Lieutenant Colonel Hatfield joined the Canadian Armed Forces in 1989 as a Combat Engineer with 56 Field Engineer Squadron in St John’s Newfoundland attaining the rank of Sgt. With the Engineers he qualified as a demolition instructor, heavy equipment operator and Reconnaissance Sergeant. After graduating from Memorial University in 1995 with a Honours degree in History, he moved to Windsor Ontario to attend Law School. In Windsor he commissioned into 23 Military Police Platoon and less than two years later, transferred to The Essex and Kent Scottish Regiment as a platoon commander where he deployed for the Eastern Ontario Ice Storm.
He started his legal career in 1999 with a move to Hamilton which also brought him to the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada. In 2002 he commanded the unit’s first Cambrian Patrol team which won a Bronze medal at the British Army’s annual competition in Wales. In the Argylls he became a qualified military parachutist, NBCD instructor and Urban Warfare Instructor attending the British Army FIBUA instructor course. He was awarded a Canadian Army Commander’s Commendation for the development of an Urban Operations Training system for the Army Reserve.
Lieutenant Colonel Hatfield was on active service in Afghanistan from 2006 to 2007, deploying as a mentor for the Afghanistan National Army apart of the multinational joint Task Force Phoenix under command of the United States Army. For his efforts in Afghanistan he was awarded the Task Force Commander’s Commendation and the US Army Achievement Medal. In 2010 he was a rifle company commander attached to Third Battalion the Royal Canadian Regiment for Operation CADENCE. In 2011, he returned to Afghanistan on a technical assistance tour to mentor at the Afghanistan National Army Command School.
After 6 years as the Argyll’s lead rifle company commander he took command of the Argylls in June 2012 and in September 2013 he was given command of the 750 soldiers of the 31 Brigade Territorial Battle Group which a Arctic deployment of the battlegroup to Rankin Inlet. He commanded the Argylls in 2014 during the tragic killing of Cpl Nathan Cirillo. From 2015 to 2018 he was a Primary Reserve advisor at the 4th Division Headquarters in charge of the Army Reserve High School Coop program and the Canadian Military Leadership Pilot Initiative. In 2018 he took command of 56 Field Regiment, Royal Canadian Artillery with Batteries in Brantford, Simcoe and St Catharines. In 2020 he volunteered for Operation LASER where he was first a Regional Liaison Officer and then assigned the command of over 1000 soldiers of the 32 Brigade Summer Training Battalion.
Lawrence has practiced civil litigation for over 20 years including 10 years as the managing partner in a firm he co founded. In September 2020 he started as a mediator with a the national mediation firm of Global Resolutions. He is been active volunteer in his local community. He has been a Big Brother and went on to serve on the local board. He recently joined the Board of Governors for Robert Land Academy. He is a former member of the OPP Auxiliary, the Ontario Legal Aid Appeals Board, the Boy Scouts and a minor hockey rep coach. He lives in Ancaster with his wife Shari shared the passion of English Horseback Riding with daughter Lauren (17) and hockey and paintball with his son Lawson (15).