Solicitor Rōia

Solicitors give legal advice, prepare legal documents and study the details of legal arguments.

Solicitors need to be registered with the New Zealand Law Society and hold a current practising certificate.

Patent attorneys need to be registered with the Intellectual Property Office.

Solicitors may do some or all of the following:

  • give legal advice to clients, including families, businesses and individuals
  • research and study details of the law and examine legal arguments
  • prepare legal documents such as wills and affidavits
  • prepare and advise on paperwork for property or business deals
  • handle clients' funds
  • instruct barristers to appear in court on behalf of clients.

Trade marks attorney

To become a trade marks attorney you need to:

  • have a qualification from Australia or New Zealand at diploma level or above - and this qualification doesn't need to relate to trade marks or be in a specific field
  • work under supervision for several years in a relevant role
  • register with the Trans-Tasman IP Attorneys Board.

Many trade marks attorneys are also lawyers but this is not essential.

Useful Experience

Useful experience for solicitors includes:

  • general legal work
  • research work
  • public sector experience.

Personal Qualities

Solicitors need to be:

  • analytical
  • able to think on their feet
  • good at working under pressure
  • ethical, responsible and able to keep information private
  • good problem-solvers
  • well organised
  • good communicators.

Skills

Solicitors need to have:

  • knowledge of New Zealand laws and the legal system
  • knowledge of the way courts work
  • legal research skills
  • skill in researching, interpreting, analysing and evaluating information
  • negotiating skills
  • writing skills.

Conditions

Solicitors:

  • usually work regular business hours but may need to work evenings and weekends doing research
  • work in offices and courts
  • may travel to attend conferences and meetings.

Subject Recommendations

A tertiary entrance qualification is required to enter further training. Useful subjects include English, history and classical studies, social studies and te reo Māori.

Solicitors can earn around $62K per year.

Pay for solicitors varies depending on their experience, the organisation they work for, and the region they work in. For solicitors with:

  • less than one year's experience, the median salary is $62,000 a year.
  • two years' experience, the median salary is $72,000 a year.
  • three years' experience, the median salary is $80,000 a year.
  • four years' experience, the median salary is $95,000 a year.
  • five or more years' experience, the median salary is $131,000 a year.

They may also receive other benefits such as bonuses and allowances. 

Trade marks attorneys

  • Solicitors working as registered trade marks attorneys usually earn $60,000 to $120,000 a year.
  • Senior trade marks attorneys can earn $120,000 to $180,000 or more a year.

Sources: Aotearoa Legal Workers' Union (ALWU), 'New Zealand Legal Industry Employment Report 2022-2023', 2023; and New Zealand Intellectual Property Attorneys Inc, 2023.

Solicitors may progress to set up their own practice or they may become an associate or a partner of the firm they work for.

Solicitors may specialise in:

  • competitions and corporate law
  • criminal law
  • environment and resource management
  • human rights
  • intellectual property
  • public law
  • property
  • tax
  • Treaty of Waitangi.

Solicitors may also specialise as a:

Patent Attorney
Patent attorneys advise on intellectual property and setting up patents, and help prosecute people who copy someone's patented work.

Years Of Training

3-4 years of training usually required

To become a solicitor you need to:

  • complete a Bachelor of Laws degree (LLB)
  • complete a Professional Legal Studies Course
  • get a completion certificate from the New Zealand Council of Legal Education
  • get a certificate of character from the Law Society
  • be admitted to the roll of barristers and solicitors of the High Court of New Zealand
  • hold a current practising certificate issued by the Law Society.
Solicitor