Mark Dewar

Partner

About

Mark Dewar practices commercial law with a particular focus on consumer products and their regulation and risk at all points in the supply chain including on a comparative international law basis.

Mark has dedicated experience with retail and supply chain finance in national and multinational transactions. His experience covers a range of sectors including consumer products ( including food and beverage) and suppliers to this industry, automotive, sport, aviation, ICT/TMT and financial services.

Areas of FocusConsumer Goods, Food and Retail Financial Services Industrials Media, Sport and Entertainment Finance Intellectual Property Real Estate

Professional QualificationsSolicitor of the Senior Courts of England and Wales

EXPERIENCE

Areas of Experience

Agency distribution and franchise agreements
Consumer Law including product liability/safety, labelling and advertising of consumer goods including food and drink
Commercial law and regulatory advice in respect of retail finance products
Payment services
Supply chain finance
Contractual joint ventures and strategic partnership
Manufacturing, licensing and development agreements
Business outsourcing and facilities management

Key Experience

Advising the purchaser of the government's Green Deal loan back on the consumer credit portfolio
Acting for a global on demand mobility company in its strategic alliance with one of the world's largest automakers
Acting for a Nordic conglomerate on a know how rights and distribution deal involving 4 jurisdictions involving the acquisition/licence of rights for all product lines in the personal healthcare of a world leading FMCG multinational company
Acting for one the top 10 global and top 5 UK telecoms companies on its launch of the world’s first sale and lease back of smart phones to end users on credit
Acting for one of (then) world’s largest banks on its integration of its Dutch and European loan book into its UK listed entity, involving 14 jurisdictions
Between 2006 and 2008 developing with others in acting for funders of supply chain finance, the market standard in supply chain finance of the ‘irrevocable payment undertaking’ as a means of minimising the need to conduct due diligence on receivables that are being supply chain financed and then further developing this by applying it to one of the first online supply chain finance platforms. Further refining this in 2010 – 2015 and then developing the first programme for SME customers by use of an insurance wrapper, acting for the first time for a large multinational insurer
Acting for a large European brewer on its acquisition of 2 large UK brewers and then due to competition reasons having to divest its entire international business ( hiving out a business created in the 17th century) to a third party
For a number of international (particularly US) clients advising on consumer product regulation and corrective action invariably on pan European and occasionally global scale

Languages

Education

Warwick European Law, LLB, including DSU Lille 2 en droit

Awards

Legal 500 2016

Leading Individual Commercial Contracts – group is Tier 1
And is ranked for product liability – insurance – Tier 3
Part of team that won Legal 500 2017 Corporate Commercial Firm in Specialism Commercial Contracts

Chambers 2016

Band 1 Product Liability (food)
Band 2 Consumer Finance

Pro Bono

Regular provision of pro bono advice through a law firm's pro bono scheme (including for various start-ups) and general regulatory advice.

Encore Youth Theatre Winchester (founder member and legal director)

Publications

"New guidance on pricing practices in consumer dealings", 10 Jan 2017
"英国脱欧：对合同条款的影响", 24 Jun 2016

Seminars

Speaking and running various workshops and organising three symposia for ICPHSO in the UK, Netherlands, Brussels, Korea and the US
Giving annual talks at St Louis University on International Compliance in Consumer Products - an EU and UK with a USA global brand perspective
Running annual seminars on consumer issues in Commercial Law at IBC’s Cambridge University Commercial Law Summer School (since 2013)
In November 2015, Mark gave a workshop to QMC London undergraduates on updates in consumer law

PRO BONO

Regular provision of pro bono advice through a law firm's pro bono scheme (including for various start-ups) and general regulatory advice.

Encore Youth Theatre Winchester (founder member and legal director)
CMV Action on various legal matters
UNICEF

Memberships And Affiliations

International Consumer Product Health and safety Organisation (its former President and board member for 7 years)
The City of London Law Society Commercial Law Committee
UK Food Law Group
Consumer Credit Forum and the Trading Standards Institute