Steven R. Hicks-Safra

Steven Russell Hicks-Safra is General Counsel for Cole, Scott & Kissane, where he serves as chief legal officer, administratively advising the firm regarding litigation handling and risk management, including issues of conflicts, legal ethics, and general firm policies. He also serves on the firm’s Executive Committee and Conflicts Committee. Mr. Hicks-Safra leads the firm’s employee, GenAI, and other development efforts to provide growth opportunities to employees and reward merit and innovation that has led to firm and client success.

Mr. Hicks-Safra served for many years as outside general litigation counsel for corporations, responsible for: (i) assisting and managing day-to-day defense of litigation in the State of Florida, (ii) assisting with retention and oversight of local counsel across the United States for purposes of defense in actions filed in jurisdictions outside the State of Florida, and (iii) advising the company regarding risk prevention and general matters.

Practicing law since 2008, Mr. Hicks-Safra’s experience spans all phases of civil litigation, previously focusing on: commercial litigation, professional malpractice defense, bodily injury, marine/admiralty, banking and financial, products liability defense litigation, with emphasis in motor vehicles and automotive products, including product defect and asbestos litigation defense, and other insurance defense related litigation.

Mr. Hicks-Safra attended the University of Florida where he received a Bachelor of Science Finance degree in Business Administration in 2005. He then received his Juris Doctor from the University of Miami School of Law with honors in 2008. Honors and distinctions he received while in law school include: Dean’s List; Criminal Procedure Dean’s Fellow; and member of University of Miami Center for Ethics and Public Service. While in law school, he was also awarded honors in the University of Miami Litigation Skills Program.

Newsroom

News

•Florida Firms Post Solid Revenue Gains Amid Modest Headcount Growth
Awards/Recognitions, Article from Law.com, June 25, 2025, 7.2.2025

Publications

' The Right Place at The Right Time: How and When to Remove to Federal Court, ' CSK Article, 2014