Female lawyers now in the majority

The Law Society says that of 13,103 lawyers currently practising in New Zealand, 6553 are women and 6550 are men. Picture / Getty Images

Women now outnumber men in the legal profession

Although women have long made up the majority of law graduates, this is the first time that they have dominated the ranks of practising solicitors and barristers.

The Law Society says that of 13,103 lawyers currently practising in New Zealand, 6553 are women and 6550 are men.

"I've been waiting with bated breath for a couple of years. I'm thrilled that we're here," said Law Society president Kathryn Beck.

"I don't think the lack of the 50/50 parity was holding things back, but we all knew that we needed to be doing better than we were. Milestones like this serve to remind us and refresh our commitment to change – I really feel like we are gaining some momentum; we need to make sure we keep it going," Beck said.

The profession will soon introduce a voluntary gender equality charter that aims to try ensure women have the same opportunities as men to reach senior legal positions.

As it stands, men still make up the majority of lawyers appointed Queen's Counsel.

Thirteen lawyers were made QCs last year but only three women - Suzanne Robertson, Rachael Reed and Jennifer Cooper - were among their ranks.

In 2016 eight of the 12 new QCs were male, which was an improvement on 2013 when four out of 26 practitioners were made Queen's Counsel and in 2014 when the ratio was four women out of 14 QCs.