Lars van Vliet studied law at Maastricht University where he graduated cum laude. Afterwards he studied tax law for one year at the same institute. In 2000 he defended his Ph.D. thesis entitled 'Transfer of movables in German, French, English and Dutch law' at Maastricht University under the supervision of Prof. J.H.M. van Erp (Maastricht), and Prof. B.A. Rudden (Brasenose College, Oxford).
Part of the research was done at Oxford University. He also taught comparative property law as a visiting lecturer at the University of Edinburgh in February 2000 and March 2003 and at the University of Aberdeen and Strathclyde University in Glasgow in 2002. He taught Scots property law at the University of Aberdeen in November 2006. In 2009 and 2010 he taught the master course 'The Aruban law of security rights' at the University of Aruba. In March 2012 he lectured at the Stellenbosch Law Faculty. He was appointed a fellow of the South African Research Chair in Property Law at Stellenbosch University.
Since September 2021 he has been appointed full professor of art law.