According to the research -- reported by Legal Business Online -- there were 11,434 New Zealand-based lawyers with valid practising certificates as of 8 January 2013, with a further 455 lawyers with Law Society-issued certificates are working overseas.
The survey found that sole practitioners are the most experienced, with 1,087 clocking up more than 29 years of experience on average. Partners or directors at law firms were not far behind, boasting more than 25 years in practice on average, and accounting for nearly 22 per cent of all lawyers.

Changing profession

The changing nature of the profession was reflected by figures showing that of the 2,283 lawyers who have been in practice for five years or fewer, slightly more than 60 per cent are female. However, of the 124 practising lawyers who were admitted to the profession more than 50 years ago, all but one is male.
At present, 55 per cent of all lawyers in the country are male, with the average male lawyer having been in practice for slightly more than 22 years, compared to the average female lawyer’s 13 years.