Professor Mark O'Brien

Overview

Professor Mark O'Brien is Professor of Law and Society and the Deputy Dean of The City Law School, having joined City St George's, University of London in 2020. Previously he was Head of the School of Law at Oxford Brookes University, and prior to that, Director of Law at the University of the West of England, Bristol.  A graduate of Exeter and Reading Universities, Mark has also previously held appointments at Reading and Sheffield Hallam Universities.

A Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, Mark’s teaching interests relate to public law, human rights and IT law, and his research interests mainly revolve around different manifestations of moral panics, encompassing criminal justice, human rights and IT law, the regulation of the Internet, and also counter-cultural groups, public order law and police discretion, in all of which areas he has published widely.

Outside City St George's, Mark’s academic activities include or have included the following:

- Chair of the Association of Law Teachers 2025-27

- Member of QAA Law Benchmark Statement Panel

- Member of Editorial Board and Peer Review College of the Law Teacher: the International Journal of Legal Education                                                      - Contributor to Advance HE Guidance on free speech in higher education institutions                                                  

- Member of the Academy of Social Sciences Chief Executive Officers' Group                                                                                                                            - Collaboration with social media on online regulation

- Treasurer, Seminar Grants Chair and Executive Committee Member, Socio-Legal Studies Association, www.slsa.ac.uk

- Vice-Chair, Treasurer and Executive Committee Member, Association of Law Teachers, www.lawteacher.ac.uk

- UK Law Associations Legal Education and Training Review Working Group

- Solicitors Regulation Authority Reference Group

- Member of the Committee of Heads of University Law Schools

- Law Qualifications Working Group

- Project director: ‘Tribal Groups in Modern Britain: The Development of Human Rights in Law'

- Information Technology Law and Cyberspace stream convener, Socio-Legal Studies Association

- Special Issues Editor, Information and Communications Technology Law

- Member of the Editorial Board of the Journal of Information Law, Policy and Practice

- Co-organiser, Socio-Legal Studies Association Annual Conference, UWE Bristol

- Various external adviser, review and examiner roles.

Journal Articles:

- O’Brien, M. (2023). The coming of the storm: moral panics, social media and regulation in the QAnon era. Information & Communications Technology Law pp. 1–20. doi:10.1080/13600834.2022.2088064.

- Ashford, C. and O’Brien, M. (2022). Counter-Cultural Groups in the Age of Covid: Ravers, Travellers and Legal Regulation. The Journal of Criminal Law pp. 2201832110736–2201832110736. doi:10.1177/00220183211073641.

- O'Brien M (2014) 'The Internet, child pornography and cloud computing: the dark side of the web?' Information and Communications Technology Law 23,3 pp.238-255 ISSN: 1360-0834 eISSN: 1469-8404

- O'Brien, M. (2011) Law, technology and society: The real consequences of a metaphorical world. Information & Communications Technology Law, 20 (1). pp. 1-2. ISSN 1360-0834

- O'Brien, M. (2009) Still on the road? Technology and historical perspectives on counter-cultural policing. Information & Communications Technology Law, 18 (3). pp. 285-296. ISSN 1360-0834

- O'Brien, M. (2009) Conceptualisation and control in virtual space. Information & Communications Technology Law, 18 (3). pp. 253-254. ISSN 1360-0834

- O’Brien, M. (2009) - Collegiality and Change in Higher Education - A Case of Herding Cats? 3 Web Journal of Current Legal Issues

- Ashford, C. and O'Brien, M. (2008) Privacy and the public/private divide. Information & Communications Technology Law, 17 (1). pp. 1-2. ISSN 1360-0834

- O'Brien, M. and Ashford, C. (2008) Virtual lives: Relationships between the citizen and society. Information & Communications Technology Law, 17 (3). pp. 165-166. ISSN 1360-0834

- O'Brien, M. (2008) Law, privacy and information technology: a sleepwalk through the surveillance society?Information & Communications Technology Law, 17 (1). pp. 25-35. ISSN 1360-0834

- Ashford, C. and O'Brien, M. (2006) Editorial: Internet rights, internet wrongs. Information & Communications Technology Law, 15 (3). pp. 207-210. ISSN 1360-0834

- O'Brien, M. (2006) The witchfinder-general and the will-o'-the-wisp: The myth and reality of internet control. Information & Communications Technology Law, 15 (3). pp. 259-273. ISSN 1360-0834

- O'Brien, M. (2005) Clear and present danger? Law and the regulation of the internet. Information & Communications Technology Law, 14 (2). pp. 151-164. ISSN 1360-0834

- O'Brien, M. and Ashford, C. (2005) Editorial: Rights, identity and regulation in cyberspace. Information & Communications Technology Law, 14 (2). pp. 81-88. ISSN 1360-0834

- O'Brien, M. and Ashford, C. (2003) 'Tribal groups' in modern Britain: Legal theory, legal practice and human rights. Contemporary Issues in Law, 6 (2). pp. 180-206. ISSN 1357-0374

- O’Brien, M. (2003) Research Matters: Learning, Teaching and the Role of Research, 7 Directions in Legal Education 4

- O’Brien, M. And Ashford, C. (2003) New Technologies, New Frontiers: Modern Challenges in the Cyber Age. Information and Communications Technology Law 12 (3), 203

Book Chapters:

- O'Brien M , 'Child Exploitation and Sexual Abuse: Legal Regulation and Social Controversies' (forthcoming)

- O'Brien M (2015), 'Moving into Management', in Ashford C and Guth J (eds.) The Legal Academic's Handbook (Palgrave)

Reviews:

- O’Brien, M. (2011) Review of Insite, Law Teacher

- O’Brien, M. (2011) Review of UKCLE web provision, Law Teacher

- O’Brien, M. (2005), Book Review of Newburn T, 'Handbook of Policing', Law Teacher, 39:1

- O’Brien, M. (2005), Book Review of Wright K, 'Policing', Law Teacher 39:1

- O’Brien, M. (2004), Book Review of Roberts and Hough (eds.), 'Changing Attitudes of Punishment' Law Teacher, 38:3, 437

- O’Brien, M. (2004) Book Review of Newman and Clarke, 'Superhighway Robbery', Law Teacher, 38:3, 433

Editorial and Conference Organisation Activities:

- Special edition editor, Information and Communications Technology Law, 2003 (special edition,“New Technologies, New Frontiers: Modern Challenges in the Cyber Age”)

- Special edition editor, Information and Communications Technology Law, 2005 (special edition,“Rights, Identity and Regulation in Cyberspace”)

- Special edition editor, Information and Communications Technology Law, 2006 (special edition ,"Internet Rights, Internet Wrongs")

- Special edition editor, Information and Communications Technology Law, 2008 (special edition ,"Privacy and the Public/ Private Divide.”)

- Special edition editor, Information and Communications Technology Law, 2009 (special edition:“Conceptualisation and Control in Virtual Space.”)

- Special edition editor, Information and Communications Technology Law, 2011 (special edition:“Law, Technology and Society: The Real Consequences of a Metaphorical World.”)

- IT Law and Cyberspace Convener/ Co-convenor at the Socio-Legal Studies Annual Conference 2003 to present

- Conference organiser, Socio-Legal Studies Association Annual Conference 2010, University of the West of England.

- Conference Co-organiser, ‘Cloud Computing: Legal, Organisational and Technological Issues’, University of the West of England, February 2011

Conference Papers:

- ‘Is the Storm upon Us?: Law-Making and Modern-Day Moral Panics in the Age of Q’, Socio-Legal Studies Association Annual Conference, Cardiff University, March 2021

- ‘Dr. Deep Web: Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Internet’, Socio-Legal Studies Association Annual Conference, Bristol University, April 2018

- 'From Stead and Whitehouse to Big Brother: Historical Perspectives on the Legal Regulation of Child Pornography and Sexual Abuse', Socio-Legal Studies Association Annual Conference, Lancaster University, April 2016

- 'The Anarchist Netbook: Legal and Community Regulation in the Deep Web', Socio-Legal Studies Association Annual Conference, University of Warwick, March 2015

- ‘Going over to the Dark Web: Policing, Pornography and Policies.’ Socio-Legal Studies Association Annual Conference, University of York, April 2013

- ‘Still Raving: Travelling Peoples, Policing and Technology’, Socio-Legal Studies Association Annual Conference, De Montfort University, April 2009

- ‘Herding Cats? The Law School and the Process of Change in Legal Education’, Society of Legal Scholars Annual Conference, London School of Economics, September 2008

- ‘Travelling Peoples: A Case Study in Public Order Law’, Guest Speaker, University of Sunderland, April 2008

- ‘Subcultures, Public Order and the Human Rights Zeitgeist’, co-author of paper presented to the Law and Society Association Annual Conference, University of Humboldt, Berlin, July 2007

- ‘Law and Privacy: A Sleepwalk Through the Surveillance Society’, Socio-Legal Studies Annual Conference, University of Kent, April 2007

- 'Privacy, Information Technology and the Law', Guest Speaker, University of Sunderland, December 2006

- ‘Sexuality, Cyberspace and Legal Control’, co-author of paper presented to the Law and Society Association Annual Conference, University of Baltimore, USA, July 2006

- ‘Rave On: Policing the Counter-Culture in the Information Age’, Socio-Legal Studies Annual Conference, University of Stirling, March 2006

- 'The Witchfinder-General and the Will-o'-the-Wisp: The Myth and Reality of Legal Regulation of the Internet', Socio-Legal Studies Annual Conference, University of Liverpool, March 2005

- 'What's in a Name: Law and Perceptions of Traveller Identity', Society of Legal Scholars Annual Conference, Sheffield University, September 2004

- 'Clear and Present Danger?: Law and the Regulation of the Internet', Socio-Legal Studies Association Annual Conference, Glasgow University, April 2004

- 'Tribal Groups in Modern Britain: Legal Theory, Legal Practice and Human Rights', Socio-Legal Studies Association Annual Conference, Nottingham Trent University, April 2003

- ‘The Human Rights Act 1998 and Criminal Justice’, The Human Rights Act 1998: Towards a New Culture of Human Rights Conference, Sheffield Hallam University, February 2001

- ‘Who’s In, Who’s Out, Who Chooses?’: Dystopian Definitions and the ‘New Age’ Traveller, Socio- Legal Studies Association Annual Conference, Manchester Metropolitan University, April 1998

Qualifications

• LLB, University of Exeter, UK
• LLM, University of Reading, UK

Employment

• Deputy Dean of The City Law School, City, University of London, United Kingdom, 2022 - present
• Associate Dean (Undergraduate and First Degree Programmes), City, University of London, 2020 - 2022, City, University of London, United Kingdom, 2020 - 2022
• Head of the School of Law (and Faculty Head of International Partnerships), Oxford Brookes University, UK, 2014 - 2020
• Senior Lecturer, then Principal Lecturer, then Associate Head (Law Subject Leader), then Director of Law, University of the West of England, Bristol, UK, 2006 - 2014
• Researcher, then Lecturer, then Senior Lecturer in Law, Sheffield Hallam University, UK, 1995 - 2006
• Tutor in Law, University of Reading, UK, 1993 - 1994

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