Qualifications

Robert Fisher studied at Victoria University of Wellington, the University of Southampton, London University, and the Federal Judicial Centre, Washington, DC. His qualifications and appointments include Doctor of Laws (1984), Yachtmaster (Ocean) (1985), Queen’s Counsel (1985) and Fulbright Scholar (1994). He has attended a series of courses and workshops on mediation.

Prior career

He was a legal practitioner for 24 years (1965-1989) and a High Court Judge for 15 years (1989-2004). While a Judge, he held positions as Chairman of the NZ Rules Committee, Supervising Judge of the Commercial List, Executive and Senior Judge of the Auckland High Court, and divisional member of the NZ Court of Appeal. Approximately one hundred of his decisions have been reported in the New Zealand Law Reports and a greater number in specialist reports. He was a member of the Courts of Appeal of Kiribati, Tuvalu, Samoa and the Cook Islands

CONSTRUCTION ARBITRATION AND ADJUDICATION

Robert Fisher has conducted numerous construction arbitrations, adjudications and mediations and was an early member of the New Zealand Society of Construction Law.

Over the 4 years to 13 December 2023, he has conducted 12 construction adjudications, one international construction arbitration, one international oil-drilling arbitration, several domestic construction arbitrations, and a number of ground rent arbitrations involving construction, and he has presented at two construction workshops for lawyers and industry participants.

Publications and presentations

He has published and presented on commercial law, intellectual property, maritime law, relationship property, evidence, civil procedure, litigation strategy, jurisprudence, advocacy, arbitration and mediation.  His publications include Fisher on Matrimonial and Relationship Property (LexisNexis 730 pp 3 eds); NZ Halsbury Commentary on Patents (Butterworths 1988); the “New Zealand Legal Method:  Influences and Consequences” section of Legal Method in New Zealand, (Butterworths 2001) pp 25-76, and a variety of published articles (see publications).  He is a consulting editor of Laws of New Zealand (LexisNexis) and editor-in-chief of Fisher on Matrimonial and Relationship Property.

Other work

He has provided a series of public interest inquiry reports for the New Zealand Government.