Mark E Bisch

Practice Areas

Partner, Mark Bisch is a long-time and trusted adviser to leading-global entities and domestic businesses in their corporate and commercial transactions across the Middle East and North Africa region, employing strength in complex joint ventures, contracting, corporate governance, and regulatory compliance. Mark offers market-leading local commercial knowledge and extensive corporate and commercial capabilities to our clients, including advice regarding: JVs; agency agreements (including franchising); M&A; corporate formations and governance; TMT transactions; energy transactions; public procurement (including defense); EPC contracts; real estate; regulatory compliance; immigration and employment; and dispute resolution (including arbitration).

Career

Mark has been practicing in the Middle East for more than 26 years. Mark is one of the senior members of the international bar in the UAE, and he is one of the longest-serving lawyers in the UAE from the United States. Clients continue to seek Mark’s sound legal advice and practical solutions to problems they encounter in the Middle East.

Mark saw a particular spike in work and demands for his counseling services following the COVID-19 lockdown and associated restrictions implemented in the UAE and MENA region. Mark was particularly sought out for advice on deals in the technology, food and agricultural, security and defense, and human capital (e.g., healthcare and education) sectors.

Mark is consistently ranked as a leading UAE practitioner by various legal publications, including Chambers Global.

Clients have expressed to Chambers Global that Mark “knows a lot about the market, he knows a lot of people and he's really reliable. He knows his stuff and is the guy who'll answer the phone on the second ring," and commended Mark on his “responsiveness and excellent quality of work relating to joint ventures and contract issues“ and highlighted that Mark “has excellent client relations."

Professional Memberships

AmCham (UAE); AmCham (KSA); Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) MENA; US-UAE Business Council; Defense Services Marketing Council (DSMC) UAE; Missouri Bar; and Government of Dubai Legal Affairs Department (as a registered Legal Consultant).

Publications

Get to Work! Planning for Implementation of the New UAE Labor Law, Corporate Update, December 2021

Saudi Arabia's New Franchise Law; A Summary of What You Need to Know, September 2020

Saudi Arabian Labor Law; Explanatory Memorandum to Address COVID-19 Pandemic, Client Update, 7 May 2020

Saudi Arabia Updates Corporate Requirements for Closed Joint Stock Companies - Requires Submission of Shareholder Registers Within One Month, Corporate Update, March 2020

The UAE's New Offset Program Guidelines - Ten Things You Should Know, Corporate Update, July 2019

Data Protection and Patient Confidentiality Considerations for HealthTech Companies in the UAE, Corporate Update, April 2019

Personal

Education: St. Louis University School of Law, Juris Doctor (1994, cum laude). Staff Member, St. Louis University Public Law Review. University of Notre Dame, Bachelor of Business Administration (1991, with honors).

Professional Mottos: Be practical, responsive, and concise. Clients don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.

Interests: Family, friends, and clients. College football and playing sports, particularly padel tennis, golf, and squash. Yoga, hiking, and fishing. Travel. F&B. Sports, news, and entertainment podcasts. Listening to: The Grateful Dead. Watching: The Office, Seinfeld, Christopher Guest movies, Shawshank Redemption, Glengarry Glen Ross, Goodfellas, Jerry McGuire, and most classic comedies.

Likes: Grammar, the Oxford comma, and two spaces after a period.

Dislikes: Timesheets, dieting, and social media.