Lawrence R. Jones retired from the New Jersey Judiciary in 2017, after serving the public as a Superior Court Judge. During his term on the Bench, Jones served as the President of the New Jersey Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (NJCJFCJ) and authored over 60 opinions on novel issues of law, including a significant unpublished opinion regarding custody and parenting issues for children with autism (Rooney v. Wall, 2015). Following his years in the Judiciary, he was honored by the New Jersey Law Journal in June 2017 as a Distinguished Leader of the N.J. Bar. In November 2017, he was appointed by N.J. Governor-elect Phil Murphy to serve on his gubernatorial transition team relative to legal issues and social justice.

Lawrence Jones previously served on both the New Jersey Council of Developmental Disabilities (2007-2009) and the Governor’s Adults with Autism Task Force (2008-2009), both times as an appointee of then N.J. Governor Jon Corzine. On the latter committee, Jones served as Chair of the Subcommittee on Legal Issues and helped develop the “Plan for Action” which ultimately resulted in the creation of New Jersey’s Office of Autism Services. Thereafter, following Jones’ appointment to the Judiciary — and consistent with the aforementioned Plan for Action relative to educating Superior Court Judges on autism — Judge Jones founded, developed, and co-presented the first program in New Jersey for sitting family court judges on autism and divorce, which was presented at the New Jersey Judiciary’s Judicial College in 2010. Judge Jones also co-authored the 2010 Judicial Bench Guide on the subject. Additionally, he was the co-author of the “Jones-Holmes criteria” of special considerations for judges deciding custody issues regarding children with autism, which was presented at (a) the N.J. Judicial College in 2010 (b), the Autism Society of America’s national convention in Pittsburgh in 2013, and (c) the American College of Forensic Psychology Annual Symposium in San Francisco.

Prior to joining the Judiciary, he served as the Chairperson of the Editorial Board of New Jersey Lawyer Magazine, the official publication of the New Jersey State Bar Association. He also served as special editor of the magazine’s first-ever edition on Special Education Law which featured articles written by multiple legal experts. Jones also co-authored with Dr. David Holmes “Autism and Divorce: Guidelines for Family Law Practice,” published in New Jersey Lawyer magazine in 2009.

Lawrence Jones has lectured nationally on autism-related issues, including presentations before the Association for Family and Conciliation Courts (AFCC) and the Autism Society of America (ASA). He is also one of the five original founders of Parents of Autistic Children (POAC), having helped launch and then develop this well-known non-profit organization in 2000. in 2005, N.J. Governor-elect Jon Corzine appointed Jones to serve on his gubernatorial transition team regarding human and social services for persons with developmental disabilities.

In his post-Judicial career, Jones has continued to present and lecture extensively on multiple legal subjects including issues concerning persons with autism. In 2018, he developed and presented a first-time program for the New Jersey Association of Professional Mediators entitled, “Autism and Divorce: Issues and Challenges for the Mediator.” From 2018-present, he has developed and chaired/moderated the New Jersey State Bar Association/ Institute of Continuing Legal Education’s annual panel presentation, “Autism and Family Court:  Issues and Approaches Involving Children with Special Needs”. In April 2019, he authored a special 4-part weekly series entitled “Autism and the Law” published in the New Jersey Law Journal in honor of Autism Awareness/Acceptance Month. In 2019, he presented to the National Academy of Professional Family Mediators a program addressing and resolving issues between separating and divorcing parents of children with autism. In March 2021, he created and moderated the Academy of Professional Mediators’ inaugural program on “Mediation and Autism Spectrum Disorder”.

In April 2020, Jones served as the creator and moderator of a special panel presentation for the New Jersey State Bar Association’s Institute of Continuing Legal Education entitled COVID-19 and Autism: Navigating Special Needs in an Upside Down World. In October 2020 and October 2021, he served as moderator and speaker for Autism NJ’s annual conference presentation on Autism and Family Court Issues (2020): Considerations for Parents and Professionals.

Lawrence Jones and his wife are parents of a child with autism. In 2002, their five-year-old son’s journey to play Little League gave rise to professional baseball’s first-ever Autism Awareness Day, an event honored by the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown and resulted in an Emmy Award for Comcast News for best feature news story of 2003. The event was also the subject of a cover story in Autism Digest and led to a first-ever Autism Awareness Day by the New York Yankees, as recognized by the United States Senate and by the Autism Society of America. Similar events were thereafter hosted by the Florida Marlins, the (then) Montreal Expos, and the Pittsburgh Pirates, commencing a custom of honoring autism through Major League Baseball which is now followed by major league teams throughout the United States and Canada. In 2005, Jones and his wife, Joni Jones, received the Autism NJ ( f/k/a COSAC) Community Partnership Award for service to the autism community in developing the interrelationship between autism awareness and major league baseball.

Following his years in the Judiciary, Lawrence Jones has been appointed as an adjunct professor at Monmouth University and Montclair University. He also continued to present and lecture extensively on multiple legal subjects for the New Jersey State Bar Association, the New Jersey Association of Professional Mediators, the Academy of Professional Family Mediators, and other legal and professional organizations. He served on the New Jersey State Bar Association’s Legal Education Committee and as the Vice-President and former director/legislative liaison on the Dispute Resolution Council. He was also appointed to the Board of Directors of the New Jersey Association of Professional Mediators. He presently practices online mediation and dispute resolution, and now resides with his wife in Albuquerque, New Mexico. In 2023 he was appointed by the New Mexico Supreme Court as the Vice-Chair of the Commission on Alternative Dispute Resolution.