Flicker, Kerin, Kruger & Bissada LLP
Michèle Bissada is the Senior Principal at Flicker, Kerin, Kruger & Bissada, located in the heart of Silicon Valley. She serves as a neutral throughout California. Ms. Bissada is a Certified Specialist in Family Law (CFLS), a Fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML), a past President of the AAML Northern California Chapter, a Fellow of the International Academy of Family Lawyers (IAFL), and a 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 helping clients resolve even the most difficult family law situations. Ms. Bissada assists parties with resolving their conflicts and reaching agreements, without the need for expensive, litigious court battles when possible. She has expertise in navigating parties through complex private equity cases, including venture capital, hedge fund and cases involving assets that are difficult to value. In addition, Ms. Bissada also has expertise in the most complex of custody issues, including children who resist or refuse to visit with one parent, gatekeeping issues, and relocation cases.
In 2025, Ms. Bissada ended litigation and expanded her mediation work, devoting her entire practice to neutral matters. Now, Ms. Bissada solely serves as a Mediator to assist parties in reaching creative settlements, and as a private settlement judge where she can be more directive, informing attorneys of the strengths and weaknesses in their client’s case. Ms. Bissada skillfully guides parties with confidence and sensitivity through the often-emotional mediation and settlement process. She brings these honed skills to her settlement judging and temporary all-purpose judging, which require sensitivity and fairness. As a Temporary All-Purpose Private Judge, Ms. Bissada uses her expertise in complex family law matters to efficiently manage cases and make effective decisions, so that parties can move forward quickly upon resolution of their case.
Ms. Bissada also strives to mentor other professionals and help strengthen the caliber of attorneys in the field of family law. For almost 20 years, Ms. Bissada has devoted time to educating other attorneys and professionals on the finer points of complex financial and custody issues in Family Law. In addition to mentoring attorneys as a Group Leader for the AAML Mentoring Program, Ms. Bissada also presents a few times a year at continuing education seminars across California and the nation. Past events include the AAML and AFCC seminars, bar association continuing education presentations, graduate school guest lectures, private company presentations, and large law firm continuing education presentations. To date, Ms. Bissada has presented at over 50 events.
Highly active in the legal community, Ms. Bissada is a member of several local, state and national bar associations. She Co-Chaired the AAML Northern California Trial Practicum in 2018, 2021, and 2024; and continues to serve as a presenter and a group leader for the program. Ms. Bissada is Co-Leader of the AAML Northern California Chapter Mentor Group for young family law attorneys. She currently serves on the AAML National Continuing Education Committee and the AAML National Family Law Conference Committee, and she will Co-Chair the AAML 2026 National Family Law Conference. Ms. Bissada is a member of the AAML Foundation Board and serves on several of the Board’s committees. Ms. Bissada was the 2023 President of the Northern California Chapter of the AAML. She was also the 2011 President of the San Mateo County Bar Association, where she was a board member for many years and served on numerous committees. Ms. Bissada continues to serve on legal committees and volunteers annually for the San Mateo County Bar Association High School Mock Trial Competition.
Ms. Bissada is rated as AV Preeminent by Martindale Hubbell, and was recognized as a Best Lawyers® by US News & World Report. Ms. Bissada earned the additional distinction of “Lawyer of the Year” in 2021, 2023, and 2024 for Family Law in San Jose by Best Lawyers®. Ms. Bissada has been named a Super Lawyers® by Thomson Reuters each year since 2006 and included in the Super Lawyers® Top 50 Women since 2019, in the Bay Area Top 100 Attorneys since 2020, and in the Top 10 Attorneys since 2021. In 2024, Ms. Bissada ranked #2 of the Top 100 attorneys in Northern California by Super Lawyers® and was also included on the Doyle’s list of Leading High Net Worth Family Lawyers in San Francisco and Leading Family, Matrimonial, Divorce Lawyers in San Francisco.
Professional Involvement
Ms. Bissada’s extensive and dedicated involvement with the legal community is an invaluable resource to her clients, as it provides access to resources, relationships and a nuanced knowledge of the local, legal landscape. Her involvement in the legal community includes membership to the State Bar of California, as well as the San Mateo County, Santa Clara County and San Francisco Bar Associations. Ms. Bissada served as the 2011 President of the San Mateo County Bar Association and as a Board Member of this 1,400 member organization from 2002 – 2012.
Ms. Bissada was a member and chair on a number of committees in the Bar Association, including: the Bench and Bar Committee, where she acted as a liaison between the County Judges and the lawyer members of the Bar to strengthen relationships with the judiciary and improve the legal practice in the County; the Finance Committee; the Membership Committee, where she worked to improve the benefits, services and professional training programs for members; as well as the Community Affairs Committee, where she worked to involve the public in Speaker events and inform service clubs, businesses, professional groups and schools in subjects relating to the law and administration of justice.
Ms. Bissada serves as the 2023 President of the Northern California Chapter of the AAML and has served on the AAML Northern California Chapter Board of Managers since 2020. She serves on several AAML National Committees and serves on the AAML National Foundation Grant Committee. Ms. Bissada is also a leader of the 2022-2024 AAML Northern California Chapter Peninsula Mentoring Group. Ms. Bissada served on the Board of Directors of the Legal Aid Society of San Mateo County and chaired the Board’s Development Committee from 2012 until March 2017. She was also a member of the Legal Aid “And Justice For All” Annual Awards Luncheon Committee from 2009 until 2017, including several years as Co-Chair. Ms. Bissada worked diligently to strengthen the relationship between the San Mateo County Bar Association and the Legal Aid Society of San Mateo County, ensuring that vital legal assistance and advocacy is available to numerous disadvantaged people in the community. Ms. Bissada also served on the Board of Directors for Overcoming Barriers until April 2016.
Ms. Bissada has been a member of Collaborative Practice San Mateo County since 2001, where she also serves on their Membership Committee. Staying actively involved in the Collaborative Practice enables Ms. Bissada to facilitate cooperation and mutual agreement between her clients and opposing parties.
Ms. Bissada served as Chair of the statewide Legislative Day Committee for the Conference of California Bar Associations (CCBA) until 2015. She previously served a 3-year Board term from 2010-2013 as Regional Director on the Board of Directors of the CCBA. She has also served the Board in assisting with their CCBA Legislative Day in Sacramento. From 2000 to 2017, Ms. Bissada also served as a Delegate to the CCBA, representing San Mateo County. In the past, she has served in the capacity of Chair and as Treasurer of the delegates representing San Mateo County on a statewide level where they critique, create and refine new and proposed legislation.
Ms. Bissada also served on the Board of Managers for the Peninsula Family YMCA from 1999 through 2007. In addition, Ms. Bissada was a member of the Chamber of Commerce Leadership Program — Class of 2002, where she further honed her leadership skills to effectively serve her practice and her community.
Education
JD, California Western School of Law, San Diego, 1994
BA, University of California, Davis, International Relations, 1989
BA, University of California, Davis, French, 1989
Awards
Ms. Bissada received the 2017 Friend of the Conference Award from the Conference of California Bar Associations (CCBA) in recognition of her tireless efforts on behalf of the organization while serving her term on the Board of Directors, as well as her continued volunteer work in assisting in the planning of the organization’s Annual Legislative Day in Sacramento. This Statewide Award was presented to Ms. Bissada at the organization’s annual conference in Sacrament in October 2017 in Sacramento.
Ms. Bissada received the 2010 Dorothy M. Wolfe Award in recognition of her extraordinary devotion and pro bono work with the Legal Aid Society; for aiding those who would not otherwise have access to vital legal services. Ms. Bissada brings the same tenacity to her practice. Ms. Bissada worked as an exemplary volunteer for the Domestic Violence Collaborative Pro Bono Project, through which she represented low-income victims of domestic violence, aiding them in their filings and making court appearances on their behalf.
In the past, Ms. Bissada worked with the Legal Aid Society of San Mateo County by mentoring and inspiring other attorneys to take pro bono cases through the project. She supports and trains her associate attorneys at Flicker, Kerin, Kruger & Bissada LLP to take on pro bono cases in the community.
Ms. Bissada has earned a number of other legal achievements throughout her career, including Best Lawyers® by US News & World Report and Super Lawyers® by Thomson Reuters, which she has earned for over 17 years. She has also earned the additional distinction of the Top 50 Women since 2012 and as Top 10 and Top 100 Attorneys for multiple consecutive years.
Community Involvement
After graduating from California Western School of Law in 1994, Ms. Bissada made a purposeful decision to move back to the Bay Area to start her family and career. This decision was motivated by a desire to make a contribution to the legal field in the community where she was raised. The driving force behind Ms. Bissada’s commitment to giving back to members of the community comes from her parent’s immigration to the Bay Area.
Speaking Engagements
Extracurricular Activities
In her spare time, Ms. Bissada’s interests include spending time with her family, strategic board games, traveling, learning to play golf, movies and international cultures.
MENLO PARK OFFICE
545 Middlefield Road, Suite 175,
Menlo Park, CA 94025
SAN RAMON OFFICE
3130 Crow Canyon Place
Suite 405 San Ramon, CA 94583
