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PRACTICE AREAS

  • Commercial Litigation
  • Construction Disputes
  • Education Law
  • Government Liability and Civil Rights Defense
  • Insurance Coverage and Defense
  • Professional Liability Defense

EDUCATION

  • St. Lawrence University
    • B.A. in Sociology
    • M.Ed. in Counseling and Human Development
  • New England Law – Boston, J.D.

ADMISSIONS

  • Supreme Court of Pennsylvania
  • Supreme Court of New York
  • United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
  • United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
  • United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania

COMMUNITY SERVICE & AFFILIATIONS

  • Member, Chester County Bar Association
  • Member, West Pikeland Township Zoning Hearing Board
  • Past Member/President of Board of Trustees of the Mill at Anselma Preservation & Educational Trust
  • Advisory Board Member, WC Eagles Field Hockey Club

BIO

Steve is a partner with MacMain Leinhauser, LLC.  Having spent much of his thirty-five year career in large firm practice, he concentrates in the areas of professional, municipal and general liability defense, construction contract payment and defect disputes, employment law and commercial litigation in state and federal courts.  He has tried numerous cases to verdict, or by way of arbitration, involving alleged malpractice in hospital administration, psychiatric and mental health care, municipal and civil rights liability, payment disputes in commercial construction, defects in residential construction, and contractual obligations in the provision of social services. He also represents clients in zoning and land development disputes.  Whenever possible, Steve advocates for alternative dispute resolution.

Steve advises non-profit organizations in connection with grant agreements, contracts for services, employment and institutional governance.  He has long served as outside general counsel to an independent school seeking advice for its daily operations, including issues with faculty and staff employment, board governance, risk management, land development, student discipline and vendor contracts.

Steve also represents a wide variety of licensed professionals in proceedings before their professional licensing boards, and defends investigations commenced by the Pennsylvania Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs.  He regularly presents to groups of licensed professionals in the allied medical and mental health fields on matters pertaining to professional licensing, ethics and risk avoidance.

Steve has held the coveted credential of a Martindale-Hubbell “AV Preeminent” Rated Attorney since 1996.

CAREER

After graduating from St. Lawrence University in 1978, and prior to beginning his legal career, Steve taught fifth grade at an independent school in Chester County.  He later was appointed the Director of Freshman Programs at his alma mater, where he provided personal counseling to first year students and advised residence hall staff and various student organizations for four years while also enrolled in the Master’s in Education program, earning a degree in Counseling and Human Development.  Steve then attended New England Law in Boston.  Upon completing law school in 1986, Steve returned to his Philadelphia roots as an associate and later a partner in the Litigation Department at Montgomery, McCracken.  Over the years, Steve served as a member of the firm’s Hiring Committee, Summer Associate Committee, and Vice-Chair of the Professional and Insurance Defense Practice Group.  He opened the firm’s Chester County office in 2004.   In addition to his experience at Montgomery McCracken, Steve also spent nine years with the Chester County firm, Gawthrop Greenwood, PC, as a partner in the Litigation Department and a member of its Management Committee.

Steve has lived in Chester County with his wife and two daughters for thirty-plus years.

When time permits, Steve plays guitar and enjoys performing in local restaurants and coffeehouses as a singer-songwriter.

ACCOLADES

  • The Best Lawyers in America® for Litigation – Construction (2023)