I am a New Zealand barrister and mediator based at 109 Chambers in Hamilton.
I accept mediation appointments throughout New Zealand and internationally, with a particular focus on disputes involving technology, software, digital systems and technically complex commercial relationships.
Mediations are conducted online by default, with in-person and hybrid processes available by arrangement.
Experience
I have practised law since 2007. My professional background includes commercial and civil litigation, negotiation and dispute resolution, criminal trial and appellate advocacy, and acting as an independent arbitrator and mediator.
My practice has included substantial experience with complex commercial disputes, including cross-border matters involving New Zealand parties and parties based in Australia, Hong Kong, the United States, Vietnam, England and Japan.
I have acted in disputes involving communications technology and satellite systems, software, machinery and equipment, finance, insurance and logistics. These matters have often required detailed analysis of substantial documentary records, expert evidence, unfamiliar technical systems and complex commercial relationships.
Litigation experience also provides a useful perspective in mediation. It gives me an understanding of how disputes develop, how evidence may ultimately be tested, and how the cost, delay and organisational demands of formal proceedings can affect commercial decision-making.
Alongside my legal practice, I have longstanding practical involvement with technology and information systems.
Since 2005 I have developed Aria3D, a technology project exploring spatial audio, non-visual information and the communication of complex data. The project has involved software development, digital audio, system design, data representation, user interaction, testing and iteration.
I have also developed and managed a number of websites and online information services, including CourtKeys.com, a substantial legal information resource created to make New Zealand court and tribunal processes easier to understand. I have also consulted on the development of legal information systems for New Zealand and multinational corporations.
This combination of legal, dispute-resolution and technology experience helps me engage efficiently with technical evidence and complex commercial systems while remaining focused on the legal, evidential and commercial issues that matter to resolution.
Where specialist technical expertise is required, that remains the role of the parties and their experts. My role is to understand the dispute sufficiently well to help the participants communicate clearly, evaluate their positions and explore workable solutions.
Mediation approach
My mediation style is calm, structured, direct and commercially focused.
Calm
Commercial disputes can become personally and professionally demanding. I maintain a composed process and help participants focus on the decisions that need to be made.
Structured
Preparation, issue identification and process design matter. I aim to give the mediation enough structure to use the participants’ time effectively while retaining the flexibility needed for productive negotiation.
Direct
Constructive mediation sometimes requires difficult questions. I help parties test assumptions, assess risk and distinguish the issues that materially affect resolution from those that do not.
Respectful
Each participant should have a meaningful opportunity to be heard, understand the process and make informed decisions about settlement.
Commercially realistic
A legally arguable outcome is not always the same as a commercially sensible one. Mediation allows the parties to consider cost, timing, implementation, relationships, reputation and future operations alongside their legal positions.
I do not decide who should win. My role is to remain independent and help the parties assess the dispute realistically, understand their alternatives and determine whether they can reach an acceptable agreement.
Qualifications and professional standing
I hold:
- a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Auckland;
- a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy;
- admission as a barrister and solicitor of the High Court of New Zealand;
- Associate membership of the Arbitrators and Mediators Institute of New Zealand.
I am also a member of the New Zealand Bar Association and the New Zealand Law Society, and serve on the Waikato Bay of Plenty Branch Council of the New Zealand Law Society.
I am the author of:
- Civil Litigation for Non-Lawyers: A Plain-English Guide to Civil Cases in New Zealand;
- A Guide to Criminal Trials in New Zealand.
Independence
I practise independently as a barrister.
Before accepting a mediation appointment, I undertake a conflict check and consider whether there is any circumstance that should be disclosed to the parties.
Throughout the mediation I act as an independent neutral. I do not act as the lawyer, adviser or representative of any participant.
Enquiries
I welcome enquiries from parties, barristers, solicitors, in-house counsel and organisations seeking an independent mediator for a technology or technically complex commercial dispute.
