Our August event features Ross Knight, Auckland Barrister and Certified Divorce Coach

Ross began specialising in family law almost immediately he was admitted to the bar in February 1980 – the year that the Family Courts and Family Proceedings Acts, respectively, were passed into law, to become operative on 1 October 1981.

In the period since, there has been a raft of new legislation, administered by the Family Court. This has been coupled with a burgeoning of various forms of Alternative Dispute Resolution, driven in no small way by a growing dissatisfaction, both in the legal profession and the community it serves, with inordinate delays and cost of litigation, balanced against the need to offer clients a more speedy, dignified, and cost-effective option to achieving best outcomes.

Divorce coaching is a relatively new but dynamic addition to the Alternative Dispute Resolution toolbox, where trained and certified coaches support their clients with decision making and conflict management.

Ross is trained both as a mediator and certified Divorce Coach and will share his experiences and thoughts on walking the dual but quite separate paths of lawyering and coaching.

Who is this event for?

• Our community of dispute resolvers, mediators, restorative justice practitioners, lawyers and anyone interested in peace-making. Members and Non-members welcome. 

About our trainer

Ross Knight

In his law practice, Ross specialises in estate, trust, and relationship property litigation, both domestic and cross-border. He appears regularly in the Family Court, High Court, and Court of Appeal.

Ross holds Bachelor and Master of Laws degrees from the University of Auckland and is a member of STEP (Society for Trust and Estate Practitioners). In 1999, he trained as a mediator through LEADR (Lawyers Engaged in Alternative Dispute Resolution) which became part of the Resolution Institute on 1 January 2015.

Throughout his professional career Ross has sat on various New Zealand Law Society and Law Association (formerly the Auckland District Law Society) committees. He is a member of the Friends Panels for both the New Zealand Law Society and the Law Association and is also a College of Law mentor.

Ross contributes editorial to industry and commercial publications and is frequently invited to speak at Legal Seminars and Conferences.