Overseas Qualifications
If you are an overseas practitioner (i.e. someone admitted as a barrister, solicitor, advocate or attorney of a superior court) or an overseas graduate (holding a legal qualification, but who is not admitted to practice as a barrister, solicitor, advocate or attorney of a superior court), you will need to apply to the New Zealand Council of Legal Education to have your qualifications assessed before applying for admission. The Council’s Information brochure, Assessment of Overseas Law Qualifications, is available from the NZCLE website at www.nzcle.org.nz under Overseas Qualifications.
After its assessments of your qualifications, the Council may require you to undertake further university study, the New Zealand Law and Practice Examination, or a Professional Legal Studies Course. You may also be required to undertake an International English Language Test.
Once you have completed the NZCLE requirements, you follow the same process as New Zealand qualified applicants for admission, by applying to:
The New Zealand Council of Legal Education for a Certificate of Completion; and
The New Zealand Law Society for a Certificate of Character; and
The High Court of New Zealand for admission