Stephen is the founding and managing partner of LangtonHudsonButcher, Lawyers. Rated by independent legal directories as one of the leading employment lawyers in New Zealand, Stephen acts as a trusted advisor to clients on a wide range of employment law and industrial relations issues. He subscribes to the view that "employment law is, more often than not, urgent and important for a client's business, or their livelihood; they need to be able to access high level, expert legal but commercial and practical advice, in a timely fashion and with a correspondingly high level of service".
Stephen is the Auckland Representative on the New Zealand Law Society's Employment Law Committee, a member of the Ministry of Justice Legal Aid Provider Selection Committee and a regular contributor to various publications and conferences.

Prior to founding LangtonHudsonButcher, Stephen was a partner at Kiely Thompson Caisley