Ivan Lawrence

Sir Ivan John Lawrence, KC (born 24 December 1936) is a former British Conservative Member of Parliament and criminal barrister.

Early life and legal career

Born in Brighton, Lawrence was the only child of parents of Russian-Romanian Jewish descent. Alma Cogan, a successful singer of traditional pop music in the post-war period, was his cousin. He has defended in over 90 murder trials, and has appeared in many notable criminal trials, being, for example, Junior Counsel for the Kray twins (gang-land murders) in seven trials, leading counsel for the serial killer Dennis Nilsen, for Russell Bishop (Brighton Babes in the Wood murders),

He is a Freeman of the City of London, Vice-President of the Society of Conservative Lawyers, President of the Spelthorne constituency Conservative Association, was a deputy for the Board of Deputies of British Jews for 40 years, and was a trustee of the Holocaust Educational Trust.

In popular culture

Lawrence was portrayed by Pip Torrens in Des, a 2020 docudrama focusing on Dennis Nilsen.