~ Melissa M. Zierden, Esq. ~

Melissa is a Florida Native, grew up in Tallahassee and enjoys a family legacy of public servants and civic leaders.  She has been a trailblazer in the insurance industry for over 25 years having dedicated her career to the detection, investigation and resolution of fraudulent insurance claims.  Melissa also focuses her practice on complex coverage questions and major case projects with insurers.  She has, in her career, received over 250 claim withdrawals, over 800 voluntary dismissals of lawsuits and served as special civil prosecutor for various insurers: filing Civil Theft and Civil RICO cases on behalf of her clients.  She has been responsible for a collective monetary recovery of over $5,000,000 in damages and approximately $700,000.00 in insurer attorney fees/costs on behalf of various carriers.

Melissa is a 22-year attorney and has practiced in the area of insurance defense, investigation and provided claim fraud analysis/strategic planning for carriers. Well prior to law school, Melissa served in various positions with state law enforcement agencies, including the Florida DFS as a Criminal Intelligence Analyst in the Division of Insurance Fraud (now Division of Investigative & Forensic Services).  As a CIA, she became well versed in all lines of coverage. Her dedication to the insurance industry is highlighted by having been the DFS representative (and working with IASIU Chapter Presidents) to draft the final version of the "DIF/SIU Agreement" to secure the required approval/signature of then Insurance Commissioner Bill Nelson ~ creating what the industry now knows as "FIFEC". 

Throughout her law enforcement career, Melissa received numerous awards, accolades and commendations from numerous authorities ranging from foreign diplomats, Florida House of Representatives to other local, state and federal law enforcement commanders. However, Melissa considers the most valuable commendation to be that received for the facilitating the formation of FIFEC. Melissa is a founding board member of the Florida Chapter for the International Association of Law Enforcement Intelligence Analysts (IALEIA) and as an attorney, served as National President of the National Society of Professional Insurance Investigators (NSPII).  

Following graduation from law school, Melissa served as an Assistant State Attorney for the 6th Judicial Circuit of Florida and was appointed to the special role to assist with the investigation and prosecution of Florida wildlife and marine criminal activity.  Soon after entering private practice, she became one of four attorneys who handled and helped argue the case of Nu-Best Diagnostics (Joel Packard) v. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company, 10 Fla. L. Weekly Supp. 346a, 9th Jud. Circuit, Orange County, Judge Jeffrey Arnold, September 2002. The Nu-Best decision/Order would later be used by the Florida Legislature to draft the 2003 sweeping changes to Florida's No-Fault statute (PIP).  Melissa is the first attorney to file suit, on behalf of a Florida property carrier, against numerous public adjusters and public adjusting companies for civil theft and civil RICO.   She has written numerous articles on various SIU or insurer related topics that were later included in several industry publications.

Melissa is married to Detective Neil Zierden of the Florida DFS – Division of Investigative & Forensic Services, Bureau of Arson Investigations. They have two children and live in Lake County, Florida.