Stephen Denyer

I had the great honour—and pleasure—of working with Stephen for four years at the Law Society. He was always generous with his time and was always ready to make an introduction to his vast network of contacts around the world. No matter where in the world or in what subject area, Stephen always knew who I should talk to. And such was the weight of Stephen’s reputation globally that a request citing his name would always be accepted. I can say that almost everyone in my network of contacts is a result of Stephen’s introductions. He was always patient and generous with his time in sharing his expertise and knowledge with a newcomer to the legal services industry. Stephen was a giant of the legal profession. His contribution to the Law Society cannot be understated and he cannot be replaced. As was said during his memorial, he leaves a Stephen-sized hole in the organisation that can never be filled. It was my great honour to have had the chance to work with him and can only wish that it had been for longer.

Stephen was thoughtful, helpful and giving to so many. Sometimes people wear many faces and adopt different approaches to the people and situations they encounter at work and elsewhere but Stephen was a beacon of consistent warmth, creativity and care for others, applying his ideas, resourcefulness and connections for the benefit of others. People remember what he did for them and I am one of them.

Stephen was a tremendously kind and wise colleague for the five years that I worked with him at TLS. He generously gave his time and support to me when I joined the organization, and then latterly when we worked in the same directorate I was blown away by how hardworking he was, but always ready to have a laugh with it. He carried huge respect across the legal sector, and rightly so. It’s hard to think of anyone quite like Stephen, who will be missed and valued by so many.

I will always be so grateful for Stephen’s generous offers to engage on various issues with our ABA Section of International Law. He supported the rule of law and justice for all consistently and with a humble wisdom, intellect and good-natured enthusiasm that always impressed me. The world is better because of Stephen. We have all lost something in his passing.

I had the pleasure of working with Stephen at The Law Society and I miss his kind and generous spirit. Stephen always greeted you with a welcoming smile. He had a real presence that left a lasting impact on everyone he met and was always willing to lend a helping hand, offer his insights and guidance to those who needed it (I was definitely one of the lucky people he kindly gave his time too !) . A legend in his own right and his contributions to legal community and to all those who had the pleasure on knowing him will not be forgotten.