Admission as a Barrister and Solicitor
Successfully completing your Professional Legal Studies Course will provide you with the practical legal skills and the qualification needed to gain admission as a barrister and solicitor of the High Court of New Zealand.
The requirements for admission are set out in the Lawyers and Conveyancers Act 2006 (which substituted the Law Practitioners Act 1982 with effect from 1 August 2008) and the Lawyers and Conveyancers Act (Lawyers: Admission) Rules 2008.
To access information about admission on the NZLS website, click the link below.
NZLS information about admission
To be admitted as a Barrister and Solicitor of the High Court of New Zealand you must first have completed a New Zealand law degree (including Legal Ethics) and you must then complete the requirements of four bodies:
- The College of Law
- New Zealand Council of Legal Education
- New Zealand Law Society
- High Court of New Zealand
* The New Zealand Council of Legal Education (NZCLE) has made new rules that came into force at the same time as the Lawyers and Conveyancers Act 2006 (1 August 2008).
A course in legal ethics is now mandatory for all New Zealand law graduates, regardless of when a degree was completed, and any educational qualification must not be more than 10 years old. For further information refer to the NZCLE's website: see New Zealand Council of Legal Education - Important Regulatory Changes.
If you have an overseas law degree or have practised overseas, different rules apply. The New Zealand Law Society's website explains these rules: see To practise as a New Zealand lawyer.
To assist with your application for admission, please refer to the New Zealand Law Society precedent forms on the Society's website.
Forms for admission
The College of Law
After successfully completing the PLSC, the College will provide you with a Certificate in Professional Legal Studies. Generally, it takes approximately 3 weeks from the course end date for this certificate to be issued, however if you request that your certificate be issued on a priority basis from the College and your application is approved, the certificate can be issued within 5 working days of the course end date. A priority certificate issue fee applies. This certificate is the document you will need to prove to the NZCLE that you have completed the course when you apply to the NZCLE for its certificate of completion.
New Zealand Council of Legal Education (NZCLE)
Certificates of completion are issued by the NZCLE, which prescribes three educational requirements for admission as a barrister and solicitor through its Professional Examinations in Law Regulations 2008:
- an approved Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree from a New Zealand university
- an approved undergraduate course in legal ethics
- an approved Professional Legal Studies Course
Note: Your educational qualifications must not be older than 10 years at the time you apply for a completion certificate.
To obtain the NZCLE's Certificate of Completion you must complete the following application form.
Certificate of Completion application form
You need to submit the following documentation along with your completed application form:
- Original degree certificate or transcript
- Original evidence of completion of legal ethics
- Original evidence of completion of the Professional Legal Studies Course
- Cheque for application fee ($46 Including GST as at publication date)
Note: The Council requires 20 working days to process applications for completion certificates. You should also allow additional days for delivery to and from the Council. Once issued, the Council's completion certificate will remain valid for three years.
For enquiries about Certificates of Completion all correspondence should be addressed to the Chief Executive at:
New Zealand Council of Legal Education PO Box 5671, Lambton Quay, Wellington 6145.
The physical address is: Level 1, Law Society Building 26 Waring Taylor Street Wellington 6011
The office is open to visitors between 10am and 2pm daily (other visits by arrangement with staff).
Telephone: (04) 471 1161 / (04) 471 1389
Facsimile: (04) 471 1951
Email: legal@nzcle.org.nz
Website: www.nzcle.org.nz
Your completed application must enclose the College's Certificate of Satisfactory Completion (or a certified copy of it) and a cheque for the specified amount.
New Zealand Law Society
A certificate of character certifies that you are a fit and proper person to be admitted as a barrister and solicitor.
Applications for a certificate of character should now be forwarded to the relevant branch of the New Zealand Law Society (NZLS). The branches of the NZLS are responsible for checking the character of all applicants for admission. At the conclusion of its checks you will be issued with a Certificate of Character from the branch law society office. This document is also an exhibit in your affidavit filed with the Court.
Please note that the NZLS has introduced a standardised procedure by which all Certificate of Character applications will be processed nationally. This will involve enquiries being made of both the relevant Dean of the Law School and also the College of Law regarding all individual candidates' fitness to practice.
To ensure that you receive your Certificate of Character in time to file it in the High Court before the prescribed filing date (at least one month before your admission date) and also to allow for processing time, you should generally apply for your Certificate of Character at least three months in advance of the scheduled hearing of your admission. The deadlines for filing Certificate of Character applications with respect to admission dates in the main centres can also be found on the NZLS website:
Certificate of Character Filing Deadlines
Because admission dates vary from year to year and district to district, you should always obtain your own up to date information rather than rely on information used by another person.
For enquiries about Certificate of Character applications, you should therefore contact the relevant NZLS branch law society. Click the link below to access contact details of all the law society branches from the New Zealand Law Society website.
Law society branches
The NZLS application form can be found on the NZLS website:
Certificate of Character application form
The following information sheet, with FAQs, has been prepared for College students by the Auckland branch office: Auckland branch NZLS Information
If you have any further queries, but are not intending to be admitted in Auckland, please contact your relevant branch office.
For general information about certificate of character applications on the NZLS website, click the link below.
NZLS Information on Certificate of Character applications
In general terms you will file with the relevant branch law society:
- Your completed application for a certificate of character (including certified copy of passport or birth certificate; proof of name change (if applicable), and statutory declaration).
- The application also includes a consent to the publication of your name as an applicant for admission and a declaration authorising enquiries to be made and the disclosure of any information that the NZLS considers necessary (e.g. of the Dean of the law school and the Director of the College of Law).
- Your partially completed Priv/F2 form obtained from any District Court (or from the Ministry of Justice's Privacy Unit).
- Application fee (please note that neither the Christchurch nor Dunedin branch law societies have eftpos or credit card facilities.
Note: You should ensure that your nominated referees send their original references to the relevant branch law society directly. References attached to, sent with, or handed in by candidates will not be accepted by the NZLS.
Contact details for the NZLS are:
New Zealand Law Society
26 Waring Taylor Street
PO Box 5041, Lambton Quay Wellington 6145
Telephone: (04) 472 7837
Email: registry@lawsociety.org.nz
High Court of New Zealand
Comply with the admission requirements of the High Court in which you are seeking admission.
Requirements for admission are set out in the Lawyers and Conveyancers Act 2006 and the Law Practitioners Admission Rules 2008.
Click the link to access the new admission rules.
Lawyers and Conveyancers Act (Lawyers: Admission) Rules 2008
Your application to the High Court for admission as a barrister and solicitor must include:
An originating application made by the counsel who moves your admission
A supporting affidavit, sworn by you, which has the following attached documents supporting your:
- Evidence of qualifications (Certificate of completion from the NZ Council of Legal Education).
- Evidence of suitability (Certificate of character from the relevant NZLS branch office).
- Evidence of having paid the required court filing fee (Original Law Society admission fee receipt).
- An Affirmation or Oath on Admission.
- Order for Admission.
There are filing fees to pay on these documents.
Note: The Lawyers and Conveyancers Act (Lawyers: Admission) Rules 2008 provides that if the application is to be determined at a hearing in court, the application must be filed at least 1 month before the scheduled hearing, unless the Registrar allows it to be filed late (rule 5(3)).
To find out about admission requirements of the High Court in which you are seeking admission contact the registry office. Click on the link below to access contact details for all 19 High Court registries which are on the Department of Courts website.
High Court Registries
Some High Court registries have also provided an information guide and sample documents regarding their admission requirements:
Auckland High Court:
The Court does not make its guide and precedents available online. You can obtain this by sending an email to: Admissions.Auckland@justice.govt.nz. This will generate an automated response.
For general enquiries about admission, please contact Cecil Croucher, Deputy Registrar, Civil Registry, at the Auckland High Court by email at: cecil.croucher@justice.govt.nz, or by telephone on: (09) 916 9600.
Christchurch High Court:
Admission Guide Note: Although this guide is Christchurch specific, it is a useful guide to the process.
For general enquiries please contact Sharon Graham at sharon.graham@justice.govt.nz.
Dunedin High Court:
The Court does not have a guide or precedents available online. However, for general enquiries about admission, please contact Tracy Smaill at the Dunedin High Court registry by email at: tracy.smaill@justice.govt.nz or, by telephone, on: (03) 471 5173.
Hamilton High Court:
The Court does not make its guide and precedents available online. However, for general enquiries about admission, please contact Raewyn Johnson or Alberta Le'au'anae at the Hamilton High Court registry by email at: raewyn.johnson@justice.govt.nz or Alverta.le’au’anae@justice.govt.nz, or by telephone, on: (07) 957 7700.
Wellington High Court:
The Court does not make its guide and precedents available online. For general enquiries about filing requirements for admission, please contact Christina Curd, Court Registry Officer - Civil Section at the Wellington High Court by email at: christina.curd@justice.govt.nz, or by telephone on: DDI (04) 914 3609.
Admission Dates
The dates for admission ceremonies are set by the courts. You should contact the relevant court registry.