STEVEN J. MESSER

(Licensed and Good Standing in Arizona)

602-***-**** / acx19b@r.postjobfree.com

Senior Attorney and Manager

Creative and business-savvy Real Estate and Financial attorney. Dedicated and aggressive, with almost 17

years of progressive expertise across a broad range of legal issues dealing with all of these areas of law.

Proven ability to combine vision, creativity, and strong business acumen with well-developed analytical and

leadership skills; which support all forms of contract and lease negotiations, with financial success being

the true end goal. Areas of expertise include:

* Commercial Real Estate * Lease & Purchase Negotiations * Mortgages & Financial

Documents

* Contract Review * Case Management & Analysis * Project Management

* Team Building, Leadership * Corporate Communications * Public Speaking &

Presentations

* Startup, High-Growth * Strategic Business Planning * Public Relations

* Arizona Mortgage Broker * Microsoft Office Suite * Westlaw & LexisNexis

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Messer Law Group, LLC, Phoenix, AZ 08/2007

Present

Senior Attorney, Owner and Manager

Managed, supervised and trained a team of 3-4 attorneys and 7-8 paralegals.

Participated in an Arizona Mortgage Brokers education program, and passed the Arizona State

Banking Exam (2009).

Dealt with Landlord-Tenant issues for approximately 350 clients, over a three year period.

o Analyzed, negotiated, reviewed and litigated commercial real estate purchases, leases,

contracts and transactions.

Negotiated new residential mortgages - approximately 430 individuals.

Conduct client meetings regarding litigation matters, administrative proceedings, and recommendations to

assure statutory and regulatory compliance.

Monitor, analyze and interpret laws, statutes and regulations, and advise clients on changes and necessary

steps to guarantee compliance with the same.

Provide education and training to clients on legal requirements and compliance.

Analyze, revise and prepare contracts and settlements for healthcare services.

Mediator / Arbitrator 5-6 times per year, over the last 9 years, which requires the creation of alternative

dispute resolution strategies.

Analyze and summarize case files, medical records and insurance claim files.

Ryley, Carlock & Applewhite, Phoenix, AZ 09/2014 08/2016

Staff Attorney (Portuguese & Spanish)

Worked with several multinational corporations, in 5 different countries in South America and

Caribbean (Brazil, Mexico, Guatemala, Colombia and Puerto Rico).

Research, review and analyze various documents, dealing with U.S. Security and Exchange

Commission (SEC) reporting issues, General Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), Accounting

Standards Codification 450 (ASC 450), Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) statements No.:

5 & 14, Accounting for Contingencies (FAS 5) and Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (sections #806 Anti-

Retaliation Statue #1341 Mail Fraud - #1343 Wire Fraud - #1344 Bank Fraud - #1348 Securities

Fraud).

Experience with labor claims, judicial deposits and the Tedesco system in Brazil.

Prepare detailed concise correspondence to clients regarding case evaluations and case status, and

made various recommendations to assure statutory and regulatory compliance.

Express Home Loans, LLC, Phoenix, Arizona 03/2001-

08/2007 In-House Corporate Counsel

Researched existing laws, proposed changes to the law and provided legal strategies to

navigate the various intricate risks and compliance issues of the regulatory agencies (State and

Federal).

Acquired, maintained and organized the numerous governmental licenses and

registrations required for Express Home Loans, from Arizona State Banking, to expand its

operations throughout Arizona.

Provided a full range of legal support and advice to management across a broad scope of

commercial transactions, collaborations and new business models, as well as draft and negotiate

related agreements. These agreements included preparing, drafting and negotiating various types of

commercial transactions with clients and suppliers, sales agreements, service agreements,

procurement contracts, technology licensing agreements, etc.

Helped Identify and guard the company against legal risks and proposed alternative structures

to mitigate such risks.

Worked with senior level management teams and delivered legal counsel in a manner that

promoted trust, teamwork and also inspired confidence.

Assisted senior management with developing, reviewing and implementing company policies

and positions on legal issues.

Responsible for all labor and employment matters; including drafting and/or revising corporate

organizational documents and resolutions.

Assisted with outside consultants and counsel.

Taylor & Associates, PLLC, Phoenix, Arizona 03/1998 - 03/2001

Associate Attorney, Manager

Responsible for the majority of tasks listed above with the heading Messer Law Group, LLC, under

the direct supervision of one of the partners.

Messer Distribution, Cedar City, UTAH 02/1994 - 08/1995

Entrepreneur, Owner and Manager

Managed and supervised a team of 3-4 employees.

Provided leadership and development to increase employee productivity and sales, and to

ensure effective and efficient problem resolution.

Customer Service & Public Relations.

Facilitate effective customer communication to ensure expectations are exceeded.

Develop detailed budgets, sales projections, and dealt with all accounts payable/receivables; including

general accounting.

Customer Service & Public Relations.

Responsible for all logistical aspects of the business (Ordering, Receiving, Handling,

Transportation, Warehouse management system and controls, etc.).

Generated New Business/Accounts.

Grew the business to 2 million in annual sales, in 18 months.

Utah Army National Guard, Utah 06/1986 10/2001

st

1 Lieutenant; U.S. Army - Field Artillery & Military Intelligence (Fluent in Portuguese)

Managed and supervised a team of 3-4 employees.

Provide education and training on various topics and skills, in order to better train and prepare

those under my command.

Analyze each soldiers training, and provide constructive critique regarding training and

Performance.

Steven J Messer Page 3

602-***-**** / acx19b@r.postjobfree.com

P

ROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE Cont.

Utah Army National Guard, Utah Cont.

Provided leadership, mentorship and development to increase soldier productivity, and to ensure

effective and efficient problem resolution.

Prepare detailed concise reports on each soldier regarding performance evaluations, advancement

status and recommendations to achieve necessary compliance.

Conduct detailed interviews witnesses, including expert witnesses to ascertain their knowledge of

relevant facts and circumstances surrounding various issues. (These interviews were conducted in

Portuguese).

Responsible for millions of dollars of government equipment and supplies, and handled all of the

team logistics.

Top Secret Security Clearance and Honorable Discharge

EDUCATION

J u r i s D oc to r ( JD ) i n (1 99 7)

Capital University Law School, Columbus, Ohio

Bachelor of Science (BS) in Business Administration and Marketing (1994)

Southern Utah University (SUU), Cedar City, Utah

Recipient - Young Alumni Award (2004)

Courses in Commercial Sales, Commercial Leasing, Commercial Lending and Land Sales (2014)

Commercial Real Estate Institute (CREI) - Certified as a Specialist in all 4-areas by CREI

Languages

Portuguese-Brazilian (fluent in reading, writing and speaking)

Spanish - (reading, writing and speaking on a basic to intermediate level)

Contact this candidate