After graduating from the College of William & Mary where he studied English. Lawrence wrote for hit shows including Friends, Boy Meets World, and The Nanny and produced the animated series Clone High. He also served as the creator of the sitcom Spin City and Scrubs. He is now currently the co-creator, executive producer, writer and director of ABC's current comedy Cougar Town. He is also one of the producers of the rejected television pilot Nobody's Watching. In 2006-07 he was prepping the film Fletch Won (which is a prequel to the previous Fletch films), but after Scrubs star Zach Braff dropped out, Bill Lawrence then soon after dropped out as well.

Bill Lawrence has a small role playing himself in It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie in a scene with Miss Piggy along with several members of the Scrubs cast.

Bill has appeared in four episodes of Scrubs. He first appeared as an extra in the episode "My Missed Perception" at the end as one of the staff. Then in season 6 as another extra in the coffee shop in "Their Story", then as an offbeat justice of the peace in "My Soul On Fire ". His final appearance comes at the end of "My Finale" as the janitor outside Sacred Heart that tears down the "Goodbye J.D." sign as J.D. is leaving.

Lawrence has been active since 1993 writing for Friends. He went on to write for Champs, writing the episodes "The Loop and Live" and "Live and Let Breathe". He co-created the popular ABC television show Spin City which lasted for six seasons. He wrote episodes "Pilot", "The Apartment", "Bye Bye Love", "Paul Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest", "The Paul Lassiter Story", "Goodbye (Part 2)", and co-wrote the series finale "A Friend in Need".

Then in 2001, he created Scrubs. He has written episodes "My First Day", "My Mentor", "My Nickname", "My Occurrence", "My Overkill", "My T.C.W.", "My Own American Girl", "My Catalyst", "My Changing Ways", "My Intern's Eyes", "My ABC's" and the season eight finale, "My Finale". He has also directed several episodes of the series, which include, "My Dream Job, "My Own American Girl", "My Best Friend's Wedding", "My Old Friend's New Friend, "My Intern's Eyes", "My Rite of Passage", "My Missed Perception", "My Transition", "My Turf War", "My Own Worst Enemy", "My Inconvenient Truth", "My Last Words", "My ABC's", "My Soul on Fire Parts 1 & 2", "My Finale", "Our First Day of School, as well as many uncredited rewrites.

In 2003, Lawrence created Clone High with Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, it only lasted for thirteen episodes and wrote A Rope of Sand. His wife, Christa Miller, was cast in Clone High and voiced Cleopatra.

Scrubs

• "Man sitting on Couch" - "My Best Friend's Baby's Baby and My Baby's Baby"
• "Man In Dr. Cox's Wave" - "My Identity Crisis"
• "Vaan" (Justice of the Peace) - "My Soul on Fire "
• "A Janitor" - "My Finale"
• "coffee house customer" -"Their story"
• "Photographed Doctor" - "My missed Perception"

Cougar Town

• "Policeman" - "Into The Great Wide Open"