New Zealand practitioners seeking employment in New Zealand or overseas or those seeking admission in another jurisdiction (including admission in Australia under the Trans-Tasman Mutual Recognition Act) may want to apply for a Certificate of Standing from the New Zealand Law Society.

 A Certificate of Standing will verify:

• the date and location that the person was admitted as a Barrister and Solicitor of the High Court of New Zealand;
• whether the person holds a current practising certificate or when they last held a practising certificate;
• whether the person has been suspended from practice or struck off the roll or if they have any professional misconduct charges pending (this will include open complaints and disciplinary tribunal matters since 1 August 2008, and any disciplinary charges before the New Zealand Law Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal under the Law Practitioners Act 1982).

When complete, the certificate will be emailed to the applicant. If applicants require the certificate to be emailed to a third party, they should make a note of this on their application.

Two to three weeks should be allowed for processing.

What to supply

To speed the process, you will need to provide:

• your date of admission in New Zealand
• your place of admission (which New Zealand High Court)
• names of all former district law societies from which you have held a practising certificate prior to 2008
• the years you held these practising certificates

Note: Once dispatched, if you require a further Certificate of Standing you will be required to make a new application and payment.

Payment

Payment can be made by credit card, debit card or bank transfer. Payment made by credit card or debit card will incur a card payment surcharge. Instructions regarding payment options will be emailed to you within three working days of receiving your application.