The top mediators in New Zealand have been named in the LawFuel Mediators “Power List”, published by the legal news network LawFuel.com
Mediation in New Zealand has developed rapidly in recent years continued to develop with its use at the direction of
Courts in over 50 statutes in New Zealand as well as with a requirement in employment disputes, family disputes and
others.
Top New Zealand mediator named in the LawFuel Power List is Auckland-based mediator Warren Sowerby who reportedly
handled 10 to 123 mediations a month.
Generally over 85 per cent of disputes settle, which has created a faster and more convenient means of resolving
disputes, which has also lead to an increase in the number of mediations and an ongoing growth in the mediation business
in New Zealand.
One of the key reasons for the growth in mediation is the fact that it can be a fraction of the cost of litigation, with
one senior mediator telling LawFuel is may be just ten per cent of the litigation cost, with a very high probability of
settlement as well.
The LawFuel Power List of mediators is headed by long-time mediator Warren Sowerby who has provided advice to the UN on
the use of mediation and conducted a large number of both national and international disputes.
Similarly, the Power List’s number 2, Wellington-based barrister Geoff Sharp has developed a substantial reputation as a
leading mediator.
The use of mediation and its growth in New Zealand is something that is continues to see it intrude upon what many may
see as the province of the courts, but it is the courts themselves that are increasingly referencing or requiring
mediation to resolve disputes.
The major advantages of mediation are obvious: confidentiality, speed of resolution, cost and others.
But the growing number of mediators has also seen the field continue its growth at all levels of disputes with top
mediators readily able to charge over $10,000 a day while those at the lower end can provide highly cost-effective
resolution to disputes at a vastly lesser sum.
Mediators need not be lawyers and many are not, but the top 10 is a list that includes lawyers who number two former
Judges and leading barristers who have established their names among the top mediators in New Zealand.
About LawFuel - LawFuel is one of the Internet's first law news aggegators, publishing information and news about the
legal profession, including marketing, management, technology and careers information. Although based in New Zealand,
LawFuel's audience includes a large subscriber base in the United States, as well as in the UK, Australia and elsewhere.