I am very sorry to hear of the sudden loss of Stephen. May his memory bring you comfort.
Stephen’s expertise and years of experience have been indispensable over the last 5 years, where we have been set up as the UK’s space regulator, in addition to the duties to aviation. Using these new space reguations for the first time, we have constantly had to tackle legal quandaries and double (even triple) check things as we learn and improve policies and working practices. Stephen has been there every step of the way, being one of the most – if not the most – experienced lawyers we had the privilege to have access to.
Whether it was a small one-line question about a single paragraph in the law, a question on how to best to take action on active cases, or a request to provide a full legal review of a 20 page policy document, Stephen would – without fail – respond immediately. No matter the time of day or night that I sent the request, I would soon find Stephen in my inbox with either a direct answer, his initial thoughts, or a promise that he would get back to me with a full answer in the coming days. If I was lucky, I would also get a little joke or hint of sarcasm in the response – not only did he provide the invaluable expertise, but he would always keep it interesting and entertaining at the same time. He was also honest and upfront about his thoughts: if I was proposing policy or legal interpretations that he felt were wrong, he would let me know in no uncertain terms. This was something that I always appreciated.
Stephen was an integral part of the team. He will be greatly missed by us all.