A lifelong resident of Virginia, Stephen grew up in Roanoke and received his undergraduate degree from the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. After working in the family division of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, he discovered a passion for helping people in the legal system and began his legal career at the University of Richmond T.C. Williams School of Law. In law school, he participated in the Children’s Defense Clinic as a student advocate for juvenile delinquents and received a CALI Award for Excellence in Family Law.