Ilze Meija is a native Michigander and is originally from the East Lansing area. She attended Michigan State University where she received her B.A. degree in 1995.

In 2000, Ms. Meija received her Juris Doctor from Michigan State University College of Law. In November 2000, she was admitted to the Michigan State Bar as a practicing Attorney before the Supreme Court of Michigan.

From 2000 to 2003, Ms. Meija lived in Washington, D.C., where she worked as an Attorney at the U. S. Department of Labor for the Employees’ Compensation Appeals Board, practicing Federal Workers’ Compensation law.

Ms. Meija returned to Michigan in 2003, when she began employment as a Staff Attorney for the Social Security Administration. At this position, Ms. Meija learned the ins and outs of Social Security Disability law, and took her knowledge and experience from the Administration to start her own practice and represent claimants who have been denied benefits.

Ms. Meija is a member of the State Bar of Michigan, the Social Security lawyers section of the State Bar of Michigan, the Kalamazoo County Bar Association, and a sustaining member of the National Organization of Social Security Claimants’ Representatives (NOSSCR).

Ms. Meija dedicates her practice to helping people who have been denied Disability benefits and SSI and prides herself in providing her clients with a personal, friendly, and sensitive approach during their difficult time.

Janis Meija attended the University of Michigan where he earned his Bachelor's degree in 2001. He then went on to earn his J.D. degree from Michigan State University College of Law where he focused his work primarily on the area of corporate law. Among other courses, he has studied Banking Regulations, Mortgage Banking, Income Tax, Corporate Finance, and International Business Transactions. He has a particular interest in International and European Union law and has studied in Latvia, where he will complete his L.L.M. degree from the Riga Graduate School of Law in the spring of 2008.

In his current role, Janis oversees support staff, meets with new clients, and prepares cases for hearings in front of Administrative Law Judges at the Office of Disability Adjudication and Review. Janis has a special interest in computer technology systems, and has implemented and maintains a case management database for the firm.

Janis speaks fluent Latvian, and has lived in Latvia for a number of years. He has experience working at a large international law firm in Riga, Latvia, where he practiced a wide variety of corporate law, including mergers and acquisitions, real estate transactions, and drafting contracts in Latvian and English. Prior to beginning his Juris Dr. degree, Janis worked for the US Department of State at the US Embassy in Riga, Latvia in the Public Affairs Section where he was responsible for a wide variety of public affairs initiatives.

Janis was also an active member in Michigan State University’s Business Law Society and International Law Society, and has been a member of the American Bar Association since 2004.  He was also active in the Riga Graduate School of Law, where he was elected President of the Student Association by his peers.

In his free time Janis enjoys boating and waterskiing, going to the opera, and working with computers and website design.