John Keers, BL

John is a qualified Barrister and Mediator and in recent years he has been involved in the emerging LegalTech sector. In particular, over the last 5 years John has successfully designed and piloted 2 Online Dispute Resolution solutions for use in both Small Claims and consumer disputes. In November 2024 he was appointed as Director of the newly formed Centre for Legal Technology.

John graduated from Ulster University in 2005 with an LLB in Law & Government. He went on to study his Human Rights master’s degree at Ulster University’s Transitional Justice Institute and graduated in 2010. Since 2010 he has lectured across various modules including International Commercial Law, Commercial ADR, Corporate Law, Equity & Trust and Land Law.

In early 2018 he successfully designed and launched an industry leading LLM master’s programme in International Commercial Law and Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR). This entire programme is also being launched at Ulster University's partner in Qatar, CU. John is primarily based at the Belfast Campus, where he leads the academic team delivering the LLM as its Course Director.

John is a passionate advocate for technological change in legal practice and within our courts. In 2021 he was appointed by the Office of the Lord Chief Justice to sit on and advise the Judicial Steering Group on Digitisation in Northern Ireland.

He is the External Examiner to London South Bank University undergraduate law programme.

John is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

In 2022 he was appointed as Chair at Family Mediation NI and was recently appointed to the Shared Island Mediation Project.

His main research interests are in LegalTech and in particular Online Dispute Resolution, Alternative Dispute Resolution, Corporate Law, International Commercial Law and Land Law.