Before you make a complaint, visit our ‘Before making a complaint’ page, ‘What we do and don’t do’ page and, where possible, raise your concern directly with the lawyer or the law firm. If you need guidance on how to raise an issue with your lawyer, you can visit our ‘Handling a dispute’ page. 

How to make a complaint 

Complaints need to be made in writing or using the online complaint form.  You will need to complete one form for each person or firm that you wish to complain about. If you are unable to submit via the online complain form, you can download the PDF form.  

Complaint forms may be submitted electronically or can be sent to complaints@lawsociety.org.nz or PO Box 5041, Lambton Quay, Wellington 6145.  

For the Lawyers Complaints Service to accept your complaint: 

• all sections of the complaint form must be completed, including the consent and declaration sections. 
• you must agree to your name and the complaint material being shared with the person you are complaining about. Complaints cannot be made anonymously. 
• any supporting material must be relevant to the conduct you are complaining about, be in PDF format, and be less than 20 pages. 

What to provide with your complaint 

It will help with the processing of your complaint if you: 

• read the instructions on the complaint from carefully to ensure the form is completed correctly.  
• explain clearly and concisely what your relationship is with the person you are complaining about, what has happened and the conduct you are concerned about. You can use bullet points to identity your key concerns and/or provide a brief timeline. 
• provide documents that support your complaint i.e., that show the person you are complaining about engaging in the concerning conduct. 
• keep any supporting documentation to a minimum and only what is relevant. We will request more information from you if we need it.  

You should not provide: 

• information that you do not want to be shared with the person you are complaining about 
• information or documents that refer to people who are not part of the complaint 
• original documents 
• information or documents that are subject to suppression or non-disclosure orders (this includes most Family Court documents) 
• documents which name children under 18 years old, unless all names have been removed  
• links to Google Drive or drop boxes 
• hard drives or USB sticks.  

Further assistance  

If you have questions about making a complaint or what information to provide, you can contact the Lawyers Complaints Service on 0800 261 801 or complaints@lawsociety.org.nz