ANALYSIS: From clients using it to generate their own advice, to law firms seeking efficiency gains – opinions are split on how technology will affect the legal profession.
Main takeaway: New Zealand’s largest law firms have been busier than anticipated over the past 12 months, although headcounts have remained largely static since 2023.
Background: We surveyed and spoke to dozens of law firms and in-house legal teams to assess the size and the shape of the country’s legal sector, likely worth hundreds of millions of dollars each year.
Key players: Anderson Lloyd, Anthony Harper, Bell Gully, Buddle Findlay, Dentons, DLA Piper, Duncan Cotterill, Kennedys, Lane Neave, Meredith Connell, MinterEllisonRuddWatts, Russell McVeagh, Simpson Grierson, Wynn Williams, Fonterra, Air New Zealand, Kāinga Ora, IRD, Ministry of Justice, Crown Law, MBIE, Auckland Council, Commerce Commission, ILANZ, Juno, Jarrod Moyle.
In June, global legal technology giant Clio announced the US$1 billion acquisition of fellow legal tech company vLex.
It was billed as the largest legal tech deal in history, and would combine Clio’s legal operating system – used by more than 200,000 legal professionals – with vLex’s legal
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Key points
Main takeaway: New Zealand’s largest law firms have been busier than anticipated over the past 12 months, although headcounts have remained largely static since 2023.
Background: We surveyed and spoke to dozens of law firms and in-house legal teams to assess the size and the shape of the country’s legal sector, likely worth hundreds of millions of dollars each year.
Key players: Anderson Lloyd, Anthony Harper, Bell Gully, Buddle Findlay, Dentons, DLA Piper, Duncan Cotterill, Kennedys, Lane Neave, Meredith Connell, MinterEllisonRuddWatts, Russell McVeagh, Simpson Grierson, Wynn Williams, Fonterra, Air New Zealand, Kāinga Ora, IRD, Ministry of Justice, Crown Law, MBIE, Auckland Council, Commerce Commission, ILANZ, Juno, Jarrod Moyle.
