An interview with the founder of Stephenson Law

Guest post

Alice is an entrepreneur, tech lawyer and angel investor who founded Stephenson Law in 2017.

Stephenson Law challenges the legal industry by offering unparalleled service and expertise without the typical corporate stuffiness. They work with fast-growth technology companies and established in-house legal teams to provide a flexible, bolt-on resource to their leadership and legal teams.

What did you want to be when you were older?

Some of our lawyers knew from day one that they wanted to go into law. This was predominantly due to the fact that they had family members who were already working in the legal field, or from a young age they watched box sets of kickass lawyers saving the day and putting baddies behind bars!

But for most of us, the journey to becoming a lawyer was quite different. Some of our team members wanted to be doctors, some writers, other journalists. We all like to think that we should have a deep and meaningful calling towards becoming a lawyer, but as kids, some of our team explored various career options before pursuing a journey into the legal field.

I personally wanted to become a doctor - and for some reason a doctor in the army! Given that I really don’t like being told what to do, this would have been a terrible idea and I thankfully realised this before going to university…

So when did you decide to get into law?

There’s not one story to fit all. It’s surprising to see how many of us actually trained to be lawyers later down the road rather from day one at university.

I had my daughter when I was 18 so didn’t get the best A level grades because I was pregnant at the time. I didn’t know what I wanted to do, but I was adamant about going to university.

I ended up doing a degree in sociology and HR management, but after actually working in HR, realised that I hadn’t chosen the right path for me and that I wanted to become a lawyer.

At the time I couldn’t afford to go back to university because I had my daughter to provide for, so I set about finding sponsorship. I managed to find a training contract with a company who paid for my fees to study to become a lawyer. I was so lucky to be supported by a firm who gave me this opportunity.

Fast forward a couple of years, and I was starting to get unsettled. Many law firms are very corporate and fit an old company culture that just didn’t resonate with me.

I wanted to challenge the status-quo of stuffy corporate law firms so the logical next step was to build a firm of my own! Stephenson Law was created, and we’re proud to be a down-to-earth alternative law firm that works closely with all kinds of businesses.

What did your team wish they knew before starting a career in law?

This has been a really interesting question for my team and with varied answers!

“The legal industry appears more glamorous from the outside than it really is. People think lawyers are well regarded, well paid, well respected - but there are lots of stories where this isn’t the case!”

“It’s really not all about your grades. I thought if you get a high 2.1. or a 1st from a good university, then you would be set for life and fly into a graduate job. This was far from the truth. Companies want to hire humans: People who they can work with, who have had experiences. So travel the world, join clubs, volunteer for causes you care about such as human rights charities. All of this helps to make you a well-rounded and hireable junior lawyer”

“It’s seriously hard work. Keeping clients happy is the main thing that you don’t learn at university. When you become a lawyer, you quickly realise that it’s not all about ‘knowing and doing law’ but you need to engage with the clients, network, be empathetic, get on well with them.”

Which areas of law interest you the most?

Luckily our team are mostly interested in the fields they are already working in (but then again they have to say that!)

I’m a technology lawyer, which is so interesting because I can see what my clients are building and how these products can be used to change the world. Linked to that is intellectual property. Helping clients protect their IP is such a valuable asset for businesses in tech.

For the others in my team it varies across a lot of areas: From data protection to anti-doping in equestrianism. We help businesses in so many areas and this is what makes the job so interesting!

Why should students gain work experience in the world of law?

First thing’s first: Do you actually want to become a lawyer? And if you do, which area do you want to specialise in? You’re not going to figure this out by studying or reading blogs around the topic - you need to get out there and discover for yourself! For example, one of our team members was thinking of becoming a barrister, but then realised that it was quite a lonely path and therefore ended up becoming a solicitor so that he could work more closely in a team. Knowing this saved him a lot of time and money ahead of time.

There are so many different types of companies, it’s important for you to know which one suits you in order for you to be happy and reach your full potential. For example, knowing which corporate culture spurs you on, or even how big you would like the firm to be. Some thrive in large businesses, others prefer smaller teams.

One piece of advice: If you are doing a work experience pay attention to how much people are smiling in the office, take a walk to the kitchen to see if anyone has left angry messages on the fridge… It sounds silly but sometimes companies only show graduates a tiny bubble of what they want the students to see. It’s for you to take a walk around and get to know other people in the company to see if it’s the right fit for you!

Views expressed in guest posts are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of In-house Potter.