The chief executive of a legal firm who stepped down after an internal investigation into his qualifications has admitted he does not have a law degree as claimed.

Michael Vukcevic left Auckland firm Baldwins, which specialises in intellectual property law, for "personal reasons" in November.

A Herald investigation revealed that Mr Vukcevic does not have a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) as stated on the curriculum vitae he submitted for the job two years earlier.

This afternoon he released a statement which confirmed he does not hold a LLB "from any University in New Zealand and have never worked in a legal role."

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"I did complete some papers towards a law degree at Victoria University but never completed the degree. I completed a Bachelor of Arts.

"I did not seek to mislead Baldwins in my CV for the role. My appointment as chief executive officer of Baldwins did not involve legal work and Baldwins did not hold me out as a qualified lawyer or patent attorney on their website.

"Equally, I have never been held out as a lawyer in any website profile with the Middle East Business Council, any previous roles or on my LinkedIn profile or any business card."

Mr Vukcevic said he would make no further comment on his private employment matters.

The statement does not explain how or why his CV submitted to a recruitment company states he obtained the law degree.