Lake was born in Raleigh, North Carolina. He earned his law degree from Wake Forest University and entered private practice after graduating. From 1969 to 1976, Lake served a deputy attorney general for the state of North Carolina. Afrom serving two terms in the North Carolina General Assembly as a state Senator, Lake was appointed to the state Superior Court in 1985. Appointed to the state state Supreme Court in 1992, he was elected to a regular term on the court in 1994, and was elected the court's chief justice in 2000.