DBB Law Lawyers Recognized in 2027 Edition of The Best Lawyers in Canada™; Siobhan Morgan Spotlighted in Ones to Watch in Canada™

DBB Law is excited to announce that 10 of its lawyers have been named to the 2027 edition of The Best Lawyers in Canada™, with Siobhan H. Morgan also being recognized in Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in Canada™.

Peer Review-Based Recognition

Best Lawyers® is a distinguished global network of legal professionals recognized through a trusted peer-review process. For more than 40 years, its Purely Peer Review® methodology has reflected the principle that professional recognition should be based on the opinions of fellow lawyers, rather than marketing influence or paid placement.

A Rigorous and Selective Evaluation Process

Each year, Best Lawyers® collects more than 13 million confidential evaluations worldwide, supporting one of the legal profession’s most established vetting processes. Approximately 3% of lawyers globally receive recognition, demonstrating the selectivity of the results.

Proprietary safeguards are also used to help minimize bias and preserve the accuracy and reliability of peer feedback.

Independent Recognition Without Paid Inclusion

Best Lawyers® does not accept fees for consideration or inclusion. This policy helps maintain the independence, credibility, and integrity of every recognition.

Wendy E. Best, KC: Recognized for Family Law

Wendy E. Best has practiced family law since being called to the Alberta Bar in 1980. She joined DBB Law in 1982, became a partner in 1986, and was appointed Queen’s Counsel (now King’s Counsel) in 1994. Her practice focuses primarily on high net-worth individuals and families and includes negotiated settlements, litigation, and prenuptial/postnuptial/cohabitation agreements. Wendy received the Philip M. Epstein Award for Excellence in Family Law in 2026. She has been a Fellow of the International Academy of Family Lawyers since 2008. Wendy has been recognized annually by The Best Lawyers in Canada™ since 2006, and was named the Calgary Family Lawyer of the Year in 2010 and 2017. In 2018, she received both the Canadian Bar Association/Law Society of Alberta Distinguished Service Award for Service to the Profession and the Women in Law Leadership Award for Leadership in the Profession in Private Practice.

Wendy is a frequent speaker for legal, judicial, tax, trust, and community organizations across Canada, including presenting regularly to National Judicial Institute conferences across Canada. She has also held numerous leadership and governance roles, including 22 years with the Canadian Research Institute for Law and the Family, where she served as President from 2009 to 2016. Her service has included positions with the Alberta Securities Commission, the Law Society of Alberta’s Family Law Advisory Committee, the University of Calgary’s Student Legal Assistance, the Canadian Bar Association’s National Council and committees, and the Heritage Park Society’s Board, Audit and Risk Management Committee, and Finance Committee.

Chris Dormer: Recognized for Labour and Employment Law

Chris Dormer is Co-Managing Partner of DBB Law. He advises clients on a broad range of labour and employment law matters, including regulatory compliance, privacy, employee discipline and termination, workplace investigations, human rights, and accommodation. He also provides practical guidance on corporate and commercial disputes, including employment issues arising from business sales, shareholder disputes, and debtor-creditor claims, with a focus on achieving efficient resolutions.

Chris has appeared as counsel before all levels of Court in Alberta, the Court of King’s Bench and Provincial Court of Saskatchewan, and the Federal Court of Canada. He represents provincially and federally regulated clients in employment standards, human rights, labour relations, arbitration, and mediation matters. Chris also writes and speaks regularly on employment and labour law topics, including for the Legal Education Society of Alberta, and his work has been republished by CanLII Connects and Canadian Employment Law Today.

Fulvio M. Durante, TEP: Recognized for Corporate Law, Real Estate Law, and Trusts and Estates

Fulvio M. Durante, TEP, joined DBB Law in 1994 and maintains a business law, real estate, and wills and estates-focused practice. He advises clients on corporate restructuring, mergers and acquisitions, commercial transactions, trusts, banking, mental incapacity, and estate planning and administration. He has also completed collaborative law training and is an executive member of the Canadian Bar Association’s Wills and Trusts subsection. Fulvio holds the Trust and Estate Practitioner (“TEP”) designation through the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners and is a member of the Estate Planning Council of Calgary.

Fulvio is committed to legal education and mentorship, having served as an instructor and evaluator for new lawyers and taught at the University of Calgary Faculty of Law. He regularly presents to individuals, entrepreneurs, and organizations on topics such as business purchases and sales, succession planning, trusts, estate and disability planning, shareholder agreements, private lending, personal representative duties, and the protection of vulnerable individuals. He has been recognized by The Best Lawyers in Canada™ since 2024.

Caroline P. Lee, KC: Recognized for Family Law

Caroline P. Lee, KC, is a senior family law practitioner whose practice includes family law, trial work at the Court of King’s Bench, mediation, arbitration, and other forms of alternative dispute resolution. She joined the firm in 1989, became a partner in 1994, served as managing partner for ten years, and was appointed King’s Counsel in 2004. Caroline has also taught and lectured through the Legal Education Society of Alberta, the University of Calgary general studies program and the Faculty of Law, the Law Society of Alberta’s Bar Admission course, and the National Family Law Program.

Caroline has held leadership roles with the Association of Collaborative Family Lawyers and the Canadian Bar Association’s Alberta Branch Family Law Section. Her community involvement has included volunteer work with organizations supporting women, children, and survivors of sexual assault, as well as serving as a founding member of The Missing Children’s Association. She has been recognized in The Best Lawyers in Canada™ since its first edition in 2006. She has also been recognized by Lexpert® as a leading family law practitioner since 2005.

Aaron D. Martens, KC: Recognized for Family Law and Family Law Mediation

Aaron D. Martens, KC, is a family law practitioner, mediator, and arbitrator who joined DBB Law in 1998 and is now a partner. His practice includes family law applications, trials before the Alberta Court of Justice and the Court of King’s Bench, appearances before the Court of Appeal of Alberta, adoption matters, and family law mediations and arbitrations. He has been recognized in The Best Lawyers in Canada™ since 2021.

Aaron has held several leadership and teaching roles within Alberta’s legal community. He served on the executive of the Canadian Bar Association’s Family Law Section for Southern Alberta from 2003 to 2010, including as Chair, and taught the Bar Admission Course through the Legal Education Society of Alberta from 2002 to 2017. He has also chaired family law education panels, lectured at the University of Calgary Faculty of Law and Calgary high schools, served on the Board of the Legal Education Society of Alberta, and worked as a Dispute Resolution Officer assisting individuals with family law matters.

Mark R.D. Sawyer: Recognized for Real Estate Law and Trusts and Estates

Mark R.D. Sawyer’s practice focuses on business and commercial law, real estate, and estate planning. He advises privately held businesses on corporate structuring, financing, contracts, shareholder matters, incorporations, and business purchase and sale transactions. Mark also assists clients with residential and commercial real estate transactions, refinancing, wills and estate administration.

Mark has been recognized by The Best Lawyers in Canada™. He also contributes to the legal community as an evaluator for the Bar Admission Course and has previously volunteered with Calgary Legal Guidance.

Gordon Sterchi, KC: Recognized for Family Law and Family Law Mediation

Gordon Sterchi, KC, is Co-Managing Partner of DBB Law. He mainly practises family law as a litigator, mediator, and arbitrator. He has also represented Alberta landowners in surface rights matters. Appointed King’s Counsel in 2022, Gord has been recognized by The Best Lawyers in Canada™ since 2019.

Gord is active in both the legal profession and the broader Calgary community. He served as President of the Calgary Bar Association in 2022 and was a member of its executive. Gord has served on the boards of the Calgary Flames Ambassadors and The Distress Centre. He also volunteered as an instructor and evaluator with the Canadian Centre for Professional Legal Education, has presented for the Legal Education Society of Alberta, and previously served as a coach and facilitator at the University of Calgary Faculty of Law. Gord has completed LESA family law mediation training and now attends as a sessional instructor. Gord has also completed arbitration training with the ARD Institute of Alberta.

Sandy Vander Ziel, KC: Recognized for Family Law and Family Law Mediation

Sandy Vander Ziel, KC, has practiced exclusively in family law since 2002 and joined DBB Law in 2013. She is a registered collaborative lawyer, mediator, arbitrator, parenting coordinator, and dispute resolution officer with the Court of King’s Bench. Sandy assists clients with separation and divorce, parenting arrangements, child and spousal support, property division, and cohabitation and marriage agreements. She has extensive experience with collaborative law, mediation, arbitration, family violence matters, and child advocacy, including representing children through the Legal Representation for Children and Youth Advocacy Program. She has also appeared before the Alberta Court of Justice, the Court of King’s Bench, and the Court of Appeal of Alberta.

Sandy has held numerous leadership roles within the legal profession and the community, including serving as President of the Canadian Bar Association’s Family Law Section and Chair of the Association of Collaborative Professionals. She has also served with the Calgary Youth Justice Society, Sonshine Community Services. She is currently the Chair of the Alberta Council of Women’s Shelters, and the Vice Chair of the Canadian Women’s Foundation. In 2016, she received the Women in Law Leadership Award for community service. In 2024, she received the Distinguished Service Award from the Law Society of Alberta and Canadian Bar Association for distinguished service to the community. She also received the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal. Sandy has been recognized by The Best Lawyers in Canada™ since 2024.

Beth Younggren: Recognized for Construction Law and Corporate and Commercial Litigation

Beth Younggren is a partner in DBB Law’s civil litigation and dispute resolution group. Her practice includes construction litigation, construction liens, contractual disputes involving oil and gas and real estate matters, shareholder disputes, and collections. Beth has appeared before all levels of Court in Alberta and has represented clients in arbitrations, mediations, and other dispute resolution proceedings.

Beth has been recognized by The Best Lawyers in Canada™ since 2021. She is also committed to pro bono service and has volunteered with Calgary Legal Guidance, Student Legal Assistance, and Pro Bono Law Alberta, including serving as a Director and member of the Executive Committee of Calgary Legal Guidance.

David F. Younggren, KC: Recognized for Corporate and Commercial Litigation

David F. Younggren, KC, joined DBB Law in 1988 and became a partner in 1993. His civil litigation practice includes corporate and commercial disputes, shareholder matters, wrongful dismissal claims, real estate litigation, construction liens, and collections. David has appeared before all levels of Court, including the Supreme Court of Canada, and has also acted as Ad Hoc Discipline Counsel for the Law Society of Alberta.

David has held several leadership and community service roles, including serving as Chair of the Alberta Association of Police Governance and as a member of the Calgary Police Commission for more than five years. He is also a former Chair of the Legal Aid Society of Alberta, a former Director of the Elizabeth Fry Society of Calgary, and an active member, speaker, and organizer with the Canadian Bar Association. In 2024, David was asked to join the Supreme Court Advocacy Institute, which helps prepare counsel for appearances before the Supreme Court of Canada by reviewing their written arguments and hearing their oral submissions on a panel with two other Institute appointees.

Siobhan H. Morgan: Named in Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in Canada™ for Family Law in 2027

Siobhan H. Morgan is an associate with DBB Law and has been highlighted in the 2027 edition of Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in Canada™ for her work in family law. She assists clients with divorce, parenting matters, child and spousal support, property division, and prenuptial and cohabitation agreements. Her approach to negotiation and litigation emphasizes timely, practical, and cost-effective resolutions aligned with her clients’ goals. Before joining the firm, Siobhan practiced as a partner with a leading law firm in Saskatoon and represented clients at every level of Court in Saskatchewan.

Siobhan was called to the Saskatchewan Bar in 2015 and the Alberta Bar in 2025. She earned her Juris Doctor from the University of Saskatchewan in 2014 and completed studies abroad at the University of Helsinki and Hebrew University in Jerusalem. She also holds Bachelor of Arts degrees in art history, psychology, and sociology. In addition to her legal practice, Siobhan has served as a director of not-for-profit organizations supporting healthy communities.

DBB Law: Providing Exceptional Legal Solutions in Calgary and Throughout Alberta

DBB Law is proud to have such a wide representation in the 2027 editions of The Best Lawyers in Canada™ and Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in Canada™!

For more than 40 years, DBB Law has provided practical, forward-thinking legal services to individuals, families, and businesses in Calgary and throughout Alberta. With broad experience across multiple practice areas, the firm handles everything from complex legal matters to routine transactions with skill and efficiency. To schedule a consultation with one of our dynamic lawyers, please contact us online or call 403-265-7777.