Lawrence brings a wealth of experience to mediation and ADR and has practised as a mediator since he was accredited by CEDR in 1994. With experience in a variety of disputes and a range of sectors, his mediations include commercial contracts, banking and financial services, construction and engineering, defamation, fraud, inheritance, insurance, intellectual property, manufacturing, media, partnerships and shareholders, police, professional negligence, property and voluntary organisations. He has experience in cross-cultural disputes and has been accredited as a Restorative Justice facilitator.
He practised as a barrister and then KC for more than 30 years in a broad range of civil, commercial and complex criminal cases, and sat as a Recorder of the Crown Court. He acted as observer for Amnesty International in trials in the Gambia, Israel and Grenada, and in 1991 mediated between the Government of Grenada and 14 death row prisoners. Lawrence now works exclusively in mediation and facilitation and trains others in mediation and negotiation skills.
He has also been active in conflict resolution and chaired Search for Common Ground in the UK for 10 years, supporting the international work of SFCG Washington in conflict transformation and peace-building. He has been actively involved in the development of Restorative Justice and was a board member then chair of the Restorative Justice Council. He is a member of the working group on Environmental Restorative Justice of the European Forum for Restorative Justice.
Recognising the importance of enhancing communications in resolving disputes, Lawrence is accredited as a trainer of Nonviolent Communication and Neuro-Linguistic Programming. He has been selected by Who’s Who Legal 2020 as 'one of the world's leading mediators’ and included in the Legal 500 Mediator Hall of Fame 2020.