Helpful Habits: Instructing Practices for Diversity in Mediation
Wednesday 23rd August | 4.20 pm
Speaker: Isabelle Kwek
Overview:
In this presentation, Isabelle Kwek will explore the existing practices for instructing a mediator, and how we can approach bringing about cultural and attitudinal change within the profession to optimise opportunities for all mediators. Reflecting on candid anecdotal evidence that the legal profession in New Zealand is inclined to instruct mediators based on familiarity and conservativism, especially for commercial mediation.
Isabelle hopes to challenge these assumptions and highlight the benefits of thinking outside the status quo for clients and the future of the mediation profession. The presentation will canvas various types of diversity and the effects of intersectionality and privilege to develop an equitable briefing mindset applicable in the mediation context.
Isabelle Kwek
AMINZ 2023 Consensual Scholarship Winner
A passionate advocate for dispute resolution from the get-go, Isabelle’s interest in mediation started at the University of Auckland and during her participation as the first New Zealand team to win the Paris International Chamber of Commerce Commercial Mediation Competition.
Now an Associate at insurance law firm Wotton + Kearney, Isabelle’s appreciation for what the mediation process offers to parties continues to grow. She has seen first-hand how the flexibility and sensitivity of mediation is especially advantageous in insurance disputes, particularly in situations with competing interests and deeply personal and emotional investments.
Isabelle has experience in handling a wide range of liability claims and particularly focuses on the areas of public liability, professional liability, medico-legal and life sciences, and statutory liability. She has a strong focus on dispute resolution, having assisted with defending insureds in court and tribunal proceedings, and alternative dispute resolution approaches, including mediation and judicial settlement conferences, and is an accredited mediator.
Isabelle also assists with advising insurers on indemnity disputes and the impact of evolving regulatory frameworks for financial services in New Zealand.
Isabelle began her career with a major New Zealand life insurer in 2016 and has since worked with law firms specialising in insurance law.