Allison Mendel has lived in Alaska since 1982. She received her law degree from U.C. Davis King Hall School of Law in 1980, where she was awarded the Order of the Coif. She has undergraduate degrees from Occidental College and University of California, Irvine. In the summer of 1979, she clerked for the Alaska Supreme Court. From 1980-82, she clerked for Judge Betty Binns Fletcher of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. On returning to Alaska, she worked for Jermain, Dunnagan & Owens and Alaska Legal Services before opening her own practice in 1987. Since then she has been in private practice doing family law, civil rights, and appellate matters in both state and federal courts. Her wide-ranging appellate practice has resulted in numerous reported decisions in the Alaska Supreme Court, the Court of Appeal, and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal. She has also been at the forefront of litigating issues relating to the legal rights of same-sex partners and their children. She was instrumental in forming the first Collaborative Pracitce group in Alaska, the Alaska Association of Collaboratiev Professionals. She emphasizes collaborative solutions in her practice.

Allison Served on the State Bar Board of Governors for six years, and has also served on the Committee of Bar Examiners and the Fee Arbitration Committee. She was formerly co-chair of the National Lesbian and Gay Law Association. Currently, she is a member of the National Center for Lesbian Rights National Family Law Advisory Council. She is also a member of the American Bar Association and its Family Law section, and is a Fellow of the ABA. She is also co-chair of the Alaska Association of Collaborative Professionals. Allison has four children and four grandchildren. She spends her free time traveling, gardening, biking, and camping.