ILANZ was established in 1987 to connect, support and lead New Zealand’s in-house lawyers. Originally operating as the Corporate Law Association of New Zealand we became ILANZ to recognise the broader appeal of the organisation and became a section of the Law Society in the late 2000s. Being part of something bigger matters, and we have worked closely with the Representative side including the Family Law and Property Law sections, ever since.

We were delighted by the huge show of confidence in us by our members when the Law Society introduced a fee in July 2024 and are committed to finding new and different ways to better serve our community.

Nearly 40 years after our formation, that community now comprises 30 per cent of the profession and is the fastest growing legal sector. With over 5,000 in-house lawyers working in a range of organisations such as central government and crown entities, local government, commercial organisations and not-for-profits, ILANZ’s remit remains to connect, support and lead the group across Aotearoa New Zealand.

We have a range of satellite groups including NAVIGATE, for those who work cross border, a General Counsel network, new to in-house lawyer and Sole Counsel groups, to name a few. These role- and function-specific satellite groups are complemented by dedicated regional champions around the motu who organise regular social and CPD events for in-house lawyers in their area through our many regional satellite groupings.

We are also privileged to be supported by a range of Valued Partners who assist us with events and webinars throughout the year, enabling us to provide high quality and pertinent professional development to our members and subscribers. Our Dentons black letter law webinars regularly attract between 500-700 registrations and receive excellent feedback.

Our Bell Gully GC Forums are tailored to meet the demands of the busy and varied General Counsel’s role, and the Deloitte Know Your Numbers workshops, designed to increase financial literacy, are always in demand as is the insightful bi-annual survey they conduct for us. The all-important MAS connection events are a welcome break to the pace of an in-house legal role.

Of all our many activities, the ILANZ Conference is often what people know us for and has become a well-loved and attended fixture in the annual CPD calendar. Our 2025 conference (7-9 May) is being held in Auckland for the first time in 37 years and is shaping up to be an exciting event with a wide range of topics from Te ao Māori and Law Reform to Boosting Productivity with CoPilot, and a Dentons session on Whistleblowing.

Alongside the conference, the team has been working on a Career Development Framework to provide relevant advice and direction to in-house lawyers at all levels. We aim to support everyone from new to in-house to those aspiring to become (or who already are) General Counsel and all career stages in between. ILANZ’s offerings will be interconnected with the framework to ensure continued targeted support for our members as their careers go from strength to strength.