Ms Rusbatch is calling on members of the profession to pre-register now to retain their membership. 

“The Law Society is a strong voice and trusted advocate for access to justice and rule of law across the country,” she says.  

Ms Rusbatch says the Law Society delivers real value to the profession throughout New Zealand. 

“We have 13 branches from the top of the north to the bottom of the south and we know that the support and services our branches offer are deeply valued by lawyers,” she says. 

In the last year alone, over 10,000 members of the profession participated in events run by the Law Society’s 13 branches. 

More than 16,000 lawyers are currently members of the Law Society and receive membership services at no cost (unless they are a member of the Family or Property Law Sections).  

Ms Rusbatch notes the income the Law Society receives from practising certificate fees can only be spent on regulatory matters, not on representative services for members.  

Section 67(4) of the Lawyers and Conveyancers Act 2006 prohibits any cross-subsidisation, and the Law Society has separate regulatory and representative accounts. 

“We are now moving to a model of paid membership to support the delivery of our representative services,” she says. 

From 1 July, for the 2024/25 year, an annual membership subscription will cost $290 +GST (including membership to a Law Society Section). Lawyers in their first two years of practising will receive free membership along with other benefits including cost savings for education, insurance, banking and more. 

The full offer, which has been developed with input from the profession, can be found on the Law Society’s website. 

Lawyers who are already members of the Property or Family Law Sections do not need to pre-register.  

Ms Rusbatch says that services that are currently funded by regulatory, such as libraries, counselling, and mentoring, will continue to be available to the whole profession, regardless of membership status.