My Life of Crime: Cases and Causes

From humble beginnings in Brighton in the 1930s, Ivan Lawrence has had an amazingly varied and interesting life:-

• as a criminal defence lawyer, later Queen’s Counsel, taking part in many of the twentieth century’s most infamous trials;
• as Conservative MP for Burton-on-Trent for 23 years, during which time he initiated the National Lottery with a private member’s Bill;
• and as a proud and happy husband and father.

Knighted in 1992, Sir Ivan Lawrence QC MP tells the story of his life of crime with extraordinary humility and humour, even when recounting his part in gruesome murder trials, and is passionate in his defence of the independent self-employed Bar within the legal aid system, now under threat.

Alongside this tale runs the story of his life as an MP, giving a fascinating insight into life in the Commons under the leadership of Margaret Thatcher. He shows how politics and the law so often inter-relate and sometimes converge, as when he takes part as a defender in a war crimes trial at The Hague, following the war in the former Yugoslavia, and is involved in observing the birth of the first black government in South Africa.