Lauren Laniece Lake[2] (born July 12, 1969[3][4]) is an American family lawyer, television judge, and talk show presenter.

[5] Lake has performed in guest hosting and news anchoring positions for various talk shows and reality legal programs.

The series ran for seven seasons and was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award five times, including a win in 2019.

[8] Lake attended Mercy High School in Farmington Hills, Michigan, and was a National Merit Scholar in 1986.

In May 1993, Lake earned a Juris Doctor from Wayne State University Law School in Detroit, Michigan.

[11] In June 1995, she was admitted to the State Bar of Michigan and began her law career as a criminal defense attorney.

She sang background for Mary J. Blige, Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs, Jay-Z, Dr. Dre, and Snoop Dogg.

Lake also began writing, recording, and publicly performing her own music, eventually creating her own production company.

[19] In June 2021, Entertainment Studios ordered a revival of the daily court show We the People with Lake taking over for Gloria Allred.

She and worked on civil and criminal matters, including divorce, child custody and support, and paternity.

She has also handled felony and misdemeanor trials, involving arson, criminal sexual conduct, theft, weapons, assault, and possession of controlled substances.