Figures show that there are now 11,737 lawyers holding practising certificates in the country, compared to 11,511 in October 2011.
According to a report by Australasian Legal Business Online, 43.7 per cent of the lawyers are based in Auckland, while 22.4 per cent are in the capital Wellington. Lawyers practising outside of the country represented three per cent of the figure.
The report adds that among the 11,737 lawyers are 2,325 in-house counsel, 2015 partners, 1,095 sole practitioners and 1,392 barristers. Some 55.6 per cent of practising certificates were held by males.
The Law Society also noted rising client dissatisfaction with the legal profession, seeing a 21 per cent increase in formal complaints against law firms and 8 per cent rise in complaints against individual lawyers.