New Zealand Law Society Practice Approval Committee – Lay Members Sought

The New Zealand Law Society Te Kāhui Ture o Aotearoa is looking to appoint a lay member to one of its Practice Approval Committees.

The Committees consider and determine non-standard applications relating to the practise of law, including applications for:

• Certificates of character for admission to the legal profession;
• Approval for practice on own account (without supervision); and
• Practising certificates where there are issues regarding fitness and propriety.

There are two national Committees, each made up of five senior lawyers and one lay member, based throughout the country. Each Committee convenes once a month by video conference.

You do not need to have any pre-existing expertise in or knowledge of the law, but you must be of good character and possess the necessary skill, experience and judgement to positively contribute to the consideration of applications.

The following experience (while not necessary) is likely to be an advantage:

• Experience in dealing with regulatory and conduct issues in the workplace, either directly or through the delivery of support or guidance;
• Previous experience on a regulatory committee; and/or
• Professional experience in the areas of medical or health practice.

If successful, you will attend the monthly meetings, having considered material distributed by the Committee Secretary in advance. This is a voluntary role, although you will receive a nominal meeting fee of $200.00 per meeting and reimbursement of any reasonable travel expenses.  

The New Zealand Law Society is committed to the principles of diversity and inclusion and to recognising the bicultural foundations of Aotearoa New Zealand. We wish to ensure Committee membership represents the community that the legal profession serves and encourage applications from a diverse range of backgrounds.

Please complete the EOI form and send it to human.resources@lawsociety.org.nz with your CV and cover letter when applying, or post to the below:

The Secretary – Practice Approval Committee

New Zealand Law Society

PO Box 5041, Wellington 6140

Position information can be viewed here.

Applications close at 5:00pm, Wednesday 19 November 2025

Following review of your application, you may be asked to attend an interview.