How we score New Zealand law firms

What the score is

Every law firm in this guide is scored the same way, from one source: what the firm publishes on its own website, last checked 18 October 2026. We count facts. We do not rate the quality of advice, outcomes or service, and a firm may offer something it does not mention online.

How the points add up

• Practice areas listed — one point for each of these 19 practice areas the website lists: Property & conveyancing, Wills & estates, Trusts & asset protection, Relationship property, Family law, Employment law, Business & commercial, Company & commercial disputes, Litigation & dispute resolution, Building & construction, Insolvency & debt recovery, Criminal law, Immigration, Resource management & planning, Rural & farming, Leases (commercial), Elder law & EPAs, Intellectual property, Māori land & Treaty.
• Names its lawyers — the website names its lawyers on a team or people page.
• Book online — the website has an online booking calendar, not just a contact form.
• Offices beyond Hamilton — the firm lists at least one office outside Hamilton.
• Handles disputes in 3+ areas — the firm lists at least three of the four dispute areas: commercial disputes, litigation, building and construction, insolvency and debt recovery.
• Urgent help offered — the website offers urgent or after-hours help.
• Publishes its fees — the website shows at least one dollar fee or fixed price.
• Free first meeting — the website offers a free first meeting or consultation.

Firms are ordered by total points, then by the number of practice areas listed, then alphabetically. On pages for a particular need (for example family law or disputes), firms are first ordered by how many of that need's practice areas they list, so a firm that focuses on that work comes before one that only mentions it, and then by total points. A firm with no website we could find, or whose website we have not yet been able to read, is not scored or ranked: it appears in a separate, alphabetical “Not yet reviewed” list until we can check it. Every firm page shows the date it was last checked.

What the badges mean

Each badge is one of the facts above, and you can check it on the firm's website. Widest range of practice areas goes to the firm or firms listing the most practice areas in this guide (ties share it).

What we don't do

• No firm pays to be listed, ordered or badged, and there are no featured or sponsored listings.
• Contact, website and booking links go straight to the firm.
• Nothing is guessed: if a firm's website doesn't say it, it isn't counted.

This guide was created by Backroom Ops, founded in Hamilton. The criteria above are applied identically to every firm, the source pages for each listing are linked on its page, and any firm can ask for a correction by emailing hello@backroomops.co.nz with a link to the page on its website that shows the change.