Mark D. Chapple

Background

Mark D. Chapple was born in Sydney, Australia. Sydney is the capital of New South Wales and Australia's largest city, and his later legal career was based in the same city.

Education

Chapple studied at the University of Sydney, completing a Bachelor of Economics with majors in accounting, economics and government in 1979. He then took a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) at the same university, completing it in 1981, the year he was admitted to the bar in New South Wales.

Founded in 1850, the University of Sydney was the first university established in Australia. His economics and law degrees preceded his later work in commercial litigation and insolvency.

Career

Chapple's professional career has been based with Baker & McKenzie, an international law firm founded in Chicago in 1949 that operates offices in many countries. He is a partner in the firm's Sydney office, where he works in dispute resolution and insolvency. Until late 2005 he headed the firm's dispute resolution and insolvency practices across Australia and the Asia Pacific region.

From late 2005 until June 2010 he served as the firm's full-time national managing partner of its Australian offices. In August 2024 he became Chair of the firm's Australian offices, a role he held until August 2026, and he also co-heads the Australian Class and Funded Actions Group.

His practice centers on complex commercial disputes, including matters involving directors' duties, contested takeovers, shareholder claims and insolvencies. Insolvency law governs how companies unable to pay their debts are restructured or wound up, and his work has included lead roles in many major corporate insolvencies. He has represented clients including AMP, Andersen, EDS and Zurich Insurance in complex commercial litigation.

Alongside his legal practice, Chapple devised and presented Masters programs at the University of Technology, Sydney, in insolvency and corporate restructuring and in advanced insolvency and corporate restructuring. The university adopted its present name in 1988, having developed from the New South Wales Institute of Technology.

He is also an accredited mediator and has written and presented on dispute resolution and commercial and business management topics.

Achievements

• Took lead roles in many of Australia's most significant corporate insolvencies and resolved complex commercial disputes over four decades of practice.

References

• Mark D. Chapple, Baker & McKenzie profile Firm biography describing his dispute resolution and insolvency practice, his firm leadership roles, his 2016 award and his university education.
• Chambers Asia-Pacific lawyer profile Directory profile ranking his dispute resolution practice in Australia and identifying him as based in Sydney.