John Keers
Overview
John is a qualified Barrister and accredited Mediator with a strong commitment to innovation in legal practice and judicial systems. Over the past five years, he has led the design and piloting of two Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) platforms aimed at improving access to justice in small claims and consumer disputes. In November 2024, he was appointed Director of the newly established Centre for Legal Technology at Ulster University.
John’s research explores the transformative potential of technology in the legal domain, with particular focus on online and digital dispute resolution, the integration of AI in judicial systems, and the ethical adoption of LegalTech.
He currently serves as Principal Investigator on two major projects: a groundbreaking study funded by the UK AI Safety Institute on the responsible use of agentic AI in judicial decision-making — the only legal research project to receive funding in 2024 — and a high-impact collaboration with the Labour Relations Agency and a Northern Ireland legal tech start-up to pilot AI-driven solutions for mass case management.
John’s work is rooted in real-world legal challenges and aims to enhance access to justice, promote transparency, and improve the efficiency of courts and public sector dispute resolution systems.
With over 15 years of teaching experience, John has lectured across a wide range of subjects including International Commercial Law, Commercial ADR, Corporate Law, Equity & Trusts, and Land Law. In 2018, he successfully developed and launched an industry-leading LLM in International Commercial Law and Alternative Dispute Resolution, which is now also delivered at Ulster University’s international partner campus in Qatar.
A passionate advocate for legal system reform through technology, John was appointed by the Office of the Lord Chief Justice in 2021 to the Judicial Steering Group on Digitisation in Northern Ireland. He also serves as External Examiner for the undergraduate law programme at London South Bank University and is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.
Beyond academia, John is Chair of Family Mediation Northern Ireland, a Board Trustee at Relate NI, and was recently appointed to the Shared Island Mediation Project.
