It is simple to register with us and doing so gives you access to the many features of our site and our services. Click here to begin.

Legal checklist

Providing as much relevant information on this form gives your independent legal practitioner a solid initial sense of your particular circumstances.

This information is only used to illustrate your legal ‘fitness’ and is a document shared between you and your legal advisor, if you choose. You can also complete it solely for your own needs.

It will not be shared with a third party and is not public. Your privacy is paramount.

Contacting your local lawyer

We provide a platform where you can easily locate and contact local reputable legal practitioners. This can be done in two ways.

Firstly – click here and consult our list of reputable lawyers. Find your local Real Law lawyer and then click on ‘Go to profile’. There you will find a description of their practice, a list of their services, reviews from clients, and easy to use contact details.

Secondly – if you prefer, you can go here, fill out a short form with your details, contact information, location, and the nature of your legal query and the Real Law advisor in your area will be in touch.

How to leave a review

Our site provides Kiwis with genuine, verified reviews to allow them to make informed decisions on which legal practitioner to engage with. Your feedback greatly assists others in making those decisions and it is simple to do and not time consuming at all.

To leave a review, click on the profile of the local lawyer you commissioned to work for you. Click on the blue ‘Leave Review’ button in the top left of their profile page. The review page will ask for your name and email address and you then choose your star rating and can leave a brief description of your experience.

If you are registered on our site, you must log in to leave a review. If you are a first time visitor and leave feedback, we will send you a verification email afterwards.

Add a lawyer to our site

No Real Law lawyer in your area? If you would like to recommend the practice of a legal practitioner for our site, email us here with all of the relevant details and we will take care of the rest.

Get the most from your lawyer!

  1. Love your lawyer! Well, maybe not, but at least like your lawyer. You are embarking on a personal relationship that may really be life changing. That is not an old cliché but the reality of the impact law and its application can and does have. Unless you are comfortable in the relationship with your lawyer neither of you will achieve the best result possible.

  2. Never used a lawyer before or new to town and want someone local? Check out the opinions of others before making your choice. Ideally ask more than one person. To get a broader perspective have a look at reviews. We stress reviews as our site only posts reviews from verified clentnts of the practice reviewed. That way the opinions and comments expressed are definitely based on the actual experiences of people like you. The good, the bad and the ugly will be exposed.

  3. Relax. A comfortable client is an efficient client. When you relax and chat with your lawyer you will be dropping gems that you don’t realise are important and valuable to the matter at hand. At the heart of this suggestion is to not anticipate what is relevant and what is not. It is the lawyer’s job to ascertain that. Law is multi-faceted and covers many aspects of life that interact and inter-connect. A good lawyer knows how to manage what is relevant and applicable.

  4. Ask for options. The complexity of law means that quite often there is more than one correct answer to any particular situation. Determining the path best suited to you is the goal of a good lawyer. One signal strategy to look for and that should be offered is the option to do nothing. Significantly, that is sometimes the most effective choice.

  5. Check out the impact of each option. Doing an imaginative “walk down that path” of each option is an essential part of many strategy discussions. Law is reactive and your actions always have an impact on someone else. Even as simple a thing like not making a will has an impact.

  6. Law is expensive, that is just a fact of life. Your lawyer earns their living from providing professional, educated and confidential advice that is, by and large, not available elsewhere. Put the topic on the table and discuss it. Often lawyers have a better idea than clients of what is affordable, realistic and manageable for both you and them. If you can’t afford a lawyer it is better for both if that is dealt with early on in the piece. Your lawyer may well have, or know of, alternatives that can be considered.

  7. Some lawyers do work without charging and this is often described as acting pro bono. This is an option for a lawyer. Worthy causes will typically find a lawyer willing to assist on this basis. You can ask but that is self-defeating as it is the lawyer’s choice. If your circumstances are such that legally qualified help is needed, most lawyers will find a way to provide it and know how to tap into community resources that may be able to assist.

  8. Get in early. No, this is not a recommendation to have the first appointment of the day but to get advice at the earliest time possible when a matter arises. Common things like buying or selling a house run smoother overall if you take advice at the outset. The sooner you raise a problem with your lawyer, the more options that will be available and in the normal course of events results in a lower legal bill at the end.

  9. Coming back? If your lawyer doesn’t take you seriously, doesn’t return phone calls, misses deadlines and generally doesn’t provide a service that makes you feel that things are under control and your matter is important, then vote with your feet and go somewhere else.

On the other side if you’ve been well treated, and you’re happy with the result, then let them know. Either way, leave a review. Not only are reviews valuable for other potential clients but also for the lawyer concerned. Apart from occasional thanks and minor gifts, lawyers receive little feedback from clients by way of public comment. Practicing law is a high stress occupation and that review helps humanise the service. Reviews, both good and bad, are an excellent way for lawyers to assess their performance, to keep on doing what clients see as valuable, important and relevant as distinct from what the lawyer believes is appropriate. Conversely, it points out areas to improve and that too is something we can all do, if we are aware of our failings, and are willing to listen.