Renowned for his experience, skill and personality, Mark Biel is universally regarded as one of southern New Jersey's premier matrimonial attorneys. The Westchester County, N.Y., native is considered a straight-shooter, and a lawyer's lawyer - effective, thorough and the keeper of exceptionally high standards. Moreover, in recent years he has assumed a wider role as a mediator and arbitrator of major cases in the region. His accomplishments have been widely recognized: New Jersey Monthly has selected him as one of New Jersey's 100 Best Attorneys. He has consistently been listed in the Woodward & White publication of The Best Lawyers in America.

For Biel it was a circuitous route to the top of matrimonial law. Raised in a family in which intellectual curiosity was a way of life, he seemed on his way to becoming a college professor. He entered the PhD program at Brown, majoring in modern European history. The tumultuous events of the 60s - the Civil Rights movement, assassinations and the Vietnam War - spurred him to the law, where "what I did would hopefully mirror changing social mores and principles." He enrolled at Rutgers Law School, which he regarded as one of the most progressive law schools in the country.

The Vietnam war escalated, and Biel was drafted. He spent a year in Vietnam serving as a combat journalist for Stars & Stripes; he received the Bronze Star and the Armed Forces Honor Medal. Biel finished law school on the GI Bill and, in the early 70s, went to Atlantic City to practice. Biel's Vietnam experience had a deep impact and gave him real perspective: Today, as adversaries battle over divorce matters, Biel will remark, "Look, this isn't cancer or brain surgery, and it sure as hell isn't a war zone."

Biel has practiced largely on his own or with a small cadre of attorneys. He attributes part of his success to the region's casino-driven economic growth. He enjoys tennis and skiing; he and his wife have five children and eight grandchildren.