Johnson obtained a degree in Genetics from Cambridge University and then pursued a career in intellectual property law initially in the UK and then the U.S. He worked for Kirkland & Ellis LLP for over thirty years and was a founding partner of its New York and San Francisco offices as well as the senior partner in its IP groups in those offices. Since 2013, Stephen has pursued two complementary tracks — first, writing and teaching on IP in a business context; and second, working on data sharing in brain and mental health research and most recently on mental health policy and other initiatives. Stephen is the author of The Economist Guide to Intellectual Property, published by Economist Books in 2015.