Thursday, 26 March 2026
Chair
Kate Wilson, IP Strategist, James & Wells
Description
Attend and earn 0.5 CPD hour
* This interactive online recording includes questions and quizzes requiring critical thinking about the topics, so you have no annual limits to the number of points/hours you can claim with this format of learning. Please verify with your CPD rules
Learning Objectives:
- Understand the role and expectations of mediation in IP disputes within the Commercial List
- Identify how recent rule changes are encouraging mediation and influencing dispute resolution strategy
Mediation of IP Disputes
- What level of participation in mediation will be required in terms of the Commercial List
- The changes to the Rules in terms of encouraging mediation
- Examining overseas examples of when the courts order mediation for Trusts
Presented by Sheana Wheeldon, Barrister and Mediator, Sheana Wheeldon Barrister
Presenters
Sheana Wheeldon, Barrister and Mediator, Sheana Wheeldon Barrister
Sheana Wheeldon is one of New Zealand’s leading Intellectual Property lawyers, and a registered trans-Tasman patent attorney. She practises as a Barrister and Commercial Mediator, with a strong focus on commerciality and settling disputes. Her IP practice encompasses trademark disputes and proceedings of all kinds, patent infringement and invalidity, and copyright issues. Sheana is an experienced and skilled mediator, and her considerable litigation experience informs her appreciation of the benefits of a mediated outcome. As a mediator Sheana’s guiding principle is excellence in actively helping parties to reach robust and comprehensive settlements. She brings to the table clear thinking, an in depth understanding of IP issues, and a solution-focused approach. A Fellow (Mediation) of the Arbitrators’ and Mediators’ Institute of NZ (AMINZ), and a member of AMINZ’s specialist IP Mediators List, Sheana is also the author of the chapter on Professional responsibilities of mediators, in the latest edition of LexisNexis’s Professional Responsibility in New Zealand. In the adjudication area Sheana is on the Panel of Experts who decide domain disputes in the .nz space. She is available to act as a mediator in IP and most other commercial disputes, and as an expert determiner and neutral evaluator in the IP space.
Kate Wilson. IP Strategist, James & Wells
Kate Wilson is an internationally recognised IP strategist and registered patent attorney (New Zealand and Australia), with deep expertise across patents, intangible assets, and organisational IP capability. A former founding partner of James & Wells, she has advised many of New Zealand’s leading innovative companies and built extensive experience managing IP portfolios and guiding businesses on how to commercialise and protect their competitive edge. After stepping down from partnership in 2015, Kate established several successful non‑IP businesses, served on corporate boards, and developed a thriving consultancy focused on strategic IP advice. Kate is widely recognised in global IP rankings, including IAM’s Top 300 IP Strategists, and is regarded as a leader in IP education, delivering workshops and seminars in New Zealand and internationally. She is also the author of The Hidden Mechanics of IP – Demystifying Intellectual Property, released in 2025.
