Profile
“I help clients focus in on the key issues early in the process, so as a team we can be as efficient as possible. I strive to keep conflict to a minimum, and act within an ethical framework which I believe leads to better outcomes for all.”
Laurence is a Partner, and Practice Group Leader of the Family Law Group at Watson Goepel LLP. With a passion for helping families navigate difficult transitions, his practice focuses on all aspects of family law including divorce, division of family property and debt and spousal support, as well as child focused issues including child support, parenting time, guardianship and parenting responsibilities. Laurence regularly drafts all forms of family law agreements, including Separation Agreements, Prenuptial and Marriage Agreements.
Laurence’s practice emphasizes the use of mediation and negotiation to reach consensus where possible, but is a skilled litigator when required. He is a member of the BC Family Law Unbundling Roster, offering select legal tasks for clients who do not want or cannot afford full-representation.
Laurence is originally from the U.K., and practiced in London for over ten years prior to moving to Vancouver in 2007. He is an avid non-fiction reader, quiz-taker, walker and wine aficionado; French, Italian and B.C. wines in particular.
Education
- BSc, Economics and Accounting, University of Wales, Aberystwyth, 1986
- Certificate of Qualification, National Committee on Accreditation, Federation of Law Societies of Canada, 2008
Bar
- British Columbia, 2009
- England and Wales, 1998
Publications and Presentations
- Author, ” The do’s and do not’s of family law,” British Canadian Business Association, Spring Newsletter, April 25, 2021.
- Author, “Common pitfalls for family law clients,” The Lawyer’s Daily, February 04, 2020.
- Author, “Till debt do us part: dividing liabilities,” The Lawyer’s Daily, November 15, 2019.
- Presenter, “Assets, Liabilities, and Family Law,” to Odlum Brown Financial Services Ltd., January 2019.
- Co-presenter, “The Impact of V.J.F. on the Division of Family Property in British Columbia,” Webinar, Trial Lawyers Association, November 2016.
- Co-presenter, “Family Law Act Update,” West Vancouver Library, January 2013.
Professional and Community Affiliations
- Member, Trial Lawyers Association of British Columbia
- Member, Law Society of BC
- Member, Canadian Bar Association, Family Law and Unbundled Legal Services sections
- Member, Vancouver Bar Association
- Member, Law Society of England and Wales
- Past Member, Children’s Panel Accredited Solicitors in England and Wales 2001-2007
- Admitted to the Roll of Solicitors of England and Wales, 1998
* Practicing through a Professional Law Corporation.
