YLaw - Family Law Firm Vancouver & Surrey, BC Lawyers. Divorce, Children & Common Law. Asset & Debt Division, Spousal & Child Support. Settlements, Appeals & Agreements. Estate, Corporate & Immigration Litigation. | HQ: 580-1122 Mainland St, Vancouver, BC V6B 5L1

Mandy Lai
Mandy Lai
Lawyer | Mediator

Book Now

Mandy Lai is an exceptional family lawyer who brings over 15 years of experience to the field.  She has helped numerous clients through marriage, separation, divorce, child custody, property division, and all other facets of family law.

Throughout her career, Mandy has consistently exhibited a passion for helping clients navigate the complexities of family law.  With an impressive ability to craft effective strategies and facilitate constructive agreements, Mandy’s proficiency extends to working with numbers and tracing assets, ensuring comprehensive and holistic representation for her clients.

Her collaborative nature fosters harmonious relationships with colleagues and clients alike, underscoring her ability to build deep connections and instill confidence in those she serves. An accredited family law mediator, Mandy brings extensive knowledge and an unwavering commitment to every case she undertakes.

As a testament to her unwavering professionalism, Mandy has been a practicing family lawyer since February 2005, maintaining a spotless standing throughout her career. Mandy’s unwavering dedication to family law makes her an invaluable asset, poised to guide her clients through the challenges they face with compassion and expertise.

APPROACH

Her process is to inject calmness, unpack issues and provide direction.

Her goal is to ensure clients don’t lose sight of their objectives. She guides them to make rational decisions. When clients act on bitterness, they tend to make things worse.

She doesn’t consider herself a hired gun. She educates her clients to think about the big picture and what really matters to them. That helps open the door to practical solutions.

Other times, when an ex-spouse becomes unreasonable, she leans in and is ready to fight.

Mandy likes to strategize. She’s an expert at deduction.  She enjoys gathering evidence to prove facts. This takes experience and passion.  When you meet Mandy, you will instantly recognize both.

Mandy never loses sight of the ultimate goal, which is to help the family move forward with their new life.

know-ylaw-1
Education

L.L.B, University of Manitoba; Mandy Lai is an accredited mediator.

Languages

English and Mandarin Chinese

Achievements
  • Settles over 90% of cases prior to trial in a favourable way
  • Major success rate on all Supreme Court and Provincial Court interim applications and trials
  • In Xie v. Yuan, Mandy co-counselled and successfully argued and defended the enforceability of the client’s divorce agreement made in China in two trials in Supreme Court and two appeals Court of Appeal in a span of 8 years.
  • In Yue v. Chen, Mandy successfully argued to have the payor father’s income be imputed for child support purpose when the payor father used his corporation to manipulate his income earning ability.

VICTORIES

A SLEW OF VICTORIES, BUT WHO’S COUNTING? Case Li v. Virk – 2023

Harry Saini was the successful counsel in the residential tenancy litigation case Li v. Virk at the Supreme Court of British Columbia. The Story In December 2018, Ms. Li agreed to pay the Landlord of a Richmond property $2500 for monthly rent There was a problem with one of the rooms, so the Landlord and Ms. Li revised the tenancy…

A SLEW OF VICTORIES, BUT WHO’S COUNTING? Case: L.C vs. E.S – 2017

Child Removal, International Custody, Parenting Time This was a case which made local, national and international headlines. It spans several countries and took more than 5 years to resolve. During those 5 years, the mother did not allow the father or her brother to see her. She kept on feeling around the world to make sure the father does not…

A SLEW OF VICTORIES, BUT WHO’S COUNTING? S.C vs L.H – 2017

Groundbreaking case on Child Abduction, Wrongful Removal of Children and Wrongful Retention of Children. YLaw's latest BC Supreme Court Case has become one of the most important cases in the entire history of British Columbia on Child Abduction and Wrongful Removal. This case was reported on CBC, the Vancouver Sun, multiple child abduction websites, and later Leena was published with her story…

A SLEW OF VICTORIES, BUT WHO’S COUNTING? Ting vs. Wong – 2017

In yet another groundbreaking case in 2017, YLaw was able to obtain more than $116,000 in contempt fines in addition to special costs. This marks the highest family law contempt award in the history of British Columbia.  The Story - Contempt of Multiple Court Orders Ms. T's story was heartbreaking but beautiful at the end. She was left alone with her…

A SLEW OF VICTORIES, BUT WHO’S COUNTING? Case: Storey v. Terry – BC Court of Appeal – 2020

Leena Yousefi and Abib Ngom were successful counsel in the precedent-setting case of Storey v. Terry.  In this case, the wife applied for an unequal division of family property, an unequal division of family debt. Her Appeal was unsuccessful. As per the Court of Appeal: The appellant appeals a summary trial order providing for the equal division of the parties’…

Case: Storey v. Terry – BC Court of Appeal – 2020
Personal life

Mandy moved to Vancouver with her family from Taiwan when she was 14 years old.  She loves to learn about different cultures.  She had lived in Ottawa, Toronto, Winnipeg and Spain.

Mandy is a mother of her 9-years old son.  Outside of work, she is usually busy taking her son to his soccer practices, golf lessons and other activities.  She loves to giggle with her son and take him on outdoor adventures.

When Mandy has spare moments, you might see her hiking in the North Shore mountains, Squamish and Whistler area, or the Fraser Valley.  Her most memorable hike so far is down to the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon.

Get to Know Mandy

  • Favourite hobby:  hiking and snowshoeing
  • Favourite book: The Gifts of Imperfection
  • Biggest pet-peeve: traffic congestion
  • Can’t live without: my son
  • Favourite person: my son and my aunts
  • Biggest role model: my father
  • Favourite travel destination and why: there are too many to name, Granada, Gibraltar, Yunnan, Osaka, Kyoto, Key West, Hawaii, Wind Cave National Park in South Dakota, and many more.  I love all the places I have travelled to.  Each place has its unique beauty and culture to explore and enjoy.
  • What makes you happy: delicious food, vacationing with friends and family, giggling with my son, reading quietly with music in a rainy day, outdoor hot tub in the winter, biking in a warm breezy day, road trips and exploring new places, and many more.

To find out about our lawyers’ hourly rates and fee structures, click here.

What Our Clients are Saying

Find a location near you

All locations