The New Zealand Law Society (Māori: Te Kāhui Ture o Aotearoa) is the parent company of barristers and solicitors in New Zealand. It was founded in 1869 and regulates all lawyers practising in New Zealand. Membership in the Society is voluntary, although anyone wishing to practise law in New Zealand must obtain a certificate of articling from the Society. The company has 13 branches across the country. Each section has a president and a council who represent the interests of its members at the regional and national levels. [1] The Family Law Department has primary responsibility on behalf of society in all areas of family law and has a strong and active voice on issues such as family court administration, family court independence, children`s lawyers` fees, legal aid rates and education. If you are a foreign practitioner (i.e. a person admitted as a lawyer, solicitor, barrister or superior court solicitor) or an overseas graduate (a person with a legal qualification but who is not admitted as a lawyer, solicitor, barrister or superior court solicitor), you must have your qualification assessed by the New Zealand Council of Legal Education (NZCLE). The NZCLE will then inform you of the exams you need to take. Please visit the NZCLE website to have your qualification assessed. you submit your application for a professional certificate within one month of the issue of the certificate of good repute attached to the application for authorisation submitted to the Court of Justice; or A person may be considered fit and able to hold a training certificate, even if he or she belongs to one of the classes of subjects referred to in paragraph 2, if the regulatory undertaking considers that the circumstances justify the finding. If approximately two years have passed since your admission to the High Court of New Zealand or the expiry of your last training certificate in New Zealand (whichever is more recent), you will need to provide references. Requirements for referees are explained in the application form.
the person has not completed the continuing legal education required by paragraph 97(1)(b) or paragraph 98(1)(c): Processing may take two to three weeks if you have not had an articling certificate since your admission or if some time has elapsed between your application to the Law Society and the expiry of your last lawyer`s certificate. Your application may be referred to the Law Society`s Practice Approval Committee if the Law Society is aware of concerns about you or if you have disclosed information that may reflect your eligibility to hold a articling certificate. Applications and related documents such as references will only be accepted if they are dated within 3 months of the date on which the internship certificate is required. You can choose to become a member of the Law Society when you apply for a articling certificate. the reasons for determining whether a person is fit and able to hold a vocational certificate; or your application must be made directly to the Supreme Court. For more information, see the Mutual Recognition Information section of the Supreme Court website (Litigation/Admissions) www.supremecourt.wa.gov.au/M/mutual_recognition.aspx or section 10.1.3 of the Supreme Court`s Consolidated Practice Guidelines. www.supremecourt.wa.gov.au/_files/SCPracticeDirections.pdf. A New Zealand Law Society clearance certificate (less than one calendar month old) must be attached to your application.
Under the Trans-Tasman Mutual Recognition Act 1997, if you hold a valid professional certificate in an Australian jurisdiction, you can use that professional registration as a basis for registering for the relevant New Zealand profession. You are entitled to hold a lawyer`s certificate if: A traineeship certificate certifies that the holder is a person qualified to practise as a lawyer and allows him to qualify as a “lawyer”. It is a criminal offence if someone who does not have a valid articling certificate calls himself a lawyer. The Law Society may refuse or refuse to issue a training certificate if it believes there are reasonable grounds to do so. If this is the case, the Law Society: Membership fees for the Family Law Department, the Property Law Department and ILANZ Premium will be charged upon membership and as part of the annual articling certificate renewal process. If you are interested in becoming a member or learning more about a section of the Law Society, please visit the relevant members page: Foreign lawyers may practise in New Zealand but are not permitted to provide legal services in the reserved areas set out in the Lawyers and Carriers Act 2006. Upon receipt of an application, the Bar Association must examine whether there are grounds for refusal or refusal to issue a lawyer`s certificate. To this end, the Law Society may ask you for more information and make any request it deems appropriate. All lawyer`s certificates are issued subject to the limited occupational requirements of section 49 of the Uniform Legal Profession Act (WA), unless your clearance certificate states that you are entitled to an unrestricted articling certificate in New Zealand or you provide the Board with an affidavit of exemption under section 49(4) of the Uniform Legal Profession Act (WA). A foreign lawyer may obtain a certificate to practise New Zealand law in that jurisdiction after meeting certain requirements.
The relevant legislation is the Lawyers and Escorts Act 2006. If you have recently been admitted to practise law in New Zealand and your application is simple, the Law Society should be able to issue you with an articling certificate within one week of your application. If you are admitted to New Zealand and/or hold a valid articling certificate: In May each year, the Law Society will contact you to renew your articling certificate (whether you are in New Zealand or overseas) if they have a current email address for you. Full membership in the Bar is voluntary and is open to any lawyer holding a current articling certificate. Membership includes access to the full range of representative services of the Law Society and the opportunity to have a say in the regulation of the profession. The Law Society`s Law Reform Committee, with the support of expert committees and sections, prepares submissions on behalf of the legal profession and in the public interest. You are not allowed to practise in Western Australia until your certificate of practice in Western Australia is issued (unless you are employed by the state government). You can apply for admission to the Bar by submitting a copy of your application to the Legal Practice Council. Please note that you can renew your internship certificate by completing the online declaration of aptitude with your username and password and paying the fee.
Once admitted, you will need an NZLS internship certificate to practice in New Zealand. All fees are as of the date of publication. the person obtained a lawyer`s certificate based on false or misleading information: You must submit a new New Zealand Law Society clearance certificate to your application for a lawyer`s certificate, unless: If the Law Society has refused you an articling certificate, you have the right to appeal to the disciplinary court. If you do not hold a valid New Zealand Internship Certificate, your WA Internship Certificate will be issued on the day of your official admission (i.e. the date you sign the roll) or the date your completed Internship Certificate application was received, whichever is later. There may be delays in issuing your articling certificate if the board has to determine whether special conditions should be imposed. If you are in possession of an ongoing New Zealand Practicum Certificate, your WA Practicum Certificate will be issued from the date you submit your complete application for an Internship Certificate, provided that you have submitted your application for admission to the Tribunal and submitted a copy of that notice to the Council. All conditions that apply to your New Zealand Practicum Certificate also apply to your WA Practice Certificate. A regulatory society may refuse to issue a professional certificate to a person on the basis that the person is unfit and fit to hold a professional licence certificate. If you have any further questions regarding your application for an internship certificate, please email your request to enquiries@lpbwa.com to the attention of the Assessment and Enquiries Team at (08) 6211 3600. If you are an Australian practitioner with a current practicum certificate, please read the Trans-Tasman Mutual Recognition Admission Regulations 2008.
The person has breached a condition of the lawyer`s certificate in his or her possession: the matter cannot be considered grounds for refusing to issue a probationary certificate, unless subsequent disclosures show that the matter is part of conduct that may warrant a refusal. In order to obtain an unlimited licence to practise New Zealand law in this jurisdiction, foreign lawyers must have their foreign qualifications assessed (see www.nzcle.org.nz), meet all requirements, obtain a certificate of character and a certificate of completion, apply for admission as a barrister and solicitor, and apply for a traineeship certificate from the New Zealand Law Society.