Volume 3 of Illinois Civil Practice Forms.
An accomplished blogger, for several years, Steve was a regular contributor to two popular legal blogs: JD Bliss(tm) and LawyerCasting(tm).
Professional Affiliations
Steve also has served as a member of the Congressional Internet Caucus Advisory Committee, a group of experts in the Internet and e-commerce industries that provides information and education to the United States Congressional Internet Caucus about technology, public policy, and legislation affecting the Internet. Locally, Steve is or has been a member of the Chicago Bar Association, the Illinois State Bar Association, and the Technology Executives Club, and the Illinois Technology Association. Steve is also a member of the Electronic Frontier Foundation Cooperating Attorneys List.
MaleDepression.com
Steve is the founder and director of the MaleDepression.com Web site, a comprehensive portal dedicated to the serious, and under-diagnosed and under-treated, problem of mood disorders (such as depression and bipolar disorder) in men. MaleDepression.com is a member of the European Men’s Health Forum and Men’s Health America. Steve has ambitious plans for MaleDepression.com, intending to make it one of the best men’s health Web sites in the world.
As a result of his work at MaleDepression.com, Steve has been quoted on WebMD about men and depression, and in the following publications: the San Francisco Chronicle, the Chicago Tribune, Newsday, in Third Age, and Men’s Health magazine. MaleDepression.com has also been mentioned in a special men’s health issue of Parade magazine. Lastly, Steve has published an article about depression in Newsweek Japan.
Extracurricular Activities and Interests
Steve openly admits that he has far too many interests to pursue during one lifetime. Steve speaks, reads, and writes French. He also has a wide range of personal interests, including creative writing, classical guitar, studying foreign languages (French, German, Slovene, and Spanish), Slavic and Balkan history, Historical Jesus studies, mindfulness meditation, stress reduction, travel, dinosaurs, tea, and blogging.
Steve also enjoys fitness walking, weight lifting, in-line skating, and volleyball, and is an amateur boxer. He was a member of the former Chicago Athletic Association (CAA) where he was a co-captain of the boxing team. Steve boxed in the inaugural competition of CAA’s Annual Emerald Gloves Tournament.
An enthusiast of barbershop harmony, he sang as a baritone with the New Tradition Chorus, the Northbrook, Illinois chapter of the Barbershop Harmony Society (formerly called S.P.E.B.Q.S.A.), when the Chorus won the Silver Medal in the 1994 International Competition in Pittsburgh for its performances of “There’s Something About a Soldier” and “Just a Baby’s Prayer at Twilight”.’