New Zealand's legal profession - a snapshot in 2011

The New Zealand Law Society has released a publication that gives an interesting insight into the legal profession in the country. According to the published statistics, the majority of New Zealand law firms have between one and three partners, and only six firms in the country have more than 21 partners. Of the 11,585 registered practising lawyers 64.6 per cent work in a law firm, and 5.6 per cent work in an incorporated firm. Female lawyers account for 44 per cent of the legal profession in 2011, up from 21 per cent in 1990. And the figures point to a changing gender balance in the profession: 82 of female lawyers have been in practice for less than 20 years, while only 50 per cent of men have. So if the number of women in the legal profession continues to grow at the same rate in the next seven years, women will outnumber men in the legal profession by 2018.

New Zealand's legal profession - a snapshot in 2011 au.legalbusinessonline.com Wed, Apr 27, 2011