Sir Mark Andrew O'Regan (born 1953) is a New Zealand lawyer and jurist. He was the President of the

Court of Appeal of New Zealand The Court of Appeal of New Zealand is the principal intermediate appellate court of New Zealand. It is also the final appellate court for a number of matters. In practice, most appeals are resolved at this intermediate appellate level, rather t ...

until his elevation to the

Supreme Court of New Zealand The Supreme Court of New Zealand ( mi, Te Kōti Mana Nui, lit=Court of Great Mana) is the highest court and the court of last resort of New Zealand. It formally came into being on 1 January 2004 and sat for the first time on 1 July 2004. It re ...

in 2014.

Biography

Educated at

St. Patrick's College, Silverstream St Patrick's College is a state-integrated Catholic boys' day and boarding secondary school located in Silverstream, Upper Hutt, New Zealand. It was established in 1931 when the original St Patrick's College, Wellington that had been establ ...

, he graduated from

Victoria University of Wellington Victoria University of Wellington ( mi, Te Herenga Waka) is a university in Wellington, New Zealand. It was established in 1897 by Act of Parliament, and was a constituent college of the University of New Zealand. The university is well kn ...

. He was admitted as a

barrister A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include taking cases in superior courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, researching law and givin ...

and solicitor of the High Court in 1977 and became a partner with the law firm

Chapman Tripp Chapman Tripp is New Zealand's largest commercial law firm. It is considered one of the "big three" law firms along with Russell McVeagh and Bell Gully. Established in New Zealand in 1875, it now has around 60 partners and roughly 200 legal staff ...

in 1984. As a lawyer, he was known particularly for his expertise in relation to commercial law. He co-authored the New Zealand Law Commission paper which led to the eventual adoption of a register for personal property securities in New Zealand. He was appointed to the High Court in 2001 and to the Court of Appeal in January 2004. He was elevated to the Supreme Court in 2014. In the

2013 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 2013 were appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The New Year Honours are awarded as part of the New Year celebra ...

, O'Regan was appointed a Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to the judiciary.

References

1953 births Living people 20th-century New Zealand lawyers Victoria University of Wellington alumni Court of Appeal of New Zealand judges High Court of New Zealand judges People educated at St. Patrick's College, Silverstream Place of birth missing (living people) Knights Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit 21st-century New Zealand judges {{NewZealand-law-bio-stub