The Australasian Legal Practice Management Association (ALPMA) has published the results of our extensive 2025 New Zealand Legal Industry HR Issues and Salary Survey. Shedding light on HR challenges, remuneration trends, and employment insights within New Zealand’s legal sector. With data from over 4,200 staff across 151 legal offices, this report serves as the most comprehensive benchmark for legal industry HR practices nationwide.
Key findings from the latest independent salary research of the New Zealand legal industry
In 2025, salary movements within New Zealand’s legal sector reflected cautious adjustments amid economic uncertainties and competitive labour market conditions.
Salary Trends: Wage growth in the legal sector averaged 2.0%, significantly lower than the national average of 3.3%. Salaries for Legal Executives and Law Clerks saw remarkable increases of 6% and 9% respectively, while non-partner lawyer salaries recorded only modest growth of 0.5%. Notably, Managing Partner salaries declined by 24%, while Equity Partner salaries surged by 14%.
Workforce Dynamics: Fee earners now comprise half of all legal staff, with the ratio of fee earners to support staff rising to 2.01 from 1.92 the previous year, reflecting a stronger focus on productivity. Employment structures predominantly favor permanent full-time roles, with 73% of staff in these positions.
Recruitment Challenges: While recruitment in the legal sector improved, with 71% of firms successfully hiring talent, 59% still expressed concerns about ongoing recruitment difficulties. Large firms had the highest success rates (90%) but also reported facing greater challenges than others.
Gender Representation Milestone: Women now occupy 56% of salaried partner roles, marking a significant milestone in gender diversity within senior leadership positions.
Employment Growth Outlook: Over half of surveyed law firms (55%) plan to expand their workforce in 2025, with the largest growth anticipated in Christchurch and the South Island.
Retention Priorities: Employee retention remains the top HR challenge for 95% of law firms, underscoring the competitive battle for skilled professionals. Flexible working arrangements and structured career development paths were emphasized as essential strategies.
Increased Headcount
Decreased Headcount
Recruitment harder than last year
Concerned about Recruitment
Results from the 2025 ALPMA New Zealand Legal Industry HR Issues & Salary Survey.
ALPMA CEO Emma Elliott highlighted the importance of this research to New Zealand law firms: “Our annual HR Issues & Salary Survey research provides crucial insights that empower law firms to navigate evolving market conditions with confidence. By allowing firms to consider the salaries they are offering employees based on actual market data, this report is an invaluable tool for staying competitive in a candidate-short market.”
About the Legal Industry HR Issues & Salary Survey
The 2025 ALPMA/Fluid Legal Recruitment New Zealand HR Issues & Salary Survey report is the most comprehensive, independent report on salaries for all roles at New Zealand law firms. This is the tenth year the research has been conducted in New Zealand.
Over 150 law offices from across New Zealand provided comprehensive information about salaries, benefits and bonuses they pay for lawyers, management and administrative staff. The report uses actual salaries paid to employees to describe the ‘typical’ salary for more than 60 roles at law firms. Salaries for each role are also broken down by size of firm and by location, allowing companies to benchmark their remuneration strategy for each role with similar firms.
The report also offers insight into the critical HR issues and challenges facing law firms, as well as anticipated salary movements, recruitment plans and staff employment arrangements. Since 2019, the survey the survey has been extended to include questions about staff gender by roles and gender pay gap perceptions.
The ALPMA HR Issues & Salary Survey reports are provided free of charge to all participating firms. Non-participating firms can purchase a copy of the New Zealand report online for NZD2,200 (or NZD550 for ALPMA members and Fluid Legal Recruitment clients).
The research is conducted for ALPMA by Survey Matters, an independent research consultancy, to the highest standards.
Find out more: www.alpma.com.au/salary-survey
About ALPMA
The Australasian Legal Practice Management Association (ALPMA) is the peak body representing managers and leaders working within law firms, legal departments or government agencies. ALPMA provides an authoritative voice on issues relevant to legal practice management across the industry. Members of ALPMA provide professional management services to legal practices (et al) in areas of financial management, strategic management, technology, human resources, facilities and operational management, marketing and information services and technology.
ALPMA’s learning and development framework includes pillars covering finance, operations, information technology, human resources, knowledge management, business development, marketing, project management to name just a few. Content planned for members in 2024 will include topical challenges facing the industry today including legal technology, cyber security, anti-money laundering, regulatory updates, ESG and sustainability.
In FY2023 ALPMA delivered 124 events, including the flagship three-day ALPMA Summit, ALPMA Awards, the 5th Regional Law Firm Management Forum held in Singapore, a one-day HR Workshop, 39 webinars, 18 local events, 20 practice management breakfasts, various networking events and workshops, and 12 Mental Health First Aid Training Courses.
ALPMA also produces benchmarking reports for members including the various Salary Surveys conducted across Australia, New Zealand and for the Intellectual Property & Trademark sector, Financial Performance Benchmarking surveys (AU and NZ), annual Changing Legal Landscape report, Cyber Security report and our first State of Sustainability Priorities in the Legal Industry report.
ALPMA has around 3,000 members which includes individuals and corporate subscribers (law firms, legal departments and government agencies) across Australia, New Zealand and various other countries.
For more information about ALPMA, visit www.alpma.com.au
Stay up to date by following ALPMA on LinkedIn.
Media Contact
Emma Elliott
Chief Executive Officer
Australasian Legal Practice Management Association
M 0402 471 659
E e.elliott@alpma.com.au
W www.alpma.com.au
About Legal Fluid Recruitment
Looking for a role within the Legal sector? At Fluid Recruitment we work with top tier law firms as well as mid-sized and boutique Practices throughout New Zealand both in the main centres and the wider regions. We also work legal opportunities in-house and within the Government sector.
Fluid Legal is a specialist division of Fluid Recruitment New Zealand Ltd. We recruit nationwide, solely in the legal industry. If you are considering a change, or want to chat confidentially about your options, please get in touch.
Our legal division has one of the largest and most up-to-date databases in the country. We enjoy close relationships with partners throughout New Zealand, from top-tier and mid-tier to small regional practices. We take a consultative approach to recruitment and we will never sell a role that we don’t believe is a great fit. Our consultants are superbly placed to give candidates an accurate and honest appraisal of the market conditions, tailoring a strategy to give individuals the best possible chance at landing their dream role.
Our point of difference – Fluid Legal is a tight-knit specialist team with access to the resources of an established wider agency. You get the personable service of an industry expert while also having piece of mind that you are dealing with a market-leading and highly reputable recruitment firm.
Visit: https://www.fluidrecruitment.co.nz/
Phone: 03 467 7220
Email: Jobs@fluidrecruitment.co.nz
