Laurence graduated from law school over thirty years ago. He has been a certified Family Law Mediator for eighteen years. He is also a certified Family Law Arbitrator and a certified Parenting Coordinator. He is a resident of New Westminster and Harrison Mills, British Columbia.
Laurence sought to support himself during his university career. He was employed as a Lifeguard and Swimming Instructor with the City of Toronto Department of Parks and Recreation from 1977 to 1982. From 1982 to 1985, he served as Administrative Assistant for the Canadian Robert F. Kennedy Memorial. After graduating from high school, Laurence attended the University of Toronto. He majored in both history and political science and received his Bachelor of Arts degree with Honours in 1983. After graduating from the University of Toronto, Laurence pursued graduate studies in the field of political science and economics. Laurence received his Master of Arts degree in 1985. In September 1985, Laurence entered the Faculty of Law at the University of Windsor in Windsor, Ontario. He graduated with his Bachelor of Laws degree in 1988. Laurence was called to the Bar in the Province of Ontario in November 1990. Subsequently, he was called to the Bar in the Province of Nova Scotia in October 1991. In 1989, after finishing his articled year, Laurence moved to Ottawa, and accepted a position as Special Assistant to the Opposition Critic for Foreign Affairs in the House of Commons. The following year, Laurence was appointed Special Counsel to the Opposition House Leader. In 1992, Laurence decided to join his mother and his younger brother on the West Coast, and was called to the Bar of the Province of British Columbia in August 1993. Up to December 1999, Laurence resided in Kamloops, British Columbia and practiced primarily divorce and family law at the law firm of Nixon & Company. He also handled some criminal files, some personal injury files as well as wills and estate matters. In January 2000, Laurence opened his own law firm, Scott & Company, in Kamloops focusing on divorce and family law. He also opened a branch office in Merritt, British Columbia which primarily served Indigenous families throughout the Thompson and Okanagan regions of British Columbia. In September 2004, Laurence relocated his law practice from Kamloops to New Westminster, British Columbia and the Quay Law Centre, then the largest group of divorce and family lawyers in British Columbia. He served clients in New Westminster, the Tri-Cities, (Burnaby / Coquitlam / Port Coquitlam), Surrey, Delta and Richmond. When the Quay Law Centre closed its New Westminster offices in June 2019, Laurence joined Baker Newby LLP as Associate Counsel. Now he serves clients in even more areas of British Columbia including the Fraser Valley, Abbotsford, Chilliwack, Langley, Maple Ridge, Harrison Hot Springs and Hope. Laurence has an active and busy law practice and has attended on matters before the Provincial Court of British Columbia, the Supreme Court of British Columbia and the British Columbia Court of Appeal. Laurence has also lectured on divorce and family law at the Professional Legal Training Course. Laurence is qualified by the Law Society of British Columbia as a Family Law Arbitrator, a Family Law Mediator and a Parenting Coordinator. Laurence has been a qualified Family Law Mediator since 2002. Laurence has also been actively involved in advancing the interests of the legal profession and working for greater access to justice. For three years ending in 2007, Laurence served as Chair of the Legal Aid Committee of the Canadian Bar Association (British Columbia). In 2005, he was elected a Member of the Provincial Council of the Canadian Bar Association (British Columbia) for a three year term representing Westminster County. Most recently he was a member of the Court Services Committee of the Canadian Bar Association (British Columbia). In 2014, Laurence served as President of the New Westminster Bar Association, the oldest and most active local bar association in the Province. Laurence agreed to serve a second term as President of the New Westminster Bar Association for 2017. In December 2016, Laurence was awarded the designation of Queen’s Counsel by the Attorney General of British Columbia. Most recently, Laurence was appointed a Governor of the Law Foundation of British Columbia in January 2017. He was re-appointed a Governor of the Law Foundation for a second term in January 2020. In March 2020, Laurence was elected a Director of the British Columbia Parenting Coordinator’s Roster Society. Laurence has held a variety of leadership roles with the Navy League of Canada, the Royal Canadian Sea Cadets and the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Program in Canada for many years. He has also been involved with the KidStart Mentoring Program (PLEA Community Services Society of British Columbia), the Robert F. Kennedy Centre for Justice and Human Rights, the Vancouver International Writers Festival as well as several other local charities and community groups.
When a husband and wife separate from each other, it is often the children that are caught in the middle...