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Bankside Chambers has announced the retirement of Warren Sowerby, (pictured with Kit Toogood KC) one of New Zealand’s most accomplished mediators, whose career has spanned over three decades and more than 3,000 mediations.
Sowerby pioneered commercial mediation in New Zealand after training in Colorado in the early 1990s, becoming one of the country’s first legal commercial mediators. His work has covered an extraordinary range of sectors including Treaty issues, infrastructure, shipping, aviation, construction, intellectual property, entertainment, and sport—both domestically and internationally.
His facilitative approach, focusing on parties’ underlying interests rather than just legal positions, earned him widespread recognition. Sowerby was named Mediator of the Year at the 2013 New Zealand Law Awards and consistently ranked among LawFuel’s Top 10 Mediators. International accolades include recognition from Who’s Who Legal and appointment to the Singapore International Mediation Centre’s International Panel of Mediators.
A founding member of Bankside Chambers in its current form since 2006, Sowerby also contributed extensively through teaching, mentoring, and serving on the inaugural dispute resolution committee.
Bankside praised his lasting impact: “Your work has changed how disputes are approached, understood and resolved in Aotearoa New Zealand.”
