Steve graduated from the University of California at San Diego in 1989, where he obtained his Bachelor of Arts Degrees in the fields of Political Science and Third World Studies.  He earned his law degree from Whittier Law School where he graduated at the top of his class and was an editor on the Whittier Law Review.  He was admitted to the California Bar in 1994 and is also admitted to practice before the United States District Court for the Central, Northern, Southern and Eastern Districts.  Steve has extensive experience in civil litigation including the areas of construction defect, insurance coverage, real estate, business and employment.  Steve was formerly Chief Counsel of Surety Company of the Pacific where he became an expert in suretyship law.