Christine P. Hissong - Lawyer in Fairfax, VA

Christine Hissong takes exceptional care to give her clients individualized and specialized service in handling issues involving their children, child support, spousal support, and property. Her focus is on obtaining the best possible outcome for her clients. Christine is trained in Collaborative Law, and she has been certified by the Virginia Judicial Council as a Circuit Court Family Mediator and a Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court Mediator. Christine has the knowledge, training, and highly refined skills to help her clients decide the right process in which to address their conflict and to provide her clients with complete and competent representation in that process.

Collaborative Law is a dispute resolution model that gives parties an opportunity to resolve their conflict outside of Court, to keep their private matters private, to be creative in crafting a resolution that uniquely fits their situation, and to maintain control and self-determination. Christine represents her clients in the Collaborative Process, guiding them through the process and protecting their interests, while working as a team with her client and the other party and professionals to reach a forward-focused resolution, designed to provide the best opportunity for the parties and their families to have a positive future.

When serving as a neutral Mediator, Christine facilitates parties identification of issues, discussion, generation of options, and reaching resolution, and once the parties reach resolution, Christine also drafts a Mediated Agreement, memorializing the parties agreement.

Christine regularly advocates for clients outside of a formal process as well, working closely with her clients in creating settlement proposals and in artfully negotiating settlements on their behalf.

There are times when a client may determine that the best option for them is to engage the Court in resolving their conflict. Christine is a confident and accomplished litigator who provides her clients with the support they need, while asserting theirs rights and interests before the Court.

Affiliations

Christine is a member of the Virginia State Bar, including the Family Law Section. She is a member of the Fairfax Bar Association and is co-chair of the Alternative Dispute Resolution Section. Christine is also the Director of the Fairfax Chapter of the National Association of Divorce Professionals.

Christine is very active in the Collaborative Community as well, and she is a member of the Collaborative Professionals of Northern Virginia, for which she currently serves as Membership Chair and previously served as President. She is also a member of the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals and the Virginia Collaborative Professionals.

Christine is a mediator with Fairfax County Domestic Relations Mediation Program with the Fairfax County Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court.

Background

Christine earned a Bachelor of Arts, with concentrations in English and Political Science from the State University of New York at Buffalo in 1985.

Christine attended the Capital University Law School in Columbus, Ohio. During law school, she participated in an internship with the Supreme Court of Ohio Board of Commissioners on Grievances and Discipline where she wrote advisory opinions responding to questions regarding the application of the Supreme Court Rules for the Bar of Ohio, the Judiciary, the Ohio Rules of Professional Conduct, Judiciary Conduct, and Attorney's Oath of Office. She was admitted to the practice of law in the State of Ohio in 1993 and admitted to the United States District Court of the Southern District of Ohio in 1994.

While practicing in Ohio, Christine had the privilege of representing clients in their claims for Workers' Compensation and Social Security Disability Benefits. Christine was instrumental in establishing precedent for the payment of lost wages for police officers through the Court of Claims of Ohio, Victims of Crime Division.

Christine was admitted to the practice of law in the Commonwealth of Virginia in 1999 and to the United States District Court of the Eastern District of Virginia in 2007.

Awards and Publications

2019 Best Lawyers in America Honoree

2018 Best Lawyers in America Honoree

2013 Martindale-Hubbell «AV» Preeminent Rating

Please contact Christine to learn more about your options for addressing your family conflict.