Rise of 2% in practising certificates on issue

The number of legal practising certificates issued by the New Zealand Law Society has risen by 2.3% in the past year.

At 1 August 2011 - one month after the start of the new practising year - 11,195 practising certificates were on issue by the New Zealand Law Society. This was up from the 10,945 practising certificates on issue at 1 August 2010.

The number of practising certificates on issue fluctuates during the year as lawyers are admitted, travel or retire. At 1 April 2011, 11,585 certificates were held.

The number of certificates held in most Law Society branches were up on the previous year, although there was a drop of 2.3% in the Canterbury-Westland branch.

Of the certificates on issue at 1 August 2011, 4905 (43.8%) were held by women (up from 43.3% a year earlier) and 1529 were held by barristers (13.7% of total - and down from 14.0% a year earlier).

Most lawyers were located in the New Zealand Law Society's Auckland branch area, where the 4905 practising certificates made up 43.8% of all New Zealand practising certificates (up from 43.3% a year earlier). At 1 August 2011, 317 practising certificates were held by lawyers living outside New Zealand, and this was an increase from the 260 certificates held by foreign-based lawyers a year earlier.

© New Zealand Law Society 2008