Kate Keddell

Kate Keddell (formerly Kate Hesson) is an experienced facilitator, mediator and investigator. She practiced as a commercial lawyer for nearly two decades and has qualified as a mediator. Kate remains an enrolled barrister and solicitor of the High Court of New Zealand and is an experienced workplace investigator. She has specialist knowledge in the seafood and education sectors.

Approach
Kate enjoys practicing collaborative and consensus-based dispute resolution. She is known for her outgoing nature and pragmatic approach to problem solving. Having a varied background as a former commercial lawyer, trained mediator, workplace facilitator, director, trustee and investigator, Kate is often engaged by businesses when relationship issues emerge within the workplace or with wider stakeholders. She has a particular interest in helping people in business to prevent conflict from escalating beyond repair, ending in the court room. 

Background
From her rural beginnings in South Otago, Kate is now Dunedin-based, having also lived in Argentina and Kenya along the way. She graduated from Otago University in 1999 with a double degree in laws and arts. Kate then joined Anderson Lloyd and was with the law firm for 11 years, including seven as an Associate in which she specialised in commercial and property law. Kate spent time advising NGOs in Kenya, before she joined Goldsmith Law in 2012. After six years as an Associate and Contracts Manager with the firm, she established her own consultancy focused on governance, legal risk management and dispute resolution.

Kate currently sits on the Council of AMINZ and on other boards. Her other professional memberships include the Association of Workplace Investigators, Dunedin Community Mediation, Institute of Directors, and Otago Women Lawyers Society.