Lane Neave Special Counsel Sarah Wadworth’s extensive expertise has been recognised in NZ Lawyer’s Future Legal Leaders (Rising Stars) 2026 awards.
The accolade recognises her as one of the brightest young lawyers in the Australasian legal profession. Nominations sought standout lawyers aged 35 or younger who demonstrate clear passion for the profession, with Sarah standing out for her leadership potential and impact.
Based in Blenheim, Sarah works within our Family and Relationship Property Law, and Employment Law teams, and has a broad range of dispute resolution experience.
Starting her career in 2015, Sarah rose through the legal ranks quickly before joining Lane Neave in mid-2024. She says her rapid career development was largely shaped by early, hands-on experience.
“I began my career in a rural practice where having my boots on the ground provided opportunities that can be harder to access early in larger centres,” she says.
“That foundation helped me develop practical judgement skills, resilience, and a strong sense of service.”
Sarah says those early years also accelerated her advocacy skills. Regular court work and exposure to a wide range of matters helped boost her confidence – along with learning from the inevitable setbacks that come with litigation and resolving complex disputes.
Throughout her career, Sarah has focused on finding environments that enable high performance through support and collaboration. Her move to Lane Neave reflected a desire to broaden her horizons and experience new ways of working across different teams.
“I credit the calibre of my colleagues – and the firm’s support – for pushing me to lift my game and deepen my expertise in a short space of time.”
Her day-to-day work at Lane Neave spans a broad range of employment matters, along with family law cases that touch on separation, relationship property division, marriage dissolutions and pre-nups.
Known for her perseverance, Sarah also places real value on building strong relationships – approaching matters with professionalism rather than defaulting to a combative lens.
“I’m drawn to the people and problem-solving elements of legal practice, including the balance that mediation can bring alongside courtroom advocacy. I feel that it’s a privilege to support clients through some of the toughest times of their lives and this perspective shapes my approach to every file.”
Reflecting on the recognition, Sarah offered advice for other up-and-coming lawyers.
“Remember that advocacy is a persuasive conversation and that everyone’s human – you can’t change the facts. My top advice is to enjoy the journey, rather than always chasing the next thing.”
