Our Team

Flicker, Kerin, Kruger & Bissada LLP

Marisa C. San Filippo

Marisa C. San Filippo

Partner

Marisa C. San Filippo is a Certified Family Law Specialist (certified by the CA State Bar Board of Legal Specialization), a fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML), and a partner at Flicker, Kerin, Kruger & Bissada LLP.  Ms. San Filippo has dedicated her entire career to family law, and handles a wide variety of cases, including high conflict child custody cases and complex high-asset financial matters.  Ms. San Filippo brings her tenacity and compassion to each matter, handling cases involving dissolution, legal separation, property characterization and division, child custody and visitation, pre-marital agreements, child and spousal support (initial orders and post-judgment modifications), and paternity matters. Ms. San Filippo’s areas of expertise focus on complicated financial issues, including cases involving valuation of business and partnership interests, goodwill, and equity compensation.  Ms. San Filippo has experience in cases involving startups, venture capital, and real estate development. Ms. San Filippo is also a highly experienced custody attorney, with a background in issues including gatekeeping, resist-refuse dynamic, relocations/move-aways, substance abuse, special needs, and conflicted co-parenting relationships.  Ms. San Filippo has extensive experience drafting and negotiating intricate pre-marital and post-marital agreements. In addition to her litigation practice, Ms. San Filippo enjoys supporting clients through mediation as a consulting attorney.

Prior to joining Flicker, Kerin, Kruger & Bissada LLP, Ms. San Filippo spent the summers after her first and second years of law school with the firm as a law clerk.  Upon graduation, she joined Flicker, Kerin Kruger & Bissada as an associate and became a partner with the firm in 2016.

Ms. San Filippo was born and raised on the Peninsula, where she currently resides, and strives to support the legacy of community service instilled in her by her parents.  She serves on the Board of Sigma 1916, the housing corporation associated with her college sorority.  She has also volunteered her time supporting events for the Sequoia Hospital Foundation in honor of her late father and now serves on the Foundation’s Board of Directors.

Professional Involvement

Ms. San Filippo is a member of the State Bar of California, as well as the San Mateo County and the Santa Clara County Bar Associations.  She is also a member of the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts, an international association of professionals in the family court arena dedicated to the resolution of family conflict.

Ms. San Filippo serves as a volunteer settlement attorney in Santa Clara County, presiding over family law settlement conferences on behalf of the court.  Ms. San Filippo also volunteers in San Mateo County assisting self-represented litigants with status conferences in an effort to bring their cases to a speedy conclusion. Ms. San Filippo has volunteered her time handling pro bono cases through the Legal Aid Society’s Domestic Violence Collaborative.

Ms. San Filippo was the co-chair of the San Mateo County Bar Association’s Family Law Section in 2017 and served as the Family Law Section Chair in 2018.

Ms. San Filippo has presented on legal updates in the areas of custody and domestic violence to the Santa Clara County Psychological Association for the past several years.

Ms. San Filippo was educated at top Bay Area universities.  She earned her J.D., cum laude, from the University of San Francisco School of Law in May 2008. She also graduated as a member of the McAuliffe Honor Society. While in law school, Ms. San Filippo was a member of the University of San Francisco Law Review and published her comment in the fall of 2007. She received a CALI Award for Excellence in Family Law in spring 2007 and an award for Best Brief for Moot Court in spring 2006.

Ms. San Filippo earned her B.A. in History from the University of California, Berkeley with high honors.

Awards and Distinctions

Ms. San Filippo’s work and experience is highly regarded by both clients and peers.  During her nearly 15 years of legal practice, Ms. San Filippo has earned a number of distinctions.  Ms. San Filippo was named a Super Lawyers® Northern California Rising Star each year between 2015 and 2018.  In 2019, Ms. San Filippo earned the Super Lawyer® achievement and has been selected each year thereafter.  Super Lawyers® evaluates attorneys based on twelve factors including peer recognition, professional achievements and community service. For Rising Stars, they select the top 2.5% of attorneys under 40 or in practice for less than 10 years.  The Super Lawyer® distinction is reserved for the top 5% of attorneys in Northern California.

In 2020, Ms. San Filippo earned an AV Preeminent® rating from Martindale.com based on outstanding peer review ratings.  She continues to maintain this rating today.  Attorneys are evaluated by their peers based on six factors: legal knowledge, analytical capabilities, judgment, communication ability, legal experience and ethical standards.  Martindale has recognized the most distinguished attorneys since the 1800s and reserves the AV Preeminent® rating for those who are rank by their peers at the highest level of professional excellence (approximately 10% of attorneys).

Ms. San Filippo has received the 10 Best Female Family Law Attorney award by the American Institute of Family Law Attorneys each year since 2016 and is a member of Lawyers of Distinction.

Education

Ms. San Filippo was educated at top Bay Area universities.  She earned her J.D., cum laude, from the University of San Francisco School of Law in May 2008. She also graduated as a member of the McAuliffe Honor Society. While in law school, Ms. San Filippo was a member of the University of San Francisco Law Review and published her comment in the fall of 2007. She received a CALI Award for Excellence in Family Law in spring 2007 and an award for Best Brief for Moot Court in spring 2006.

Ms. San Filippo earned her B.A. in History from the University of California, Berkeley with high honors.

Community Involvement

Ms. San Filippo was born and raised on the Peninsula, where she currently resides, and strives to support the legacy of community service instilled in her by her parents. She is Board Member of the Sequoia Hospital Foundation and enjoys volunteering her time to support the Foundation, and Sequoia Hospital, in honor of her late father who was a longtime Board member. Ms. San Filippo also serves on the Board of Sigma 1916, the housing corporation associated with her college sorority, and actively participated in the corporation’s restructuring after the separation of the chapter from its international organization.

Ms. San Filippo enjoys spending time with her husband, two children, and their extended family.