Lawrence obtained a Bachelor of Commerce, a Bachelor of Laws and a Master of Laws degree from the University of Queensland and was admitted as a barrister in the Supreme Court of Queensland in April 1996. Soon after, he was also admitted as a barrister in the Supreme Court of New South Wales, the Supreme Court of Victoria, the Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territories as well as the High Court of Australia. He had been practising in commercial and administrative law at the Queensland Bar and later at the New South Wales Bar, before returning to the SAR in September 2007. Since April 2008, Lawrence was admitted to practice as a barrister in the High Court of the HKSAR.
He taught in the Law Faculty of two Australian Universities and is also an Adjunct Professor of the Nankai University in Tianjin, PR China. He is the author of two practitioners’ text: “Equity and Trusts Law in Hong Kong” as the Fourth edition of the same is published in 2018; Basic Law: Principles and Controversies published in 2017. Also, in 2009, Lawrence is a Member of the Society of Trusts and Estate Practitioners. Since returning to the SAR, Lawrence practices in the area of general commercial litigation, trusts and estate litigation and constitutional law litigation.
Lawrence has been active in public and community service both in Hong Kong and in the Mainland China.
With respect to community service, In September 2015, Lawrence was appointed as a Senior Legal Advisor of the Silk Road Development Association. He was appointed as the Chairman of the Finance and Banking Committee by the International Dispute Resolution and Risk Management Institute (IDRRMI) in 2021.
With respect to public appointment in the Mainland China, since early 2013, Lawrence has been appointed as a Standing Committee Member of the Guangdong Returned Overseas Chinese Association, and a Member of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (Shanxi Committee); and in November 2013 the State Council has approved his appointment as a Director of the China Law Society. In December 2015, the Shaoqing Returned Overseas Chinese Association appointed Lawrence as its Overseas Legal Advisor; and in November 2018, he was appointed Senior Advisor of the Zhongshan Returned Overseas Chinese Association Legal Advisory Committee. In January 2017, Lawrence became a Member of the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macau Studies.
He is a Council Member of the China Law Society since 2013 and the Chinese Overseas Friendship Association since 2019.
In 2021, he is appointed a Chairman of the Buildings Appeal Tribunal and in the same year, he became a Member by Nomination of the Hong Kong Election Committee representing the Hong Kong Legal Subsector.