Steven Jamal Hanton, Esq. is a partner at Nixon Peabody LLP, where he often works with banks and other financial institutions that provide corporate trust, fiduciary, and agency services in structured finance transactions and securitizations. He has over a decade of experience advising corporate trustees in a wide range of securitization structures (CLOs, CDOs, sovereign, corporate and municipal debt transactions, ABS, CMBS, RMBS, loan agency, etc.), custodial arrangements, and lending facilities throughout their life cycles. Part of Steve’s practice also involves negotiating asset-based senior and subordinated credit facilities, for both borrowers and lenders, and representing emerging growth companies in their various stages of development.

Steve is an active leader, mentor and speaker at Nixon Peabody, has hosted and participated in various initiatives for NP’s Black and LGBTQ+ resource groups, and is also a past representative of the firm’s pro bono committee. In his pro bono practice, he often represents indigent undocumented children facing deportation and has also been involved in supporting various nonprofit LGBTQ+ institutions across the United States. Steve is also an active participant in NP’s Move the Needle initiative through the firm’s partnership with DiversityLab, and serves on various internal committees for improving the lives of marginalized attorneys at the firm.

Outside of the firm, Steve is an entrepreneur and co-founder of Men of Melanin Magic, an LGBTQ+ organization dedicated to fostering joy among queer and trans people of color, providing scholarships to those in need, supporting queer and trans artists, and making Boston a more welcoming space. In 2021, Steve was selected as one of American Mandarin Society’s inaugural fellows focused on U.S.-China relations, and in 2022, he was invited as a speaker at the National Black Pre-Law Conference. In 2023, Steve has spoken on panels for the National Black Law Students Association and Boston College’s Black Law Students Association, as well as with Suffolk University’s OutLaws. His skills, knowledge, and commitment to inclusion make him a coveted speaker with various professional organizations, including the American Bar Association, where he spoke on securitizations at its 2022 Annual Spring Meeting, as well as at the National LGBT Bar Association’s annual Lavender Law Conference. In 2023, Steve will be a recipient of the National LGBT Bar Association’s Best LGBTQ+ Lawyers Under 40 Award, in recognition of his contributions to the profession.

Outside of his legal practice and advocacy work, Steve is a marathoner and a member of Black Men Run, which focuses on encouraging running to improve Black health and wellness. He is also a graduate of Tufts University and University of Michigan Law School, is proficient in Chinese, Japanese and Spanish and is an alumnus of NJ SEEDS, an organization focused on changing the lives of motivated, high-achieving students from low-income households by transforming their educational opportunities.