Stephen graduated third in his class from New York Law School in 1983 and began his legal career as an Associate in the real estate department of the New York law firm of Rogers & Wells. Working in a big midtown firm environment, he discovered a passion for a variety of business transactions and a love for the ever-evolving real estate space. In 1987 he took an in-house position at The Musicland Group, a national retailer of music and video, where for the next ten years he served in numerous positions in the legal and real estate departments. It was at Musicland that he acquired a unique business perspective for tackling legal issues, which has stayed with him ever since.

​In 1997 Stephen broadened his retail experience to include restaurants as General Counsel and Senior Vice President of Real Estate for Rainforest Cafe. After the sale of Rainforest Cafe in 2001, Stephen started his national solo practice representing small and mid-sized restaurant, retail, and real estate businesses in the areas of strategic planning, governance, leasing, financing and development. Now he enjoys the daily satisfaction of helping his clients navigate the ups and downs of the business world. He helps actualize their passions and objectives.

In 2020, amid the chaos of the Coronavirus crisis, Stephen expanded his offerings by opening a new office in New York. He currently maintains offices in Minneapolis and New York to better serve his wide array of clients.