Steve chairs the Advertising, Marketing and Trademark Law Group and is also a member and former co-chair of the firm’s Media & Entertainment Group. Recognized as one of the country’s leading advertising, trademark, and entertainment lawyers, Steve created the first Twin Cities practice of its kind in 1974.

His three decades of experience as an industry leader, ad agency executive, professional speaker, Hall of Fame drummer, and author give him a unique understanding of his clients and their business. Steve shares his creativity, insights, and legal expertise with hundreds of marketing companies and advertising, sales promotion, public relations, and design agencies of all sizes, and with many individual authors, songwriters, musicians, artists, television producers, and celebrities throughout the country.

Steve has been involved in the development and registration of over 3,000 trademarks in more than 50 countries. He has authored hundreds of articles on advertising law, spoken to hundreds of ad industry groups, and is nationally-known for a long history of volunteer leadership on important industry legal, ethical, and governmental issues.

• Speaker, Advertising Industry Legislative Summit, April 22, 2010


• Speaker, Advertising Law: New Year, New Rules seminar, December 15, 2009


• Guest Lecturer, Honors Advertising Class, University of Minnesota, November 13, 2009


• Guest Lecturer, Mass Communication Law, University of Minnesota, November 12, 2009


• Author, “Copyright, Not Greed Behind AP Lawsuit,” Star Tribune Guest Editorial, November 7, 2009.


• Speaker, “Technotainment: Legal Issues on New Social Marketing Frontiers,” 2009 Midwest Intellectual Property Institute, September 24-25, 2009


• "Valspar Advertising Challenge Successful Before the National Advertising Review Board," Advertising Compliance Service, June 10, 2009 


• Speaker, “User Generated Content, Viral, Guerrilla and Word of Mouth Advertising,” 2009 Midwest Annual Trademark Law Conference, March 2009


• Seminar Presenter, FAME, December 2008


• “Green Marketing: The Color of Money,” December 2008


• Speaker, “How Dare You Use My Trademark? Dos and Don’ts of Using Competitors’ Trademarks in Advertising,” 2008 Midwest Intellectual Property Institute, September 25-26, 2008


• “Home Depot to Pull ‘Rated #1’ Claims For Behr Paint,” Advertising Compliance Service, July 2008


• Seminar Presenter, Periscope Advertising, June 18, 2008


• Speaker, “The Perils of ‘Environmentally Friendly’ Advertising,” AAF National Conference 2008, June 8-14, 2008


• Speaker, Green Lights & Red Flags: FTC-BBB Rules of the Road for Advertisers, April 24, 2008


• Guest Lecturer, Mass Communication Law, University of Minnesota, November 8, 2007


• “Licensing Music: It’s Not the Same Old Song,” Create Magazine, September/October, 2007

• Minnesota, 1974

• J.D., William Mitchell College of Law, 1974


• B.A., University of Minnesota School of Journalism and Mass Communications, 1970