Selina Trigg

At the age of 6, Selina’s life ambitions were to leave school at 15 to work on the cosmetics counter at her local mall and then go on to win Miss New Zealand. She achieved neither because, while she loves pretty and shiny things, it soon became apparent Selina was a geek at heart and the law beckoned. 

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​After a brief foray at a large commercial law firm, Selina found the ideal fit for her technical and interpersonal skills in family law.

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As a child of divorced parents, a step-child, a step-mother and mother, Selina understands the importance, and the challenges, of achieving an amicable separation and co-parenting after separation. She is committed to helping families move through their difficult times without the Family Court’s intervention. This commitment led her to seek out specialist training as a mediator and a Collaborative Law professional. She regularly attends international education events to ensure her knowledge and skills are at the leading edge of resolution practice.

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Selina has been voted by her peers in Doyles 2024 Guide as a Leading Family Lawyer. In 2024, she was also named by NZ Lawyer as one of the country's Most Influential Lawyers in the "Changemaker" category for her extensive work in the area of Collaborative Process.

With over 25 years’ experience as a family lawyer, Selina has practiced in all areas of family law but these days, her main interests are:​

• Helping families respectfully resolve their legal issues as they transition to a new chapter in their family’s life

• Helping with the legal issues surrounding forming your family through adoption, surrogacy or assisted reproduction.

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Selina is a member of the Institute of Directors and the Institute of Community Directors Australia and has served in governance roles for not-for-profit organisations. She is a past Chair of Collaborative Resolution NZ. She is currently serving on the Board of Directors of the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals (IACP), the first New Zealander to be appointed to this role. She is currently IACP's President making her only the second person outside North America to hold this position. 

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Selina is also active in law reform work. Most recently, she was part of a working group that prepared the NZ Law Society's submissions to the Law Commission in its review of surrogacy law and she presented the NZ Law Society's submission on surrogacy law reform to Parliament's Health Committee. In 2022, she was named a recipient of a Borrin Foundation travel & learning award  that enabled her to attend the International Surrogacy Forum in Denmark and further her work in surrogacy law reform. Currently, she serves as a member of the NZ Law Society's Family Law Section Advisory Panel which works on submissions to Parliament about proposed legislation and is actively involved in the Law Society's ongoing submissions on surrogacy law reform.​

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An engaging and creative speaker and educator, Selina regularly presents seminars, conference workshops and trainings for lawyers here and overseas.

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​Away from work, Selina is found either getting fresh air outdoors, spending time deep in paint charts as she embarks on a monster renovation or in her kitchen, cooking for her own "modern family".