Michele Marie Bissada
I use my 30 years of complex family law expertise to craft creative settlements.
Michèle Bissada is a Principal at Flicker, Kerin, Kruger & Bissada, in Silicon Valley and serves as a neutral throughout California. She is a Certified Specialist in Family Law (CFLS), Fellow of both the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML) and International Academy of Family Lawyers (IAFL), and member of the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts (AFCC).
With over 30 years of experience, Ms. Bissada is a seasoned mediator with a prominent litigation background. She specializes in both complex financial and high-conflict custody matters. Highly committed to her practice, she has achieved notable success assisting parties in resolving the most difficult family law cases. Ms. Bissada has expertise in navigating complex private equity cases, including venture capital and assets that are difficult to value, as well as intricate custody issues involving resist/refuse, gatekeeping, and relocation.
Ms. Bissada devotes her practice to neutral matters, serving as a mediator, private settlement judge, and temporary all-purpose private judge. She skillfully guides parties with confidence and sensitivity through the emotional dissolution process, assisting them in reaching creative settlements. As a temporary all-purpose private judge, she effectively manages cases, making sound and reasoned decisions.
Ms. Bissada is rated as AV Preeminent by Martindale Hubbell, is recognized as a Best Lawyers by US News & World Report, and earned the distinction of “Lawyer of the Year” in 2021, 2023, and 2024 for Family Law in San Jose. Ms. Bissada has been named a Super Lawyers by Thomson Reuters each year since 2006, named in Super Lawyers Top 50 Women since 2019, in Bay Area Top 100 Attorneys since 2020, and in Top 10 Attorneys since 2021. In 2024, Ms. Bissada ranked #2 of the Top 100 attorneys in Northern California by Super Lawyers and was listed on both Doyle’s Leading High Net Worth Family Lawyers and Leading Family, Matrimonial, Divorce Lawyers in San Francisco.
- Arbitration & Mediation
- Family - Arbitration/Mediation
- Family Law
- Child Custody, Child Support, Paternity, Prenups & Marital Agreements, Same Sex Family Law
- Divorce
- Collaborative Law, Contested Divorce, Property Division, Same Sex Divorce, Spousal Support & Alimony, Uncontested Divorce
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Free Consultation
If parties or attorneys representing parties would like a 15-30 minute consultation to inquire about my services, I am happy to provide a Zoom video consultation at no charge for 15-30 minutes to answer questions about my practice and my availability to handle mediation cases, settlement judging cases, and all-purpose judging cases. Free consultations are not for me to answer substantive questions about a particular case. As I am only handling neutral cases, both parties or both attorneys must be included in the consultation. If interested in a consultation, please contact my paralegal Laura Chambers-Green at Laura Chambers-Green lchambersgreen@fkkblaw.com or at (650) 289-1400. Thank you. - Credit Cards Accepted
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Rates, Retainers and Additional Information
My neutral services as a mediator, settlement judge, or temporary all-purpose private judge are available for all types of family law matters. Parties will be asked to provide a retainer deposit prior to the start of work on their matter and to replenish the retainer as needed throughout the case. Unless otherwise agreed between the parties, my office will bill each party for one-half the fees for services provided by this office. The 2025 fee rates for services are $800 per hour for my services and $260 per hour for paralegal services. Thank you.
- California
- State Bar of California
- ID Number: 173964
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- English: Spoken, Written
- French: Spoken, Written
- Senior Principal
- Flicker, Kerin, Kruger & Bissada LLP
- - Current
- Senior Partner
- Flicker, Kerin, Krger & Bissada LLP
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- Partner
- Flicker, Kerin, Kruger & Bissada LLP
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- Associate Attorney
- Flicker, Kerin, Krger & Bissada LLP
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- Univ of California Davis
- Undergraduate Degree
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- California Western School of Law
- Law Degree
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- American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers Foundation
- Board Member
- - Current
- Activities: Board Member Financie Committee Member
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- Internatonal Academy of Family Laweyers (IAFL)
- Member
- - Current
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- American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML) - National
- Fellow
- - Current
- Activities: Member of the following committees: 2025 National Education Committee 2025 National Family Law Conference Committee 2026 Co-Chair National Family Law Conference
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- AAML Northern California Chapter
- Fellow; Past President; Past board Member; Committee Member
- - Current
- Activities: 2023 NorCal Chapter President 2019-2024 NorCal Board Member 2025 Chapter Fellows Retreat Committee 2025 Chapter Nominating Committee 2023 - Present Website Committee 2023 - Present By-laws Committee 2022 - Present Mentorship Group Co-Leader 2017 - 2024 Co-Chair Trial Practicum Program 2015 Co-Chair AAML Symposium Conference
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- Association of Family and Conciliation Courts (AFCC)
- Member
- - Current
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- Collaborative Practice San Mateo County
- Member
- - Current
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- California State Bar # 173964
- Member
- - Current
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- San Mateo County Bar Association
- Member; Past President; Past Board Member; Committee Member
- - Current
- Activities: 2011 SMCBA President 2002 - 2012 SMCBA Board Member 2025 Nominations Committee 2014 - Present SMCBA High School Mock Trial Competition - Scorer 2010 Chair Bench and Bar Committee 2002 - 2012 Committee Member of the following committees: Finance Committee Membership Committee Community Affairs Committee
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- Family Law in San Mateo
- California State Bar
- Website
- Flicker, Kerin, Kruger & Bissada LLP
