Why I built LawMate ANZ

I'm Reuben Rewha, the founder of LawMate ANZ. I moved from Perth to Christchurch in late 2023 and worked in security across hospitality, conferences and events, and high-end retail. That work taught me how well-run businesses operate, and how much trust, discretion and clear communication matter to people.

Why the legal world

I chose to build in the legal world because of my mum, who has been my biggest inspiration to get into it.

The more I looked at it, the clearer one problem became: finding a lawyer is often the hardest part of getting legal help. You have to work out which kind of lawyer you need, whether they're qualified, roughly what they'll cost, and whether they'll actually get back to you. Many people give up before they've even made the first call.

What LawMate does

LawMate lets you describe your problem in your own words. We suggest the right area of law, show verified lawyers near you, and match you with an available one. It's free for clients, always.

Every lawyer's practising certificate is checked against the official register before they're listed. Clients in a region are matched with lawyers in that region first. And if you just have a question, you can ask it anonymously on LawMate Answers, where verified lawyers answer under their own names.

Lawyers pay a flat monthly fee, never a percentage of their fees. That means LawMate has no reason to steer anyone towards a bigger case or a more expensive lawyer.

An independent New Zealand business

LawMate is a small, independent New Zealand business, run by LawMate Limited in Christchurch. I'm personally involved in every part of it, and I care about getting the details right: every lawyer is checked before they're listed, and every question is reviewed before it's published.

Where we're starting

We're starting in Christchurch and Perth, and growing city by city. Right now we're welcoming our first lawyers. If you're a lawyer, or you work at a community law centre, and you'd like to talk, I'd love to hear from you at lawmatenz@gmail.com.