About Steve

Steve focuses his practice on a broad array of complex executive compensation and employee benefits matters. He regularly advises private and public companies, private equity sponsors and their portfolio companies on a wide range of employee benefit and executive compensation matters in connection with mergers & acquisitions, carve outs, private equity and minority investments, restructurings and lending transactions. Steve also assists clients of all sizes with the design, implementation and termination of a wide array of employee benefit plans and compensatory arrangements – including equity and cash-based incentive plans, nonqualified deferred compensation arrangements, retention and change-in-control plans, employment and severance agreements, and retirement and health and welfare plans.  

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Experience

Cerberus Announces Landmark Investment in Aquatech

Cerberus Announces Landmark Investment in Aquatech

April 3, 2025

Cooley advised Cerberus Capital Management, a global leader in alternative investing with approximately $65 billion in assets across complementary credit, real estate and private equity strategies, on its growth investment in Aquatech, a global leader in water technology and services for industrial and infrastructure markets.

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Related contacts

Garland “Sonny” W. Allison
Partner, Colorado
Amelia Runyan Davis
Partner, Colorado
Timothy Shapiro
Partner, Palo Alto
Mark Windfeld-Hansen
Senior Counsel, Palo Alto
Zachary Sonenshine
Associate, New York
Morgan Baker
Associate, Washington, DC
Feroz Khalidi
Associate, Colorado
Matthew Bartus
Partner, San Francisco
Adam Fleisher
Partner, Washington, DC
David Fletcher
Partner, Washington, DC
Steve Flores
Partner, Chicago
Annie Froehlich
Partner, Washington, DC
Todd Gluth
Partner, San Diego
Len Jacoby
Partner, New York
Christopher Kimball
Partner, Washington, DC
Kevin King
Partner, Washington, DC
John Lavoie
Partner in Charge – Reston, Reston
Carly Mitchell
Partner, Washington, DC
John Paul Oleksiuk
Partner, New York
Aaron Pomeroy
Partner, Colorado
Stacey Song
Partner, New York
Michael Tollini
Partner, Washington, DC
Scott Weston
Partner, Boston
Sharon Connaughton
Special Counsel, Washington, DC
Peter Crain
Special Counsel, Reston
Reid Hooper
Special Counsel, Washington, DC
Dillon Martinson
Special Counsel, Washington, DC
Rebecca Ross
Special Counsel, Washington, DC
Grant Schweikert
Special Counsel, Washington, DC
Julie Wicklund
Special Counsel, Palo Alto
Alanna B Zuchelli
Special Counsel, Reston
Meredith Ashlock
Associate, Colorado
Nicholas Balenger
Associate, Reston
Jasmine A. Banks
Associate, Washington, DC
Umer Chaudhry
Associate, Washington, DC
Susan Choy
Associate, New York
Sharon Davidov
Associate, New York
Megan Drill
Associate, San Diego
Jeremy M. Exelbert
Associate, New York
Jimmy Gilligan
Associate, Boston
Michael Gladstone
Associate, New York
Virat Gupta
Associate, Washington, DC
Dr. Aeraj ul Haque
Associate, Chicago
Bomin Kim
Associate, New York
Allison Kutner
Associate, New York
Xueqing Li
Associate, San Francisco
Arthi Naini
Associate, New York
Sarah Oliai
Associate, Washington, DC
Shelby Saunders
Associate, New York
Leanne Andrepont
Senior Trademark Paralegal
Megan Boss
Senior Paralegal , Boston
Patricia Myers
Paralegal Specialist, Colorado
Jill Simon
Senior Paralegal, New York
Luke Sande
Patent Agent, Boston

Related Practices & Industries

Private Equity
Venture Capital
Technology Transactions
Mergers and Acquisitions
Technology
Climate Tech
ESG and Sustainability Advisory
CFIUS
Government Contracts
Tax
Real Estate
Debt Finance
Patent Counseling and Prosecution
Labor and Employment
Compensation and Benefits
Capital Markets
Trademark, Copyright and Advertising
CooleyREG
Fund Formation

Machinify Announces Acquisition by New Mountain Capital

Machinify Announces Acquisition by New Mountain Capital

January 10, 2025

Cooley advised Machinify, a provider of artificial intelligence-powered software transforming healthcare payments, on its definitive agreement to be acquired by New Mountain Capital.

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Related contacts

Josh Seidenfeld
Partner, Palo Alto
Garth Angelo Osterman
Partner, San Francisco
Maureen Nagle
Special Counsel, Washington, DC
Nicolas Francis
Associate, San Francisco
Katie Rosati
Associate, Seattle
Mark Windfeld-Hansen
Senior Counsel, Palo Alto
David Dalton
Associate, Santa Monica
Steve Flores
Partner, Chicago
Sean O'Neill
Partner, Santa Monica
Alexis Finkelberg Bortniker
Partner, San Diego
Ross Eberly
Partner, Santa Monica
Charles Haley
Partner, Palo Alto
Ryan Montgomery
Partner, Boston
Jonathan Rivinus
Partner, Colorado
Mark Medearis
Senior Counsel, Palo Alto
Sharon Connaughton
Special Counsel, Washington, DC
Alexander Ellebracht
Associate, Palo Alto
Josh Himmelstern
Associate, San Diego
Jessica Li
Associate, Palo Alto
Alison L. Tong
Associate, Seattle
Novak Topalovic
Associate, San Diego
Rubin Waranch
Associate, Colorado
Raquel Zepeda
Associate, San Francisco
Patricia Myers
Paralegal Specialist, Colorado
Melanie Yuvienco
Paralegal Specialist, Palo Alto
Brian Mitchell
Transactional Quantitative Analyst, San Diego

Related Practices & Industries

Digital Health
Artificial Intelligence
Mergers and Acquisitions
Technology Transactions
Healthcare
Life Sciences
Life Sciences and Healthcare Regulatory
Compensation and Benefits
Emerging Companies
Antitrust and Competition
CooleyREG
Labor and Employment
Tax

Vance Street Capital Partners With System Seals

Vance Street Capital Partners With System Seals

December 9, 2024

Cooley advised Vance Street Capital, a Los Angeles-based middle-market private equity firm that invests in highly engineered solutions businesses across the industrial technology, medical, life sciences, aerospace and defense sectors, on its acquisition of System Seals, a designer and manufacturer of custom fluid seals for various industrial applications.

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Related contacts

Bram G. Couvreur
Partner, Santa Monica
Garland “Sonny” W. Allison
Partner, Colorado
Logan Tiari
Partner, Los Angeles
Kaycie L. Benesch-Rupp
Associate, Colorado
Joshua C. Allen
Associate, Chicago
Galen Pham
Associate, Santa Monica
Todd Gluth
Partner, San Diego
Rick Jantz
Associate, Santa Monica
Patrick Flanagan
Partner, New York
Michelle Garcia Schulman
Partner, Reston
Thomas Connors
Partner, Boston
Chris Coulter
Partner, London
Ross Eberly
Partner, Santa Monica
David Fletcher
Partner, Washington, DC
Steve Flores
Partner, Chicago
Christopher Kimball
Partner, Washington, DC
Ben Shribman
Partner, London
Stacey Song
Partner, New York
Chris Stack
Partner, London
Francis Wheeler
Senior Counsel, Colorado
Peter Crain
Special Counsel, Reston
Heather Harrington
Special Counsel, Boston
David Hopkins
Special Counsel, Colorado
Stella Sarma
Partner, Brussels
Karen Tsai
Special Counsel, Washington, DC
Jackson Alldredge
Associate, Colorado
Louise Burt
Associate, London
Umer Chaudhry
Associate, Washington, DC
Adrienne Beaudoin Deshmukh
Associate, Reston
Joshua Elefant
Associate, Palo Alto
Tony P. Guan
Associate, Santa Monica
Liza Hadley
Associate, Boston
Alexandra Leavy
Associate, New York
Lewis Loy
Associate, Santa Monica
Addison Pierce
Partner, Chicago
Shelby Saunders
Associate, New York
Dominic Taylor
Associate, London
Mickeala Tu
Associate, Palo Alto
Stevie Yu
Associate, New York
Leanne Andrepont
Senior Trademark Paralegal
Melissa Eskola
Paralegal Specialist, Reston
Patricia Myers
Paralegal Specialist, Colorado

Related Practices & Industries

Mergers and Acquisitions
Private Equity
CooleyREG
Debt Finance
Tax
Real Estate
Technology Transactions
Compensation and Benefits
Labor and Employment
Emerging Companies
CFIUS
Antitrust and Competition
Commercial Litigation
Trademark, Copyright and Advertising
Patent Counseling and Prosecution
Fund Formation

Tempus Announces $600 Million Acquisition of Ambry Genetics

Tempus Announces $600 Million Acquisition of Ambry Genetics

November 4, 2024

Cooley advised Tempus AI (Nasdaq: TEM), a technology company advancing precision medicine through the practical application of artificial intelligence in healthcare, on its agreement to acquire Ambry Genetics, a company focusing on genetic testing that aims to improve health by understanding the relationship between genetics and disease.

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Related contacts

Erin J. Kirchner
Partner, Chicago
Richard E. Ginsberg
Partner, Chicago
Christina T. Roupas
Partner in Charge – Chicago, Chicago
Courtney M.W. Tygesson
Partner, Chicago
Michael Tollini
Partner, Washington, DC
Lindsey O'Crump
Associate, Washington, DC
Addison Pierce
Partner, Chicago
Ariane A. Andrade
Partner, Chicago
Steve Flores
Partner, Chicago
Todd Gluth
Partner, San Diego
Christopher Kimball
Partner, Washington, DC
Phil Mitchell
Partner, New York
Howard Morse
Senior Counsel, Washington, DC
Sonia Nath
Partner, Washington, DC
Nyron J. Persaud
Partner, New York
Aaron Pomeroy
Partner, Colorado
Dr. Madhuri Roy
Partner, Palo Alto
Michelle Garcia Schulman
Partner, Reston
Rachel Thorn
Of counsel, New York
Ryan Vann
Partner, Chicago
Susan Piascik Christoff
Special Counsel, Washington, DC
Son Nguyen
Special Counsel, Washington, DC
Randy Sabett
Special Counsel, Washington, DC
Stella Sarma
Partner, Brussels
Grant Schweikert
Special Counsel, Washington, DC
Karen Tsai
Special Counsel, Washington, DC
Xander Lee
Partner, Santa Monica
Mateus Kaba Aboud
Associate, Chicago
Karun Ahuja
Special Counsel, Chicago
Tiffany Allen
Associate, Palo Alto
Umer Chaudhry
Associate, Washington, DC
Adrienne Beaudoin Deshmukh
Associate, Reston
Mari Dugas
Associate, Washington, DC
Carly E. Gibbons
Associate, Chicago
Jose Luis Gonzalez
Associate, Palo Alto
Charles Haley
Partner, Palo Alto
Kelley Harrington
Associate, Chicago
Nathaniel Hearn Jr.
Associate, Chicago
Kyle Hess
Associate, New York
Cameron Irwin
Associate, Chicago
Rick Jantz
Associate, Santa Monica
Patrick O. Johnson
Associate, Boston
David H. Zhou
Associate, Palo Alto

Veritone Announces Sale of Veritone One to Insignia for up to $104 Million

Veritone Announces Sale of Veritone One to Insignia for up to $104 Million

October 22, 2024

Cooley advised Veritone, a company building human-centered enterprise artificial intelligence (AI) solutions, on the sale of its media agency, Veritone One, to Insignia Capital Group.

Read more

Related contacts

C. Thomas Hopkins
Partner, Santa Monica
Bram G. Couvreur
Partner, Santa Monica
Natalie D. Vernon
Associate, Colorado
Thomas Connors
Partner, Boston
Liza Hadley
Associate, Boston
Galen Pham
Associate, Santa Monica
Stephanie Gentile
Partner, New York
Barbara Mirza
Partner, Santa Monica
Alexander Ellebracht
Associate, Palo Alto
Kristine Kevorkova
Associate, Santa Monica
Peter Adams
Partner, San Diego
Megan Browdie
Partner, Washington, DC
Steven M. Dunst
Partner, Santa Monica
Ross Eberly
Partner, Santa Monica
Patrick Flanagan
Partner, New York
Steve Flores
Partner, Chicago
Danielle Fortier
Partner
Austin Holt
Partner, Santa Monica
Brendan Hughes
Partner, Washington, DC
John-Paul Motley
Partner in Charge, Los Angeles, Los Angeles
Miriam Petrillo
Partner, Chicago
Jason Savich
Partner, San Francisco
Logan Tiari
Partner, Los Angeles
Michael Tollini
Partner, Washington, DC
Mark Windfeld-Hansen
Senior Counsel, Palo Alto
Sharon Connaughton
Special Counsel, Washington, DC
Kaycie L. Benesch-Rupp
Associate, Colorado
David Dalton
Associate, Santa Monica
Megan Drill
Associate, San Diego
Julia Gage
Associate, San Francisco
Alexandra Leavy
Associate, New York
Eileen Leman
Associate, Los Angeles
Linh Nguyen
Associate, San Diego
James H. Reizman
Associate, Santa Monica
Tyler Saavedra-Buckley
Associate, San Francisco
Rubin Waranch
Associate, Colorado
Jessica Williams
Associate, Washington, DC
Sai Yarramalla
Associate, Palo Alto
Stevie Yu
Associate, New York
Patricia Myers
Paralegal Specialist, Colorado
Jake Ironfield
Transactional Quantitative Analyst, New York
Katie Kissner
Quantitative Analyst, San Francisco

Related Practices & Industries

Mergers and Acquisitions
Artificial Intelligence
Technology Transactions
Technology
Debt Finance
Compensation and Benefits
Tax
Labor and Employment
Trademark, Copyright and Advertising
Antitrust and Competition
Private Equity
Securities Litigation + Enforcement
Commercial Litigation
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Admissions and credentials

Illinois

Rankings and accolades

Chicago United – Business Leader of Color

Leading Corporate Employment Lawyers – LawDragon

Labor & Employment Star – Benchmark Litigation

Crain’s Chicago Business – Notable Minorities in Accounting, Consulting

Law Latino Lawyer of the Year – Hispanic Lawyers Association of Illinois

Top Latino Lawyer – Latino Leaders Magazine

Best Lawyers in America – Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law

Memberships and affiliations

Chicago Committee

Hispanic National Bar Association (HNBA)

Hispanic Lawyers Association of Illinois

American Bar Association (ABA)

Illinois State Bar Association

Leadership Council for Legal Diversity