Mark Beer

Mark Beer
Beer in the DIFC Courtroom
BornNovember 1971[1]
NationalityBritish

Mark Gregory Beer OBE is a British lawyer and businessman who is co-founder of the law firm Seven Pillars Law,[2] as well as chairman of The Metis Institute, and co-founder of the University of Oxford's Deep Technology Dispute Resolution Lab. He is chair of the Board of Trustees of the Global Legal Action Network[3] and was previously President of the International Association for Court Administration.[4] Beer is a member of the Commercial Dispute Resolution Taskforce, part of the UK Government's ‘LawTech Delivery Panel’;[5] advisor to the Board of Resolve Disputes Online; a member of the Innovation Working Group of the Task Force on Justice; a professional associate with Outer Temple Chambers; a member of the faculty at the Legal Technology and Innovation Institute and a member of the International Council of the Supreme Court of the Republic of Kazakhstan.[6] Beer is the Chairman of the Astana Financial Centre's (AIFC) LegalTech Advisory Council and a member of the AIFC Legal Services Board.

In 2021, Beer was appointed a professor of AI and Law by the Shanghai University of Political Science and Law, and has been appointed a member of the Shanghai Arbitration Commission.[citation needed]

Beer is a Visiting Fellow of the University of Oxford,[7] a member of the World Economic Forum's Expert Network[8] for the justice sector and a legal commentator on China's One Belt One Road Initiative.[9][10]

Education

Beer studied at both King Edward's School, Birmingham and Manchester Grammar School[citation needed] before graduating from University of Oxford in 1993 after studying jurisprudence.[11] He went on to start his legal career with Edge & Ellison, Hatwell Pritchett & Co, Clyde & Co and Mastercard.[11]

Career

Beer was appointed Registrar at DIFC Courts in 2008,[12] and a Small Claims Tribunal Judge and the Chief Executive of the DIFC Courts in 2009. Beer was Registrar at the Dubai World Tribunal from 2009 to 2018.[13] In 2017, Beer was appointed Registrar General to the DIFC Courts by Chief Justice Michael Hwang.[14] Beer was identified as one of the 100 Inspiring Leaders in the Middle East[15] and was involved in a number of transformative projects in Dubai in the legal[16][17] and justice sectors,[18] having spoken[19] about the future of law and justice[20] and been instrumental in the establishment of the Courts of the Future Forum.[21]

Beer was involved in negotiating the memoranda signed with other courts including those in England and Wales, the Southern District of New York, Singapore, New South Wales and the Supreme Court of Kazakhstan.[22]

Beer was co-Chief Executive and general registrar of the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) Dispute Resolution Authority,[23] which developed links with China,[24] Kazakhstan,[25] Abu Dhabi Judicial Department,[26][23] Ras al-Khaimah,[23] Microsoft,[27] the Dubai Judicial Institute,[28] and New York University Abu Dhabi,[29]

Beer was behind the idea to create the DIFC's Dispute Resolution Authority,[30] hosting the DIFC Courts, the DIFC-LCIA Arbitration Centre, the DIFC Wills and Probate Registry and the DIFC Academy of Law. Beer worked on the development of the Middle East's first specialist Technology and Construction Court.[31][32][33]

As the Chief Executive of the DIFC Courts, Beer was credited by Chief Justice Michael Hwang[34] as one of the reasons for the DIFC Courts' success.

Awards and recognition

Beer was awarded an OBE in Queen Elizabeth II's 2013 Birthday honours list, for his work in strengthening relations between the UK and the UAE.[35]

References

  1. ^ "Mark Gregory BEER". Gov.uk. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
  2. ^ Rigby, Ben. "Former Dubai international courts head Mark Beer sets up practice in Kazakhstan". The Global Legal Post. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  3. ^ "Board of Trustees". glanlaw. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
  4. ^ "Mark Beer". www.iaca.ws. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
  5. ^ "LawTech Delivery Panel – The Law Society". lawsociety.org.uk. Retrieved 9 December 2018.
  6. ^ "Members of the International Council under the Supreme Court of the Republic of Kazakhstan". Supreme Court of the Republic of Kazakhstan. 22 February 2016. Retrieved 9 December 2018.
  7. ^ "Mark Beer | Saïd Business School". University of Oxford. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
  8. ^ "Expert Network". World Economic Forum. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
  9. ^ "Courting the Chinese legal system a priority for DIFC". The National. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
  10. ^ Beer, Mark; April 2018, OBE in Opinions on 20 (20 April 2018). "Belt and Road Initiative: One Vision of Justice". The Astana Times. Retrieved 21 September 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  11. ^ "DIFC Courts names new Registrar and Deputy Registrar", Gulf News, 9 October 2008. Retrieved 4 July 2013.
  12. ^ "Mark Beer". Archived from the original on 16 December 2013. Retrieved 27 January 2013.
  13. ^ "Emirati talent elevated to top DIFC Courts". Gulf News. Retrieved 31 May 2017.
  14. ^ "100 inspiring leaders in the Middle East". Arabian Business. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  15. ^ "DIFC Courts CEO Mark Beer: legal industry desperately needs IT transformation | Tahawul Tech". Tahawul Tech. 15 October 2017. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
  16. ^ "Web inventor Berners-Lee to speak at FDI forum in Sharjah". ArabianBusiness.com. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
  17. ^ Newton Arbitration (27 February 2017), Kluwers Law: "The Future of International Dispute Resolution Centres: The Garfield Principle", retrieved 28 February 2018
  18. ^ "Lawyers need to learn to work with AI, says law service founder". ITP.net. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
  19. ^ Thomson Reuters (4 December 2017), Courts of the Future 'Need to be Disruptive', Says Mark Beer of DIFC Courts, retrieved 28 February 2018 {{citation}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  20. ^ "Courts of the Future – Courts of the Future". Courts of the Future. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
  21. ^ "Frank Kane's working lunch: Mark Beer of DIFC Courts has many titles but one key role". The National. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
  22. ^ a b c Ali Khaled (11 February 2017). "How DIFC Courts has helped connect the UAE's legal system". ArabianBusiness.com. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
  23. ^ "Courting the Chinese legal system a priority for DIFC". The National. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
  24. ^ "Press release about the meeting of the Minister of Justice of the Republic of Kazakhstan Berik Imashev with the Chief Executive Officer – the Registrar of Courts of the Dubai International Financial Centre Mark Beer | Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Kazakhstan". www.adilet.gov.kz. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
  25. ^ "Abu Dhabi Judicial Department receives Chinese judicial delegation". wam. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
  26. ^ Staff Report (19 July 2017). "DIFC Courts, Microsoft in digitisation alliance". Gulf News. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
  27. ^ UAEToday.com. "UAE Today – Dubai Judicial Institute Hosts Workshop On Practices And Procedures Of DIFC Courts". uaetoday.com. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
  28. ^ Dhabi, NYU Abu. "South of Everything: A Workshop on Global Legal Education". New York University Abu Dhabi. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
  29. ^ "DRA" (PDF).
  30. ^ "Resolving disputes: The DIFC's new technology and construction division – Middle East Construction News". Retrieved 28 February 2018.
  31. ^ "Dubai's DIFC Courts to launch new technology and construction division this year". Gulf Business. 15 August 2017. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
  32. ^ "Dubai's DIFC Courts can now handle complex construction, technology disputes – Gulf Business". Gulf Business. 18 September 2017. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
  33. ^ "Chief Justice Michael Hwang Farewell Speech for Mark Beer". DFIC Courts. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  34. ^ Staff Report (15 June 2013). "Two Dubai-based businessmen honoured". Gulf News. Retrieved 20 April 2017.