Staff
Sarah M. Nissel, Esq.
Executive Director
Sarah M. Nissel joined the Jewish Divorce Assistance Center (JDAC) as its founding Executive Director in 2015. Ms. Nissel is a Visiting Adjunct Professor of Law & Religion at Pepperdine Caruso School of Law where she directs the Faith & Family Mediation Clinic and teaches in the areas of Family Law, Alternative Dispute Resolution and at the intersection of law and religion.
Prior to joining JDAC, Ms. Nissel worked in the areas of white-collar criminal defense and complex civil litigation at Bird, Marella, et al., a Los Angeles-based litigation boutique firm. While at Bird, she gained extensive experience in litigation, mediation, arbitration and client counseling. Ms. Nissel worked successfully with opposing counsel as well as with law enforcement officials on the local, state and federal level to negotiate mutually beneficial outcomes and to avoid contentious litigation. Before joining Bird Marella, Ms. Nissel worked as an Associate at Morvillo, Abramowitz, et al., a boutique litigation firm in New York City.
Ms. Nissel has served as a fellow at the Innocence Project, where she gained experience working on criminal proceedings at the state level. Ms. Nissel represented clients in various stages of post-conviction litigation. One of her clients was ultimately exonerated and another’s post-conviction appeal was heard by the Supreme Court in its 2009 term.
While in law school, Ms. Nissel worked as a legal intern with federal prosecutors at the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York and for the Honorable Judge Nicholas G. Garaufis, United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York.
Ms. Nissel graduated with honors from Yale University in 2003 where she earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Comparative Literature. She received her J.D. from New York University School of Law in 2008 where she was a Dean’s Scholar. Ms. Nissel is admitted to practice in California State, New York State and in the District Court for the Southern District of New York.
Ms. Nissel resides in Los Angeles with her husband and four children.
Yona Elishis, LL.B., LL.M.
Mediation Consultant
Yona Elishis has been involved with the Jewish Divorce Assistance Center of Los Angeles (JDAC) since its founding in 2015. Ms. Elishis is an Adjunct Professor of Law at Pepperdine Caruso School of Law, where she serves as a clinical supervisor in the Faith & Family Mediation Clinic, overseeing law students providing pro bono mediation services to couples navigating the civil and religious processes of divorce.
Prior to her work with JDAC, Ms. Elishis practiced family law at McCarthy Tétrault in Toronto, where she worked alongside some of Canada’s leading divorce attorneys, helping families resolve complex legal disputes. She also practiced corporate law at Paul, Weiss in New York City.
Ms. Elishis obtained her law degree from Osgoode Hall Law School in Toronto in 2004, completing her final year at Columbia Law School in New York City. She subsequently earned her Master of Laws (LL.M.) from New York University School of Law, focusing on mediation and alternative dispute resolution.
In addition to her legal and academic work, Ms. Elishis is a Wexner Heritage Fellow and is actively involved in Jewish communal leadership, serving on several local and national boards focused on Jewish education and community engagement. She previously founded and operated a children’s clothing company, Matooka.
Ms. Elishis resides in Los Angeles with her husband and five children.