“Sage advice, creative solutions, genuine caring.”

Doug Moe, K.C.

Doug is a senior family lawyer who has practiced family law for over 37 years. His practice is largely mediation and arbitration of family law disputes. Often Doug is acting as a mediator/arbitrator in a hybrid process that combines the benefit of both mediation and arbitration.

In addition, Doug assists a few select clients in reaching resolution through negotiation, collaborative law, mediation, arbitration, and when necessary, through litigation.

Families ask Doug to help them as a valued neutral (mediator or arbitrator) in a wide range of instances including:

• Where they want assistance detailing a settlement when they already have an understanding on the main points;
• But more often in those difficult cases where there seems to be no ability to agree upon anything;
• In cases where there are complex financial considerations as a result of the significant means of the parties or otherwise;
• In cases where the parties have to be careful with spending limited family resources, but need a resolution that isn’t as quickly or economically available through the public Court system;
• In cases where the ‘standard’ approach often imposed by an unsophisticated use of the law does not create a resolution that “fits” for the family;
• To assist in reaching resolution on parenting issues from cases where the parties only need some details built around their existing understandings to cases where there are significant disputes including allegations of alienation, etc.
• In family law cases where parties appreciate the merits of resolving matters privately with the assistance of Doug.

In 2016, Doug received the Distinguished Service Award for Service to the Profession from the Law Society of Alberta and the Canadian Bar Association – Alberta Branch. In 2010 he received the AFMS John Haynes Award for outstanding contribution to Family Mediation in the Province of Alberta in recognition of his involvement in creating and continuing the Dispute Resolution Officer Program.

In 2018 AFMS presented Doug with the John Haynes award a second time, but this time in his individual capacity in recognition of his contributions to family mediation in the Province. Doug was acknowledged by the Province of Alberta with a Q.C. designation on December 31, 2005 which automatically became a K.C. with the ascension of King Charles III after Queen Elizabeth II passed on September 8, 2022.

He is listed in the Martindale-Hubbell directory as having the highest possible rating in both legal ability and ethical standards and has held that rating for years.  Doug is recognized in “Best Lawyers” in both Family Law and Family Law Mediation, and is recognized as a leading family law lawyer in Doyles Guide.

Doug has a long history of volunteer involvement for the profession including being a Past Chair of the Family Section for the Canadian Bar Association (CBA) in Calgary, Past Chair of the CBA National Family Law Section and Past Member of the Alberta Law Society’s Family Law Advisory Committee.

Doug served for many years as a Family Law Instructor for the Bar Admission Course and taught aspects of family law at the University of Calgary Law School as a guest instructor. He presented on the issues of property division for common law couples at the 2012 Super Conference and on issues related to mediation/arbitration at the 2015 Super Conference.

Doug continues to contribute. He is a sought-after mentor by other family lawyers and is a member of and sits on the steering committee for the newly formed Alberta Family Lawyer’s Association or AFLA, which is currently active in advocating for improvements for family law issues in Alberta.

Doug was the CBA Representative to the Alberta’s Family Justice Services Strategy Committee. He has and continues to present papers and lecture on various family law topics. In the past, he has done this for the CBA, the Legal Education Society of Alberta, the National Family Law Program and Saskatchewan Legal Education. He sat on the Federal Child Support Guidelines Advisory Committee for the five-year term of that group and has provided advice to both the Federal and Provincial Departments of Justice at their request.

There has been an expression within the Alberta Family Bar for some time now as a reference to a better way of dealing with family law cases. This is often referred to as practicing “Moe Law”.

In 1995 the Calgary Herald profiled Doug as a “Local Hero” in recognition of his work with two children’s charities in Calgary; the Children’s Cottage and Kamp Kiwanis.

Doug is married, a proud father of three and grandfather of four.