The Law Society of New Zealand has launched a national engagement initiative to explore how the legal profession can better reflect the communities it serves, with a particular focus on advancing gender equality. The initiative begins with panel discussions in Wellington on 25 November and in Auckland on 3 December, bringing together a diverse group…
New Zealand Law Society – law reform and advocacy update
The Law Society has continued its strong engagement in law reform and advocacy over the past quarter, making 12 submissions on Bills and 24 on government discussion documents. These efforts reflect their ongoing commitment to ensuring that legislation is principled, proportionate, and responsive to the needs of both the profession and the wider public. Recent…
New Zealand government – legal aid scheme review
In 2025, the New Zealand Government is undertaking a comprehensive review of its legal aid system to ensure it remains efficient, sustainable, and capable of promoting equitable access to justice. The Ministry of Justice has released a public discussion document, open for submissions from 11 June to 23 July 2025, inviting input from individuals, legal…
Benchmarking costs of law practice in New Zealand
The Law Society’s Costs of Practice Report for March 2024 provides a detailed analysis of the expenses associated with law practice in New Zealand. It highlights the increasing overhead costs across different types and sizes of law practices, with a specific focus on staff-related costs as the primary expense driver, escalating significantly each year. The…
February feature: On-going regulatory reform
This month’s feature looks at a few of the jurisdictions currently engaging in a review of the legislative framework for the regulation of legal services. These reviews cover issues ranging from a restatement of the objectives of lawyer regulation through to a fundamental redesign of the architecture of regulation and the roles and responsibilities of…
The Workplace Environment Survey in New Zealand has revealed Pacific lawyers face higher levels of bullying and discrimination than the profession overall
Results from the Workplace Environment Survey (WPES) in New Zealand reveal that Pacific lawyers, particularly Pacific women, face higher rates of bullying, harassment, and discrimination than the overall legal profession. The New Zealand Law Society commissioned additional reporting to gain a deeper understanding of the challenges faced by Pacific lawyers. While overall statistics for lawyers…
The New Zealand Law Society Te Kāhui Ture o Aotearoa has outlined its future membership proposition
The New Zealand Law Society Te Kāhui Ture o Aotearoa has outlined its future membership proposition. This includes working on a representative strategy to provide financially sustainable representative services to its members. The intention is to continue delivering services in an enduring way. The matter will be discussed with the Council in the coming months….
Law Society of New Zealand Aotearoa accepts in principle proposal for independent regulator
Law Society of New Zealand Aotearoa has accepted in principle the proposal for an independent regulator. This proposal comes from the independent Review Report carried out recently into the future structure of regulation in New Zealand. The primary recommendation from the review was the creation of an independent regulator, as the current structure of regulation…
Law Society of New Zealand warns lawyers about the use of ChatGPT
The Law Society of New Zealand has warned lawyers about the use of AI chatbot ChatGPT for obtaining basic legal guidance and information. While the chatbot has access to a lot of online legal material and can draft legal documents quickly, its responses have been labelled imperfect and problematic. The article also highlights the regulatory…
New Zealand Law Society has released the independent review panels report
The Law Society of New Zealand Aotearoa has published the report of the independent panel review. The conclusion of the report suggests that while the current model the Law Society employs for regulating and representing lawyers’ functions well in some areas, it falls short in many others. Chief among these shortcomings in the inability of…