What is Equivalency Assessment?
An Equivalency Assessment is the process that enables a person to apply to the New Zealand Society of Conveyancers (NZSoC) for an assessment to determine the extent to which the person’s qualifications, training, and experience are the equivalent of the specifications for the Diploma of Conveyancing.
If successful, then the applicant is eligible to register as a Conveyancer. The only other way in which a person can be registered as a Conveyancer is by successfully completing the Diploma of Conveyancing.
Why would I want to register as a Conveyancer?
If you are registered as a Conveyancer then you can apply for a Practising Certificate. Practising Certificates are issued in accordance with the Lawyers and Conveyancers Act 2006. If you are a registered Conveyancer with a Practising Certificate, then you are known as a Conveyancing Practitioner.
Conveyancing Practitioners are entitled to sign and certify within Landonline. Having the ability to sign and certify is beneficial to your law firm or conveyancing firm. Furthermore, should you wish to advance your career to the next level and establish your own business, then Conveyancing Practitioners may apply to the NZSoC for authority to practice on their own account (subject to certain criteria).
Am I eligible to apply for Equivalency Assessment?
You are eligible to apply for Equivalency Assessment if;
- You have a NZ Legal Executive qualification or Law degree and;
- You have at least 5 consecutive years of full-time conveyancing experience attained within NZ.
What is the process?
STEP 1:
To apply, you will need to collate an Experience Portfolio for the NZSoC Registrations Authority to assess. Your Experience Portfolio will comprise a series of examples (redacted where necessary) of documents and correspondence that you have provided to clients, which will demonstrate your conveyancing knowledge and experience. See our Experience Portfolio Guide (link below) for the prescribed samples required.
The role of the Registrations Authority is to determine whether an applicant’s knowledge and experience are equivalent to the specifications of the Diploma of Conveyancing. It should be noted that the Diploma of Conveyancing’s curriculum includes such matters as reporting on instruments registered on a record of title and advice provided to a client prior to an agreement becoming unconditional, as well as mortgage disclosure requirements.
STEP 2:
Create a user login for the NZSoC website and begin the online application process. Following receipt of your application, our administrator will be in contact with you to ensure that you have completed the relevant sections of the form correctly and supplied us with all the necessary supporting documentation, including statutory declaration, certified copies of your ID, and proof of address, references and Ministry of Justice criminal records check.
STEP 3
Once all supporting documentation has been supplied and is deemed satisfactory to the NZSoC, then we will send you an invoice for the applicable fees, being the registration fee plus the annual Practising Certificate fee (if applicable). See our fee schedule for more details.
Following receipt of this payment, the Registrations Authority will then commence its assessment of your application. Our target is to have all assessments completed within 3 weeks.
Please also note that if the Registrations Authority determines that there is an area of your Experience Portfolio that has not been adequately demonstrated, then you may be asked to submit further evidence.
What happens if my Equivalency Assessment is successful?
If your application is successful, you will be issued with an Equivalency Assessment Certificate, which will make you eligible to be registered as a Conveyancer and, if applicable, apply for a Practising Certificate.
What happens if my Equivalency Assessment is not successful?
Please note that the $1,500 Equivalency Assessment fee is non-refundable. The Registrations Authority expects you to provide a high standard of information and advice to your clients throughout the course of a conveyancing transaction. This is why applications are only accepted from those who have at least 5 consecutive years of full-time conveyancing experience.
If the Registrations Authority identifies any areas of your Experience Portfolio that have not been adequately demonstrated then you may be asked to submit further evidence.
If I have a Practising Certificate, can I still be registered as a Legal Executive?
Of course, whilst in the employ of a law firm, you may retain your legal executive status. The only restriction within the Lawyers and Conveyancers Act is that lawyers with a practising certificate may not also hold a Practising Certificate as a Conveyancing Practitioner at the same time.
Eventually I might like to set up my own conveyancing firm, how do I do this?
The first step is to obtain your Practising Certificate. In order to be eligible to apply to practice on your own account, there are certain other criteria that must be met before being granted this authority. Please see our qualifications page (link below) for further information.
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