In 1977 he was called to the
Bar of Northern Ireland. He was called to the
Bar of England and Wales in 1978, and the
Bar of Ireland in 1996. He was appointed a
QC in 1996. He was appointed a
High Court judge in Northern Ireland in 2007, and as such he received the customary
knighthood. He was appointed to the
Court of Appeal in Northern Ireland in September 2017. As an Appeal Court Judge he was sworn in as a Member of the
Privy Council of the United Kingdom in 2017. On the 1 October 2020 he become a
Justice of the United Kingdom Supreme Court, following the retirement of
Lord Kerr of Tonaghmore. On assuming office, he took the
judicial courtesy title of
Lord Stephens of Creevyloughgare. In 2022, he and
Lord Hamblen of Kersey gave the ruling in
ZXC v Bloomberg that individuals investigated by police have a
reasonable expectation of privacy not to be named in the media unless
charged with an offence. == Personal life ==