Steve is a member of the firm's Executive Committee, a Board Certified trial lawyer, and a widely recognized leader. He is Past President of the American Bar Association and was the first Hispanic American to assume the ABA Presidency. He was also the first Hispanic American and the youngest person to become President of the Florida Bar. He has served as President of the National Conference of Bar Presidents and as the Chair of the ABA's House of Delegates–one of the nation's most influential positions on matters relating to the legal profession. He is a Fellow of the International Academy of Trial Lawyers, and he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from The American Lawyer.
Steve’s main practice as a civil trial lawyer is in the areas of products liability, class actions and federal multidistrict litigation, complex commercial litigation, arbitration, international law, and voting rights.
He was nominated by President Barack Obama for the position of Alternate U.S. Representative to the 68th Session of the General Assembly of the United Nations, and he served as Senior Advisor to the United States State Department. He is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. Steve was nominated by President Biden to serve as a member of the President’s Advisory Committee on the Arts.