Find a Professional
The Collaborative Law solution for your family or commercial dispute
This listing only started, with over 58 Collaboratively Trained Professionals in Aotearoa New Zealand across a range of disciplines. If you cannot find a Collaborative Professional in the location or discipline you are seeking, do not hesitate to contact us, and we will connect you with someone in your area.
If you are a Collaborative Law Professional and wish to be added to this list, please use the link below to register.
If you are unsure where to start or have questions, do not hesitate to reach out to a Collaborative Facilitator who can help build your team.
Roles in Collaborative Process
Collaborative Facilitator
The Keeper of the Process
A Collaborative Facilitator at the core of the Collaborative Law Process. They are the neutral who plays a vital role, guiding communication, building the structure for the collaborative process, and keeping all parties and professionals on track—helping clients and professionals work together productively toward lasting solutions. All Collaborative Facilitators hold tertiary qualifications, are qualified mediators, hold current membership of AMINZ or Resolution Institute and have completed Collaborative Practice and specialist Collaborative Facilitator/Coach training.
Lawyers in Collaborative
Advice and Guidance
A Collaborative Lawyer is essential because they provide legal guidance and advice within the Collaborative Law framework, ensuring their client’s needs are met while working toward fair, respectful, and durable agreements.
All lawyers are qualified as Aotearoa New Zealand Legal Practitioners and have completed training in Collaborative Practice.
Other Neutrals
Unbiased, Support and Guidance
At the heart of the Collaborative Law is the ability to build a team of professionals to help resolve your matter. All these professionals hold tertiary qualifications, relevant qualifications in their field of expertise, and have completed additional collaborative law training. Professionals include:
Financial Neutrals (Accountants and Financial Planners)
Mental Health and Voice of Child Professionals
Divorce Coaches
Dominique Bergel-Grant - Collaborative Facilitator and Financial Netural
Divorce and family conflict can be an overwhelming experience, and it's something no one anticipates dealing with. I aim to support you, just as I have assisted hundreds of others, by leveraging my expertise to address your unique needs.
The Facts
For over a decade, I've dedicated myself to supporting families through conflict and divorce. As a Financial Planner, Qualified Mediator, CDC Certified Divorce Coach®, CDC Certified Transition and Recovery Specialist®, and Collaborative Professional (Financial and Facilitator), I bring a wealth of expertise to the table.
The Heart
Having gone through divorce firsthand and being raised in a divorced family, my mission is deeply personal. My focus is to keep families on a path that causes the least possible harm.
The Collaborative Resolution Framework drives positive and compassionate outcomes that build a clear path, ensuring a smooth transition.
As the Collaborative Adviser and Facilitator, my role is to build the framework within which your family can safely work towards a resolution. I aim to make what can seem insurmountable and complex as calm and clear as possible.
If the Collaborative Framework isn't the right option for you or your dispute, I can assist you in many other ways. From preparation for mediation and litigation to facilitating your mediation, enabling all parties to have difficult conversations within a structured and safe environment.
I look forward to finding out how I can help your family.
Contact Information
Collaborative Edge Limited
Website: https://www.collaborativeedge.co.nz/
Email: [email protected]
Mobile; 021 08635271
Locations
Auckland, Otago, Southland
Dominique is also available to work online nationally.
Rochelle Crossman - Family Law Barrister
I have been a lawyer since 2000, and a specialist family law barrister since 2007. I trained in the Collaborative Process in 2018 and it is exciting that a growing number of lawyers in Dunedin and Otago are also becoming collaborative practitioners.
Contact Information
Rochelle Crossman - Family Law Barrister
Website: https://www.rochellecrossman.co.nz/
Email: [email protected]
Mobile; 03 477 5155
Locations
Otago
Val Farrow - Family Lawyer
Val is an experienced family lawyer who specialises in the Collaborative Law process, helping separating couples resolve matters respectfully and without litigation.
With a calm, client‑centred approach, Val guides families through difficult transitions while minimising conflict and preserving important relationships.
She works closely with other collaborative professionals to create a supportive, transparent environment where clients can make well‑informed decisions that prioritise the long‑term wellbeing of their whānau.
Val’s focus is on achieving durable, interest‑based solutions that allow clients to move forward with confidence and dignity.
Contact Information
Farrow Law
Email: [email protected]
Mobile: 027 338 7810
Locations
Otago, Southland
Jennifer Hetherington - Collaborative Facilitator and Parenting Coordinator
I am an experienced Mediator and Parenting Coordinator, previously working as a family lawyer. I have a particular interest in helping parents make lasting agreements for their children and improving parental communication.
Contact Information
Website: https://parentingcoordination.co.nz/
Email: [email protected]
Mobile: 022 189 5440
Locations
Canterbury, Otago, Northland
Accessible remotely for clients throughout NZ.
Larna Jensen-McCloy - Family Lawyer
I am a collaboratively trained lawyer who is passionate about trying to facilitate resolution for my clients (outside of the Court process, where possible). I have been practicing as a Barrister and Solicitor in Dunedin and greater Otago, since 2003.
I work in the areas of relationship property, care of children, Trust and Estate disputes and am a Court appointed lawyer for children, and for persons who lack capacity and other vulnerable people.
It is a privilege to work with people, at what is often the most challenging time of their life. I like to help facilitate resolution in a dignified, professional and caring way that means my clients / their families can move forward positively in their lives, at the end of any legal / collaborative process.
Contact Information
LJM Law
Website: https://ljmlaw.nz/
Email: [email protected]
Mobile: 020 401 70514
Locations
Otago and remotely throughout NZ
Anja Klinkert - Family Lawyer
I work as collaborative lawyer and mediator since 1996 (started training and practicing in mediation alongside working as a litigation barrister & solicitor) and 2012 (trained with Selina Trigg as collaborative lawyer).
I have eventually whittled down and stopped litigation altogether in 2024. Throughout I have been continuing working and expanding my skill base in collaborative and mediation work, attending workshops and conferences on a regular basis.
From 2010 until 2025 I was working as Family Mediator / FDR Practitioner as well as Voice of Child firstly as lawyer to assist and then with Fairway and the FDR Centre.
Latterly I have been training with Jacinta Gallant in Insight Mediation. Now I work with Fernhill Lawyers Limited as well as Blue Door Mediation Trust.
Contact Information
Fernhill Lawyers Ltd
Website: https://www.klinkertlaw.co.nz/
Email: [email protected]
Mobile: 03 477 7267
Locations
Otago, Southland
Sarah Moon - Family Lawyer
Sarah Moon (née Sarah Thompson) has helped hundreds of people through their breakups. Sarah understands the pain, the embarrassment and the worry that all separations carry. She opened Clean Break in September 2024 after seeing that people need more from their relationship property lawyer than what she could offer working in a commercial law firm.
Contact Information
Clean Break Ltd
Website: https://www.cleanbreak.co.nz/
Email: [email protected]
Mobile: 03 539 1030
Locations
Nelson
Stephanie Pettigrew - Family Lawyer
I am a lawyer and mediator who works in family property law in New Zealand. I help people resolve disputes, and I advise on relationship property matters, trusts, estates, property transactions, elder law and charities.
My work involves assisting my clients through very significant life events like separating from a partner or the death of a loved one. I walk alongside my clients through difficult times and I focus on achieving sensible outcomes for them and reducing their stress as much as possible.
I am a member of the Family Law Section of the New Zealand Law Society.
While I will represent my clients in the Family Court when that is necessary, I am also an accredited mediator, and I am trained in Collaborative Law. I strongly believe in the benefits of resolving family disputes outside of Court in a respectful and dignified manner.
Contact Information
Marks & Worth Lawyers
Website: https://marksandworth.nz/
Email: [email protected]
Mobile: 03 474 9272
Locations
Otago, Southland
Stephanie Rose - Family Lawyer
Stephanie graduated from Otago University in 2010 and practiced for firms in both Hawkes Bay and Dunedin, before opening Rose Resolutions Family Law in Mosgiel in 2022. Stephanie understands the raw challenges of family planning and separation, and values the ability to create bespoke solutions with whānau through collaborative practice.
Contact Information
Rose Resolutions
Website: https://roseresolutions.co.nz/
Email: [email protected]
Mobile: 027 767 3529
Locations
Otago
Accessible remotely for clients throughout NZ.
Kelly Sutton - Collaborative Facilitator and Divorce Coach
Alternative Dispute Resolution Practitioner, Accredited Mediator, Certified Divorce Coach, Collaborative Facilitator, Director, LLB, PGDipBus (Dispute Resolution). Kelly owns SOS Success, a coaching, collaborative facilitation, and mediation services company specialising in alternative dispute resolution.
As an accredited mediator and facilitator, she helps people navigate conflicts through structured, solutions-focused mediation. Her expertise encompasses small businesses, body corporates, trusts and estates, relationship mediation, relationship property, and contracting-out agreements, as well as high-conflict co-parenting and employment-related facilitations.
Kelly is a CDC Certified Divorce Coach®, holds specific certifications from the Divorce Coaches Academy™, and is a licensed New Ways for Families® pre-mediation and co-parenting coach and mediator through the High Conflict Institute®.
She is dedicated to empowering clients by preparing them for mediation and collaborative process, ensuring they enter the process with confidence, clear goals, and the ability to engage productively. Before transitioning to mediation, Kelly practiced as a corporate, private equity, and tax lawyer across New Zealand, Canada, and the United Kingdom. She currently works part-time as an in-house corporate and legal lead. This legal background, combined with her experience as a business owner, director, and board member, gives her a deep understanding of resolving disputes efficiently and cost-effectively.
Kelly also specialises in working with separating couples with complex trusts and family business structures. Her personal experience with divorce, business co-ownership, and co-parenting has reinforced her commitment to collaborative process, mediation, and coaching as powerful tools for dispute resolution.
She provides practical strategies to help clients resolve conflicts outside of court, reducing financial and emotional stress while preserving key relationships.
Kelly views mediation, collaborative facilitation, and coaching as pathways to resolution and empowerment, guiding clients toward constructive solutions that allow them to move forward with clarity and confidence. “I help clients reduce stress, fear, and overwhelm so they can make intentional, informed decisions and create a positive future for themselves and their families."
Contact Information
SOS Success Limited
Website: https://www.sossuccessltd.co.nz/
Email: [email protected]
Mobile; 021 360 233
Locations
Auckland, Bay of Plenty, Canterbury, Hawke's Bay, Manawatū-Whanganui, Marlborough, Nelson, Otago, Taranaki, Southland, Waikato, Wellington
Kelly is also available to work online nationally.
This Collaborative Law website is focused on providing consumers awareness of the Collaborative Law process. We have a clear mission to transform the way families and businesses resolve conflict in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Phone: 021 086 35271
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