Of Welsh ancestry, Lord Justice Phillips went to school in Chester and then studied law at University College, Oxford. He was called to the Bar in 1984, following the same career as his father, who had been a barrister and then a County Court Judge. Sir Stephen joined 3 Verulam Buildings, where he specialised in banking and other financial aspects of commercial law, and in civil fraud. He was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 2002, a Recorder in 2000, and a Deputy High Court Judge in 2008. Sir Stephen became a Queen’s Bench Judge in 2013, and has been a Lord Justice of Appeal since 2020.

Lord Justice Phillips is a keen theatre-goer and also enjoys hill-walking, tennis, and football.