Meet Melissa
California Divorce Mediator
While Melissa is a California-licensed attorney, she has elected to focus on providing neutral mediation services and one-on-one negotiation coaching. Holistic mediation allows Melissa to intertwine her passions for family law, spirituality, and finding collaborative solutions in challenging circumstances. While Melissa enjoyed being a family law litigator for about a decade, she truly believes in the transformative power of mediation, and knows most people and families will find benefits in mediation that litigation just cannot provide. In mediation, Melissa is best able to serve parties seeking amicable resolution in their divorce and custody cases who are not looking to create unnecessary conflict or expense.
For people who value equity, collaboration, and respect, they will prefer mediation with Melissa over traditional litigation. These parties are willing to make some compromise to preserve peace; they understand that family law conflict can be highly traumatic for children, and will prioritize keeping trauma and conflict to a minimum. Melissa’s extensive family law experience makes her well-suited for cases with parties who take accountability for their role in the divorce and are seeking clear solutions and well-defined obligations in any written agreement produced through the mediation process.
Melissa is a distinguished divorce attorney based in California who was captivated by family law due to the intricate psychological, emotional, and financial dynamics it encompasses. Her dedication to her clients is evident in her unwavering commitment to their cases, particularly those involving divorce and high-conflict custody disputes. Throughout her legal career, Melissa has demonstrated an exceptional ability to guide clients through every phase of the marital dissolution process including mediation, pre-trial litigation, settlement discussions, mediation, evidentiary hearings, and long-cause trials.
Professional Background
Melissa received her Bachelor of Arts Degree from University of California at Berkeley as a Rhetoric major. Later, she obtained her Juris Doctorate from Santa Clara University School of Law. Melissa received her license to practice law in California in 2014 and she has practiced family law ever since. Melissa received a completion certificate for Family & Divorce Mediation Training with the Mosten Guthrie Academy in September 2020.
Melissa is an active member of the following organizations: Southern California Mediation Association (SCMA); Association of Attorney-Mediators (AAM); Academy of Professional Family Mediators (APFM); and American Bar Association Alternative Dispute Resolution Section (ABA-ADR). Melissa serves as a volunteer mediator for the California Superior Court with the Groundswell non-profit organization. In her free time, Melissa is the host of the High Vibe Divorce podcast and enjoys going to the beach in Orange County and spending quality time with her feline friends.