Steve works with companies involved in the construction industry to manage risk and to solve problems. He also serves as the lead attorney for Fortune 100 companies who have selected Stinson as their national construction counsel.
Overview
Steve has represented contractor and design professional clients in trials, arbitrations and mediations involving design and construction defects, delays, disruption, energy efficiency guarantees, mechanic’s liens, payment bonds, construction cost audits, claims for extra work and catastrophic fire loss. Steve also counsels construction and energy clients on a broad range of issues, from contract negotiation to dispute avoidance. He has extensive experience representing energy services companies in connection with performance contracts and helping other clients involved with government contracts and P3 projects.
Ranked as one of America’s Leading Business Lawyers in Minnesota in construction law by Chambers USA, Steve has also been named among The Best Lawyers in America® in the area of construction law and has been selected multiple times for inclusion in Super Lawyers® in the area of construction litigation.
Devoted to educating his clients on best practices, Steve has taught courses for the Associated General Contractors of Minnesota and given multiple seminars on performance contracting for the National Association of Energy Services Companies and other construction trade associations.
Dedicated to giving back to the community through pro bono legal service, Steve was one of the founders of the firm’s Deinard Legal Clinic, which is housed within the Community-University Health Care Center in the Phillips neighborhood of Minneapolis.
Before joining the firm, Steve clerked for two years for the Honorable Paul Magnuson of the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota.
News & Insights
News
Speaking Engagements
"Critical Issues Affecting Condo Development," Condominium and Townhome Development Summit, February 9, 2018
"Preventing and Resolving Contractual Disputes," NAESCO 34th Annual Conference, Los Angeles, CA, November 14 – 16, 2017
Stinson's 28th Annual Construction Law Update, December 9, 2015
"Preserving the Promise of Performance Contracting," NAESCO Regional Conference, June 6, 2013
"Construction Law Basics: What Every Real Estate Lawyer Should Know," Real Estate Institute, 2011
Publications
"Top 10 Action Items for Contractors Reopening Their Offices," Stinson's Government Contracting Matters Blog, June 11, 2020
Co-author, "Top 10 Action Items for Contractors Reopening Their Offices," National Association of Surety Bond Producers Blog, June 2020
“Energy Savings Performance Contracting: A History and Look into the Future for Government Contracting,” Division 13 of the American Bar Association Forum on Construction Law, Vol. 4, Issue 3, December 2018
Recognitions
Recognitions
Ranked as one of America’s Leading Business Lawyers in Minnesota in construction law by Chambers USA. Sources say he is "a great adviser, counselor and lawyer" who offers "top-notch analytical advice and doesn’t want us to spend money where we shouldn’t."
Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America® list in the area of construction law
Selected for inclusion on the Minnesota Super Lawyers list
Professional & Civic Activities
Professional & Civic Activities
American Bar Association, Forum on the Construction Industry
Minnesota State Bar Association, Construction Law Section
Hennepin County Bar Association
Practices & Industries
Admissions
- Minnesota
- U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona
- U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois
- U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
Education
Yale Law School, J.D., 1988
Stanford University, B.A., Political Science and Economics, with distinction, 1985
- Phi Beta Kappa
Clerkships
- Honorable Paul Magnuson, U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota
