His Honour Judge Laurenson was admitted to the bar in 2000 and started as a staff solicitor at Govett Quilliam before a move to Porirua as in-house counsel for Child, Youth and Family and then as a staff solicitor and associate at the Catriona Doyle and Rohan Cochrane Law Office. He re-joined Govett Quilliam in 2007 and was a partner from 2008 until his appointment to the bench in May 2022. Judge Laurenson sits in South Auckland and is the resident Family Court Judge in Papakura.
In practice, his Honour specialised in family law and general private litigation, and had extensive court experience including trust and estate litigation. He appeared extensively as the Court-appointed lawyer to represent children. His Honour’s governance experience includes a number of trustee positions for community groups and charitable organisations and he has been involved in sports administration roles. His iwi affiliations include Ngati Tuwharetoa, Ati Haunui-a-Paparangi, Ngati Rangi, Ngai Tumapuhia-A-Rangi, and Ngai Tahu.