Stevenson was elected a bencher of the Inner Temple in 1950,[REF] and appointed Recorder of Cambridge, a part-time judge, in 1952;[REF] he had previously served as Recorder for Rye from 1944 to 1951 [REF].
Stevenson was a leading member of the legal team assisting Sir Reginald Manningham-Buller during the failed prosecution of alleged serial killer Dr John Bodkin Adams in 1957.