[3] Before his appointment at the University of Sydney, he was Associate to the Hon Justice Arthur Emmett AO in the Federal Court of Australia.
[4] In 2010 he was awarded the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Academy of Environmental Law Junior Scholarship Prize for ‘outstanding scholarship and contributions in the field of international environmental law’.
In 2014 Stephens was appointed with Professor Ivan Shearer [de] AM to the List of Experts for the South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organisation.
[8] In 2021 Stephens was elected as a Councillor on Inner West Council, representing the Leichhardt-Gulgadya Ward.
[9] Stephens' election was considered a 'surprise' as he was second on the Australian Labor Party's ticket for the Ward.