Advise registry@lawsociety.org.nz if you are going on parental leave. If you want to cancel your practising certificate and apply for a refund of the unused portion of your practising fees, please let the Registry Team know as soon as possible. Fee refunds are only calculated from the date the refund application is received or from the date the certificate is no longer required – whichever is later.

Consider changing your contact address in Registry to your personal email address so you can reset your login password if required and so the Law Society can keep in touch with you. You can do this by logging into the Registry system and selecting “Update your personal details”.

If your last practising certificate expired, or if you cancelled your practising certificate, while you were on parental leave, please apply for a new practising certificate at least 20 working days before you plan to return to work. You will not need to provide references with your application form if less than two years have elapsed since you last held a practising certificate.

Your User ID is the six-digit number (including any leading zeros) shown on the bottom left corner of your practising certificate. You can also find it in emails we’ve sent you about renewing your practising certificate or making your annual CPD declaration.

If you have changed employer and no longer have access to the emails we have sent you, you will need to submit a change of details form.

On the Registry login page enter your User ID then click the ‘Forgot password?’ link. Click the ‘Email password reset’ button to send a password reset link to your email.

If you don’t appear to have received the reset email from us:

1. Check that you have entered your six-digit User ID correctly, including any leading zeros
2. Check all of your email in-boxes (for example work and personal)
3. Check your junk email folders
4. Check the firewall settings with your own IT people
5. Clear your cache (browser history) or try using a different browser

The password reset will expire, so please ensure that you use this option as soon as you receive it.

If you have changed employer and no longer have access to the email address that we have on record for you, you will need to submit a change of details form.

It’s important that you enter your User ID in full. It has six digits, including leading zeros.

In some cases people can experience challenges accessing Registry when using a tablet device. We suggest that you use a computer or mobile phone instead.

Some web browsers have difficulty displaying our Registry site. We recommend using Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox or Microsoft Edge. If you’re using one of these browsers and the website is still showing incorrectly, please contact us at registry@lawsociety.org.nz.

To pay for your fees and levies by credit card: 

1. Log in to Registry and go to the ‘Pay Fees’ screen, ensure the check box next to your name is ticked, then click the ‘Continue’ button. 
2. On the ‘Payment Summary’ screen check the ‘total due’ is correct, then click the ‘Continue’ button. 
3. Enter your credit card information and click the ‘Pay’ button. 
4. Once the payment has been processed an ‘Online Payment – Confirmation’ screen appears – do not exit until you see this screen. You may want to keep a copy of this confirmation for your records. 

To pay by internet banking or direct credit, deposit the payment into the New Zealand Law Society ASB account:   

12 3140 0119103 07  

Please ensure that the following information is identified clearly: 

Particulars:         [person’s name] 

Code:                   [User ID] 

Reference           [invoice number] 

Log into Registry database and go to the ‘Practising Certificates’ screen to access your practising certificate. Your practising certificate for the current year will available for download from its start date until its expiry date.

When renewing your practising certificate online, your practising certificate for the upcoming year should be available to download as soon as you have completed your 'fit and proper' person declaration and paid the required fees. Please contact Registry@lawsociety.org.nz if this is not the case.

You are not required to print your certificate, but you should confirm that it is available.  

Lawyers and firm administrators are able to download invoices from the ‘Tax Invoices’ screen in Registry.

If you want your employer’s name to appear on the invoice instead of your name, select your work address as your preferred contact in the ‘Personal Details’ section. After approximately 10 minutes your employer’s name will appear on your invoice the next time you download this.

The invoice becomes your receipt when it’s paid, we don’t issue a separate receipt.

The following information is routinely shown when using the Registry Lookup function to search for a lawyer on the public register:

• the lawyer’s full name and preferred name,
• the lawyer’s work address and main phone number,
• the kind of practising certificate currently held by the lawyer (barrister or barrister and solicitor), when this certificate was issued, and when it is due to expire,
• when and where the lawyer was admitted,
• if the lawyer is in practice on their own account, whether the lawyer is:
  • in sole practice or
  • in practice as a partner in a partnership or
  • a shareholder of an incorporated law firm or
  • a director of an incorporated law firm or
  • an employee
• whether the lawyer is an in-house lawyer.

Lawyers can also choose to have the following additional information shown on public register:

• their cell phone number,
• their email address,
• their areas of practice,
• the languages they speak.

For more information about how to show or amend the additional information, lawyers should refer to making changes.