Attorneys & Staff

After receiving his undergraduate degree from the University of Oregon and his law degree from the University of Southern California, Steve started his legal career as a Reginald Heber Smith Fellow with the Appalachian Research and Defense Fund in the coal fields of Eastern Kentucky. There, he represented retired miners and widows in federal court litigation against the United Mine Workers Health and Retirement Funds. Having been raised in the West, Steve and his wife, Ingri, then returned west and made their home in McCall, where Steve founded the firm in 1980.

Steve represents clients on a wide variety of civil matters, with a concentration on the following areas:

• Municipal, county and state permitting and land use issues
• Real estate development and property owner association formation
• Business entity formation and management
• Residential and commercial real estate transactions
• Civil litigation, with an emphasis on disputes involving public and private easements, boundary lines, real estate transactions and other property issues; land use issues; municipal, county and state permitting issues; condemnation and rights-of-way; construction defects and commercial transactions

Steve has been involved in litigation in nearly all of Idaho’s judicial districts. He has appeared on multiple occasions before the Idaho Supreme Court and has presented appeals to the United States Circuit Courts of Appeal for the Ninth Circuit and the District of Columbia. He had lead responsibility for the permitting process and development of community governance documents for numerous local developments, including Jug Mountain Ranch, Whitetail, The Hotel McCall, Tamarack, Friends of Kelly’s Whitewater Park, Alpine Village, The Village on Lake Street and Silverpine Village. Steve also offers his services as a mediator.

Steve is a recipient of the 2020 Idaho State Bar’s Professionalism Award.

Steve was a founding member of the Payette Land Trust and continues to provide pro bono representation to the Land Trust. He has served on numerous City and County advisory committees, and spent many years coaching in local youth sports programs. He is an avid fly fisherman and enjoys taking advantage of McCall’s unique recreational opportunities with his family.