The New Zealand Law Society and legal recruitment company Hays Legal have released results of a survey of salaries paid to New Zealand lawyers.

The February 2015 survey was completed by nearly 2,000 lawyers employed in law firms and in-house.

The results show the average starting salary for new lawyers ranges from $42,000 for lawyers in small firms to $45,000 for lawyers in large firms. Lawyers with five years’ experience in small firms are paid an average $71,000 while those working in large firms earn an average of $87,000. 

New Zealand Law Society President Chris Moore says the legal profession and consumers of legal services will all benefit from robust information on the legal services industry.

“Remuneration is obviously an important ingredient in attracting and retaining talented lawyers and we are pleased to make comprehensive information available in collaboration with Hays Legal,” he says.

The survey is available on the Law Society's website here. 

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