Lawyers who hold a current practising certificate can be a member of the Law Society. Lawyers in their first two years of practice receive free membership to the Law Society.

1 July 2024

For full members, it is $290 plus GST

Key benefits include: 

• Membership to one Section of your choice – Family Law, Property Law, inhouse lawyers (ILANZ) – of your choice. You may join other Sections for $100 +GST per Section
• Complimentary membership for lawyers in their first two years of practice
• Advocacy and voice for the profession 
• Member savings on CPD and education designed for Members 
• Local support and access to quality education, networking and other opportunities via your local branch (13 around the country) 
• Listed on Find a Lawyer, a publicly searchable lawyer database 
• Exclusive member offers and discounts through our soon-to-launch Partner Programme 

View our full list of membership benefits 

The subscription will be automatically included in this year’s renewal and membership invoice for those who are current paid section members and those who indicate before 15 May that they want to retain their membership and the value it provides.  Lawyers who want to pre-register now, can do so via this link forms.lawsociety.org.nz/Membership/

If you join after this date, you will receive a separate invoice.

In this first year the answer is no. We may consider preferential pricing in future years.  

Ninety-eight percent of the profession is already a member of the Law Society. We are the only organisation that represents lawyers nationwide through our 13 branches and three sections.  
  
Being a member of the Law Society is important for all lawyers. We are the body that has the trust and influence to advocate for the rule of law, access to justice, administration of justice and law reform, speaking on behalf of the entire profession.  

Joining will give you the same great service with even more value. Some of the benefits include:

• Membership to a Section (family, property and inhouse – and more over time)
• Up to 30% off full price NZLS CLE Limited and Law Society education 
• Member only offers and discounts including for banking, insurance, accommodation and travel, retail and more through our Partner Programme. You’ll hear more about these benefits in April.
• Access to a range of services to help you connect, grow, learn, and stay informed
• Also, membership is also complimentary for lawyers who are in their first two years of practice.

A full list of benefits can be found on our website.

Under the Lawyers and Conveyancers Act 2006, the money that the Law Society receives from practising certificate fees can only be spent on regulatory functions, not on services for members. Some services such as law libraries, Vitae counselling, mentoring and law reform are funded from regulatory. Other member services (such as branches) have been funded from the Law Society’s reserves for the last few years. This is no longer sustainable. 

The practising fee funds the Law Society’s regulatory activities. Under the Lawyers and Conveyancers Act 2006, funding received from practising certificate fees can only be spent on regulatory activities. You can view a full breakdown of what the fee pays for here Practising fee breakdown

We encourage all lawyers to join. Our membership is designed to be financially attractive to meet the wide needs of the profession, for example  

• Member-only pricing for events including member pricing for NZLS CLE Ltd with non-members paying 30 percent more  
• Ensuring the membership to the Law Society includes the option to join a section of your choice – this includes creating new groups such as a group for sole practitioners and small firms, and  
• Individual member benefits.  

 Ultimately, the choice is for members to make. Membership is voluntary.  
  

The New Zealand Law Society is the only national representative for all lawyers on the crucial matters of access to justice and rule of law. With our strong relationships with government and with lawyers nationwide, we are the trusted advocate on issues affecting the whole profession. With 13 branches, we also represent the profession throughout the country and a recognised provider of professional development and education.  

We recognise the value of other groups representing parts of the profession and work closely with many, including the Criminal Bar Association, the NZ Bar Association, Te Hunga Rōia Māori o Aotearoa, Asian Lawyers, and Pacific Lawyers Association (PLA), to achieve outcomes that benefit the entire profession. We’ll continue to work closely alongside and with them to deliver value to the profession. 

While the Family Law and Property Law Sections already charge a membership subscription, the Law Society for many years has not charged a subscription fee for members with services delivered at a significant deficit. The deficit is currently funded by reserves, which is not sustainable. In February 2023, Council agreed the status quo was no longer sustainable and, in principle, agreed to introduce a membership subscription with more benefits. In December 2023, Council approved a new strategy for our representative function to deliver more value to members while also introducing a membership subscription.