Steven R. Rovig
Attorney
Fax:
Legal Assistant: Vicki Hadley
Phone: 206.470.7641
Professional Overview
Steve has retired from active practice, but remains associated with the firm. Over his career, he focused on a broad range of real estate transactions, representing clients of all sizes from mom-and-pop businesses to very large corporations. Steve advised clients on purchase negotiations and sale agreements, construction and permanent financing, development and management agreements, leases and operational documents. As the Puget Sound region has become increasingly urbanized, the drafting of community governance documents for condominiums, timeshare projects and master planned communities became an area of emphasis in his practice.
Chris Addicott, Michelle Gail and Kurt Kruckeberg now handle these types of legal services, and can also connect you with Steve if needed.
- Served as lead counsel for the issuer of $78 million in tax-exempt bonds for the construction of a 310,000 square foot office building for King County offices. Our work included the negotiation of a complex development agreement with a private developer and a 30-year lease with King County. The project was successfully completed and has been considered a model for public-private developments as well as innovative construction techniques.
- Represented Weyerhaeuser Real Estate Company and its subsidiary The Quadrant Corporation in negotiating and documenting the sales of millions of dollars of real estate to home builders in their master planned communities, Snoqualmie Ridge and Redmond Ridge. In addition to negotiation of sales, my work has included serving as local counsel with regard to all aspects of drafting and implementing community governance documents for these communities.
- Served as counsel to a local developer from land acquisition to financing to construction to condominiumization to sale of a 75-unit luxury residential condominium project in Kirkland, Washington. All units were successfully sold and control of the buildings has been transferred to the owners association.
- Represented the developer of an innovative office development at the site of Seattle's historic Union Station. The project involved the creation of air-space condominium units over an existing parking garage. The units were then sold to office developers and Union Station was converted to the headquarters for Sound Transit.
- Represented Glacier Northwest, Inc. in a variety of land transactions including the sale of a $42 million site to Pierce County for development of a utility facility. The transaction included a creative lease-back of the site for continued operation of our client's sand and gravel mining operations in order to accommodate financing constraints faced by the County.
- Served as counsel to Radford Court Properties in connection with the acquisition of a ground lease from the University of Washington for redevelopment of a 399-unit rental housing project for University students. Our representation included the negotiation of the ground lease, a development agreement, architectural and construction contracts and the issuance of $51 million in tax-exempt debt pursuant to Revenue Ruling 63-20. The financing was successfully closed and construction of the project is complete.
- Represented a variety of developers in the preparation of condominium documents for more than 30 residential, commercial and mixed-use projects in King and Snohomish Counties resulting in the creation of more than 700 units. Projects have ranged from a simple, four unit suburban project to the conversion of an historic Pioneer Square building involving integrated commercial and residential uses.
- Speaker, "Financing Public Projects Without Public Funds Development Structures," The Seminar Group's Public/Private Transactions Conference, November 4, 2015
- Speaker, "Potential Issues in a Complex Mixed-Use Redevelopment Project and the Best Approaches for Resolving Them," Law Seminars International, 2007
- Speaker, "Can't We All Just Get Along? The Impact of Master Community Developer Covenants on Builder Financing," Hillis Clark Martin & Peterson, P.S., 2003
- King County Bar Association: President (2014 - 2015), Second Vice President and First Vice President (2012 - 2014), and Treasurer (2009 - 2011)
- Washington State Bar Association (Real Property, Probate & Trust Sections)
- Drafting Committee studying potential adoption by the Washington State Legislature of the Uniform Common Interest Ownership Act ("UCIOA"), Appointed by the Washington State Bar Association, 2009 - 2014
- King County Bar Foundation: Board of Trustees (Former President and Vice President)
- Montana State University Alumni Foundation Board of Governors (2016 - Present)
- Initiative for Diversity: Co-Chair, 2002 - 2004
- Community Associations Institute, Washington Chapter
- Chicken Soup Brigade: Past President, Board Member, Capital Campaign Chairman
- Greater Seattle Business Association: Past Board Member, Past Businessman of the Year
- First Place School for Homeless Children: 2000 Capital Campaign
- Volunteer Attorneys for People with AIDS
- Named to the 2018 edition of Best Lawyers in America®
- A/V Preeminent Lawyer, Martindale Hubbell
- Past recipient of King County Bar Association Pro Bono Award
- Repeatedly recognized as a Super Lawyer by Washington Super Lawyers, most recently in 2018
- Served as Legislative Counsel to U.S. Senator Max Baucus, 1980-1983
Responsibility for natural resource issues, including staffing of committee
hearings, drafting of legislation, and writing of speeches and policy
statements
- J.D., University of Montana, 1980
National Appellate Advocacy Team
Student Bar Association Outstanding Student Award - B.A., Montana State University, with highest honors, 1975
Phi Delta Phi
William Randolph Hearst Foundation Scholar
As part of the baby-boom generation that is determined to go down kicking and screaming, I have enjoyed running for a lot of years. Recently, however, I took up yoga to increase flexibility and decrease stress. So, when I'm not walking the dog, taking cooking classes, going to the movies, or otherwise enjoying life in Seattle, you might find me attempting headstands or omming my way to inner peace.