POLINA KOZLOVA
Director — Wills, Trusts, Estates and Relationship Property Law.
Ten years in one area of law.
Most people come to Polina at a threshold moment: marrying, separating, sorting an estate, planning for what happens if they lose capacity or pass away. Those decisions are easier to get right, and easier to live with, when the person advising you only does this work.
Polina founded the firm in 2024 after practicing for eight years exclusively in private client and relationship property law. She specialises in estate planning, elder law, prenuptial agreements and division of assets. A big part of Polina's practice involves assisting clients who have cross border connections with their wills and prenuptial agreements.
Email Polina: polina.kozlova@pklaw.nz
ABOUT
Polina's interest in trust law was ignited during her law degree: a trust law course followed immediately by the STEP Diploma in Trusts and Estates. Early mentorship from her first principal deepened that foundation, and she has been building on it ever since.
Specialising both trust law and relationship property, a combination that matters more than most clients realise, both when structuring a prenuptial agreement and when a relationship ends. Polina's expertise in both areas means clients receive complete advice.
Not one for small talk, Polina engages with each client's matter, large or small, as if it were the most important on her list. Polina's advice is direct and her commercial judgment is sound.
"Specialising in both trust law and relationship property is a combination that matters"
Both when structuring a prenuptial agreement involving trust structures and when dealing with division of assets when a relationship ends. The trust structure is directly relevant to getting it right.
"Polina engages with each client's matter as if it were the most important on her list."
PRACTICE FOCUS
A specialist practice
At pk law, we do not handle conveyancing, commercial contracts, immigration, or litigation.
We focus exclusively on estate planning, trusts and relationship property,
Relationship Property / Cross-Border Prenups
Contracting out agreements (prenuptial and postnuptial), separation and settlement agreements, advice on the Property (Relationships) Act 1976. Polina advises on prenuptial agreements which involve assets held across jurisdictions.
Estate Planning
Wills, Enduring Powers of Attorney (property and welfare), trust establishment, and advice on how different estate structures interact.
Probate and Letters of Administration
Advice on complex grants of probate and letters of administration. We help executors and administrators understand the process, prepare the application, and navigate any complications.
Elder Law and Mental Capacity
Enduring Powers of Attorney activation, PPPR Act applications, advice on issues around retirement village agreements, attorney obligations, and elder financial abuse matters.
Family Trusts
Trust establishment, deed drafting, trust administration advice, and trust review for clients whose circumstances have changed.
Cross-Border Estate Planning
Matters involving assets or beneficiaries in multiple jurisdictions. Polina holds a specialist qualification in cross-border estate planning.
WORKING WITH POLINA
Polina works with individuals and families across all aspects of family succession planning and dispute resolution. She treats every matter, whether straightforward or complex, with the same level of care and diligence.
Polina is a member of the Aotearoa Divorce and Separation Institute (ADSI). She actively recommends divorce coaching to clients navigating separation. Working with a coach alongside legal advice supports clearer thinking, reduces conflict, and leads to better outcomes.
Polina is a mother of two, and she knows that how a separation is handled matters long after the agreement is signed. Where there are children, she works to reach a settlement that leaves parents able to deal with each other afterwards. Understanding what drives people through this period is also what makes her effective in demanding negotiations: she reads what is really at stake, keeps the temperature down where that serves her client, and holds a firm line where it does not.
QUALIFICATIONS & MEMBERSHIPS
Credentials
Qualifications
LLB, AUT University
STEP Advanced Diploma in Trusts and Estates (2017)
STEP Advanced Certificate in Cross-Border Estates (Merit, 2022)
NZ Advanced Certificates in Trust Creation, Trust Administration, Administration of Estates and Trust Accounting (2017
Published in NZ Law Journal and International STEP Journal
Memberships
Full member of STEP since 2021 (holds TEP designation)
Auckland Women Lawyers' Association
Trust Law Committee, ADLS (2022–2024)
Aotearoa Divorce and Separation Institute (ADSI)
About STEP: The Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners is the leading global professional body for trust and estate practitioners. Full membership requires passing rigorous professional examinations. The Advanced Diploma is the highest qualification STEP awards.
