As part of the New Zealand Law Society Te Kāhui Ture o Aotearoa’s ongoing programme of work to increase access to justice, we have partnered with KPMG to conduct research on the costs involved in operating a legal practice, as well as the costs and effort associated with providing legal aid.

“The Law Society last completed a research project of this nature in 2003 and with the rising costs of living, administrative burdens and associated costs, it is timely to obtain new data”, said Law Society President, Frazer Barton.

The research will be used to support the Law Society’s ongoing advocacy for improved access to justice, including in the areas of legal aid and the duty lawyer service, by providing robust data around the viability of this essential work. “Access to justice is a fundamental right in Aotearoa New Zealand, but it is one that too many people miss out on. As a national body for the legal profession, the Law Society is in a unique place to call for change, and this research will support that”, says Mr Barton.

“We also know this information will be of use to lawyers and firms and will assist in understanding the impact of proposed legislative change, such as any changes made to the AML/CFT regime following the Ministry of Justice’s statutory review.”

The survey has been sent to all firms (via the firms’ administrator or practice manager) and to sole practitioners and barristers, with the intention of collecting a complete set of data from each practice. It includes a mix of qualitative and quantitative questions but does not ask questions around revenue.

All practices are asked to complete the survey, even if they don’t do legal aid work. The insights gathered will be of wider importance, and the results will be made freely available to the profession.

We look forward to your contribution and encourage you to get involved.

The survey is open for four weeks. If you have any questions, please contact consultation@lawsociety.org.nz.