Renewal of practising certificates
1 July 2010 to 30 June 2011
Important dates
| 7 May 2010 | Renewal forms and invoices are posted to lawyers. |
| 14 June 2010 | All payments and declarations due at NZLS. |
| 1 July 2010 | New practising certificates come into force. |
Renew your practising certificate
To renew your practising certificate you must complete the renewal form and pay the prescribed fees. Renewal forms will be sent to all currently registered lawyers in early May. Declarations and payments may be made online or by mail. You can:
- make your declaration and pay online by credit card
- make your declaration online and pass your invoice to your firm/organisation for payment
- complete the form, and post the form, remittance advice and payment back to the NZLS in the envelope provide.
If a firm/organisation has appointed a liaison person, NZLS will provide a list of all the lawyers in the organisation and the required payments once the renewal forms and invoices have been sent to the individual lawyers. If your organisation wishes to appoint a liaison person please contact registry@lawsociety.org.nz or phone 0800 22 30 30.
Fees for the period 1 July 2010 to 30 June 2011
Total fees, levies and contributions for the period 1 July 2010 to 30 June 2011 will be as follows:
- Barristers and employed lawyers:$1,220 plus GST
- Lawyers practising on their own account, without a trust account: $1,605 plus GST
- Lawyers practising on their own account, with a trust account: $1,925 plus GST
Update the register and Find a Lawyer Service
All lawyers should check their records on the register of lawyers and notify us by email of any changes. Personal profiles can be updated with information on ethnicity and areas of practice. This information is for the Society’s records only and for statistical purposes. Individual details, other than those provided for in r10(3) the LCA (Lawyers: Practice Rules) Regulations 2008, will be published only with your approval.
NZLS Find a Lawyer service
While renewing your practising certificate online, take a minute to complete or update your Find a Lawyer details. Lawyers in private practice have the opportunity to participate in the Find a Lawyer service.
All lawyers are automatically listed by name as the service is run off the registry database. Find a lawyer gives the public the additional opportunity to search by area of practice - so someone in need of a lawyer specialising in ACC matters, for instance, can choose 'ACC' from the drop-down menu in the 'Area of Practice' box and get a list of lawyers who do that work. They can also define their search by location and languages spoken.
To ensure your areas of practice and languages spoken are included, visit the Lawyer login. When your individual screen comes up. check you 'personal details' and correct as necessary. In addition to showing the usual postal, phone and fax contact details, you can also elect whether you want your email and physical address to be displayed. Then go back, click on 'personal statistics' and complete the charts for areas of practice and languages spoken, and select the 'show' button at the head of each chart. If you need assistance phone the Registry on 0800 22 30 30.
Register display - practice options
The register of lawyers is required to show whether a holder of a practising certificate as a barrister and solicitor is:
- in practice on own account as a sole practitioner, partner in a partnership or director of an incorporated law firm
- an employed solicitor
- an in-house lawyer.
There are no alternative options for the purposes of the public register.
Lawyer login
Lawyers can log in and review their register of lawyer record and update certain information.
To do this you will need:
- your 6-digit User ID (Any zeroes at the start of the number are part of the User ID)
- your password. You can get this by clicking on the Lawyer Login button on the home page of this website. At the login screen, click on I have forgotten my password. Enter your User ID then click on Send me my password. A new password will be sent to your personal email address.
Once you log on using this password, you will be able to change it to one of your own choice.
Membership of the New Zealand Law Society, sections and local branch
Membership of the Law Society, entitling holders to special benefits and membership of sections, is voluntary and will be free up to 30 June 2010.
Members of the NZLS are automatically members of their local branch and are eligible to join an NZLS section. Current members of the Family Law and Property Law Sections will be invoiced for section membership fees as part of the renewal process. Those who are not members but wish to join a section, should contact kathryn.akanoa@lawsociety.org.nz.
Any queries about the register and the renewal process should be directed to:
Registry
New Zealand Law Society
PO Box 5041, Lambton Quay, Wellington 6145
DX SP20202
Email: registry@lawsociety.org.nz
Phone: 0800 22 30 30
Fax: +64 4 463 2989