Chris LaHatte

Country:	New Zealand
Website:	https://lahatte.co.nz
Blog:	http://lahatte.blogspot.com/
LinkedIn:	Chris LaHatte
Featured in the ICANN 51 - Los Angeles playing card deck Formerly a member of the ICANN Staff

Chris LaHatte was the ICANN Ombudsman from July 2011 to July 2016. He now runs his own dispute resolution firm in New Zealand. Prior to this, he was a Barrister for 33 years. His role in ICANN is centered around dispute resolution. He is a member of Building Adjudicators, a Fellow of AMINZ in Mediation and Arbitration, an editor for Brookers District Court Procedure, and a Costs Assessor and Mediator for the New Zealand Law Society in Auckland and Wellington.

It was announced in an ICANN blog post written by chairman Steve Crocker that LaHatte will transition out of his position as ombudsman effective 27 July 2016.

His hobbies include enjoying his MGF sports car.

ICANN

When assuming the position of Ombudsman, Mr. LaHatte said that he hoped to help work on effective cross-cultural communication within ICANN, and was also noted that he was preparing for disputes related to the new gTLD program.

Chris LaHatte was dealing with twice as many complaints as his predecessor as of January, 2012, though many of these are issues that he must refer elsewhere as they fall outside his own jurisdiction.

In December 2012, LaHatte called for community feedback related to investigations into closed-door discussions about Trademark Clearinghouse.

Career History

Mr. LaHatte has had many years practicing as a barrister in New Zealand and worldwide. He recently served as the in-house advocate for construction conciliations and arbitration for Taiwan High-Speed Rail Corporation, the largest transportation infrastructure initiative in the world to date, with an estimated cost of $15 Billion. Chris is considered very experienced in several areas including insolvency litigation. He has also worked on criminal appeals and has argued several judicial review cases to the Court of Appeals. He has also appeared in the Maori Land Court, Taxation Review Authority, and other tribunals.

For many years, he was the Convenor of the Auckland District Society Library Committee. He has presented a number of seminars for the society.

Education

Mr. LaHatte holds a Master of Management in Dispute Resolution from Massey University. He did LLB from the University of Auckland.

External Links

• Introduction to Chris Lahatte, ICANN Ombudsman
• Chris LaHatte on Google Profile