About Us

Doris S. Mei, CFLS

Doris Mei is the founder of Mei Family Law & Mediation, PC and a California State Bar Certified Family Law Specialist. Originally from Chicago, Illinois, she earned her Juris Doctor from the University of San Francisco School of Law in 2002 and has practiced exclusively in family law since 2005.  She became certified as a Family Law Specialist by the State Bar of California in 2013, a distinction provided to attorneys who demonstrate substantial experience, specialized knowledge, and a high level of proficiency in family law.

For more than two decades, Doris has assisted thousands of individuals and families throughout California in resolving a wide range of family law matters.  Her practice encompassed consultations, negotiated settlements, mediation, collaborative divorce, personal property arbitration, litigation, and trial.  She has extensive experience handling premarital agreements, post-marital agreements, complex property division, child custody, visitation (parenting plans), child support, spousal support, and other family law issues.

Throughout her career, Doris has observed that financial disagreements are among the most common sources of marital conflict. This insight has shaped the focus of her practice in two primary areas.

First, Doris focuses on premarital agreements (prenuptial agreements), helping clients protect separate property, establish clear financial expectations, and thoughtfully define their respective rights and responsibilities before marriage.  She believes that open and informed financial discussions provide a strong foundation for a healthy relationship.  While no couple enters into a marriage anticipating divorce, a well-drafted premarital agreement can significantly reduce uncertainty, conflict, and expense should the marriage later end.

Second, for clients who did not enter into a premarital agreement, Doris emphasizes Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), including neutral case evaluations, mediation, and the collaborative divorce process.  Resolving disputes outside of the courtroom allows families to achieve more practical, cost-effective, less stressful and less adversarial outcomes.  Although litigation remains necessary in certain cases, she encourages clients to explore ADR options before resorting to court proceedings.  During consultations, Doris takes the time to educate clients about the legal issues affecting their case, explain the available resolution processes, and develop a strategy tailored to their specific goals and circumstances.

In addition to her private practice, Doris is committed to serving the legal community.  She regularly volunteers with the Family Division of the Santa Clara County Superior Court as a settlement attorney and with the San Mateo County Superior Court, assisting self-represented litigants during Status Conferences and Judgment Review Days.  She also serves on the boards and advisory committees of several nonprofit organizations.

Doris is fluent in both Mandarin and Cantonese, enabling her to serve clients comfortably in English, Mandarin, or Cantonese.