Overview
Steve is a co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Financial Freedom Legal. Since 2009, he has devoted a significant portion of his practice to bankruptcy law, and he has extensive knowledge of the subject matter.
Additionally, Steve has years of experience representing and protecting the rights of consumers, particularly with credit reporting inaccuracies and mortgage servicing issues.
Steve frequently publishes and speaks about bankruptcy topics. He also serves on the executive board of the Richmond Bar Association, Bankruptcy Section, and is a member of the Old Dominion Bar Association, the Hill Tucker Bar Association, and the American Bankruptcy Institute.
Education
- Bachelor of Arts, Government & International Politics, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA
- Juris Doctor, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC
Court Admissions
- Supreme Court of Virginia
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia
- U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia
- U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Virginia
- U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Virginia
Professional and Community Involvement
- Richmond Bar Association, Bankruptcy Section, Executive Board Member, 2023-Present
- Virginia State Bar, Bankruptcy Section
- American Bankruptcy Institute
- Old Dominion Bar Association
- Hill-Tucker Bar Association
Speaking Engagements
- “Case Law Update: Recent Developments in Bankruptcy Law,” Virginia Bar Association 26th Annual Bankruptcy Law Conference, Irvington, Virginia, May 2025
- “Helping Debtors on the Fringe,” American Bankruptcy Institute 2025 Annual Spring Meeting, Washington D.C., April 2025
- “The Ethics of Artificial Intelligence in the Practice of Law,” 10th Annual Western District of Virginia Bankruptcy Conference, Roanoke, Virginia, 2024
- “Crossroads of bankruptcy and other practice areas: Avoiding pitfalls and legal dead ends,” Virginia State Bar, General Practice Section, 2023
- “Exploring the overlap of bankruptcy and other practices: what practitioners need to know to protect their clients,” Old Dominion Bar Association Annual Winter Conference, Springfield, Virginia 2023
- “Dotting the I’s, Crossing the T’s, and Understanding Consumer Protections in Creditor Collections,” Virginia State Bar, General Practice Section, 2022
- “Financial Know-How Series – Financial Recovery”, Brighter Tomorrows Begin Today, 2020
- “ABCs of Consumer Protection,” Hampton Bar Association, 2019
- “The Do’s and Don’ts of Consumer Protections and Creditor Collections,” Old Dominion Bar Association’s 79th Annual Conference, 2019
- “Chapter 13 Updates: Consumer Financial Protection and Model Plan Changes in 2017 and Beyond,” Richmond Bar Association, Bankruptcy Section, 2017
Publications
- “Artificial Intelligence in Bankruptcy Law: A Modern Legal Frontier,” NACTT Academy for Consumer Bankruptcy Education, July 2024
- “The Price of Innocence: No Matter Who Committed the Fraud, the Debtor Will Have to Pay,” Bankruptcy Law News, Virginia State Bar, Bankruptcy Section, vol. XXIV, no. 39, Spring 2023
- “Consider This: Voluntary Tax Lien Release After Discharge,” Bankruptcy Law News, Virginia State Bar, Bankruptcy Section, vol. XXIV, no.38, Winter 2023
- “Safeguarding the Promise of a Fresh Start: Utilizing RESPA to Challenge Mortgage Servicing Errors Post-Discharge,” NACTT Academy for Consumer Bankruptcy Education, July 2022
- “The Shifting Landscape of Student Loan Dischargeability,” Bankruptcy Law News, Virginia State Bar, Bankruptcy Section, vol. XXIV, no. 35, Fall/Winter 2021
- Summary: Derby v. Portfolio Recovery Assocs., LLC, Bankruptcy Law News, Virginia State Bar, Bankruptcy Section, vol. XXIV, no. 32, Fall 2020
- “Disregarding Bankruptcy Protections Can Be Costly: How Courts Decide Punitive Damages,” The NACTT Academy, December 2019
