Morneau Family Law & Legal Innovation
Automatically compiled listing. Details may contain errors.1 lawyer · Waterloo Region
One of 54 law firms listed in Waterloo, and one of 22 handling Family Law.
About Morneau Family Law & Legal Innovation
Morneau Family Law & Legal Innovation is the practice of David M. Morneau Jr., a mediator and family lawyer in Waterloo, Ontario. Your family sits at the centre of a process built to settle disputes and create agreements that last, without going to court. Mediation, collaborative law and other methods are combined so people can work through conflict, sort out the issues and reach agreement. Morneau has practised law since 1999, and is both an Accredited Family Mediator through OAFM and a Collaborative Legal Professional through Collaborative Divorce Waterloo Region and the OACP.
If you're unsure which route fits, the starting point is a flat fee consultation. You'll talk about your circumstances, goals, worries and values, and Morneau will help you settle on a process suited to your family. There's no obligation beyond the consultation itself.
Morneau holds an honours BA with a psychology major and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Windsor. Earlier roles included contract counsel for Family and Children's Services of the Waterloo Region and counsel for the Family Responsibility Office, and in 2018 Morneau joined a specialized anti-human trafficking team through the Office of the Children's Lawyer. After 17 years of court work in the family justice system, Morneau stepped away from litigation, having seen one family after another make sacrifices that often weren't necessary.
From 2016, Morneau put that energy into an integrated communications process. In 2020 Morneau left practising law entirely and became executive director of the Child Witness Centre as of January 13, 2020, after more than 20 years running a family law practice focused on mediation and collaborative law. That break was short, lasting two years. Morneau now holds the title Creative Evolution Officer (CEO) of the practice, which is formally David M. Morneau Jr. Professional Corporation, and is a member of the Waterloo Region Law Association.
Practice areas
Mediation with separate intakes
Before any joint session, Morneau Family Law meets each partner alone for a confidential intake, and what's said there isn't passed on to the other person. Morneau also screens the situation to judge whether mediation fits, or whether it needs adjusting or outside professional help. Sessions can be held face to face, in person or online, or as shuttle mediation with the partners in different places.
Our guide: How to Get a Divorce in Ontario
Collaborative law
In a collaborative file, Morneau works within a team that brings together legal, family and financial professionals, and everyone involved, the clients included, signs a commitment to stay out of court. That contract is called the Participation Agreement, and one of the things it covers is full financial disclosure.
Principled Cooperative Negotiation
Principled Cooperative Negotiation is a process the firm developed itself. Each partner has their own lawyer, and it's meant for families who already communicate well and have a fair idea of where they want to end up.
Separation agreements, cohabitation agreements and marriage contracts
Morneau has helped hundreds of couples work out their own goals and future needs, and their partner's, and these processes usually end with the terms set down in a separation agreement. Morneau also prepares cohabitation agreements and marriage contracts, and couples can come in alone or together to settle on a process that suits them.
Training, mentoring and conflict workshops
Outside client files, Morneau builds legal education for organizations whose work touches family law, mentors young professionals, and shapes conflict training around a client organization's people, mission and schedule.
Good to know
Accessible parking
LGBTQ+ friendlyHow Morneau Family Law & Legal Innovation works
For a separating family, the experience is often about 95% emotion and just 5% legal. With help from colleagues, Morneau wrote a vision, mission and set of values that act as the practice's touchstone, and the aim is to reach the right result for your family rather than to prove who's right.
The process centres on you and your family and on finding a solution that works without the need for court. Morneau commits to consultations that are aware of and responsive to trauma, and emotionally intelligent.
Milestones & recognition
- Morneau has presented to the Standing Committee on Social Policy at Queen's Park on Bill 188, the Supporting Children's Futures Act.
- Morneau talked about changes to the Divorce Act on CTV's Your Morning in 2021, and separately as a panellist on CBC's Canada Tonight.
- Morneau wrote the foreword for, and contributed to, the book Been There Got Out: Toxic Relationships, High Conflict Divorce and How to Stay Sane Under Insane Circumstances.
In the community
- Morneau has given talks on family justice and separation for Women's Crisis Services of Waterloo Region and YWKW, and on how family violence and family law intersect at a Waterloo Region community town hall on gender-based violence.
- Morneau has volunteered in director roles with the Kitchener Panthers, Owl Child Care Services and the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.
Affiliations & connections
- Ontario Association for Family Mediation: David M. Morneau Jr. is a member of the Ontario Association for Family Mediation.
- Ontario Association of Collaborative Professionals: Morneau is a member of the OACP, which represents collaborative practice groups around the province.
- Collaborative Divorce Waterloo Region: Morneau is a member of Collaborative Divorce Waterloo Region, an association of collaboratively trained lawyers and financial and mental health professionals.
Lawyers 1
The neighbourhood
Morneau Family Law & Legal Innovation has two locations: 822 Birchmount Drive in Waterloo and Unit B, 67 Louisa Street in Kitchener. Visits are by appointment only. Hours are Monday to Thursday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and the office is closed Friday through Sunday.
Frequently asked questions
- Can Morneau Family Law prepare the foreign divorce opinion letter I need to remarry in Ontario?
- Morneau Family Law prepares these letters, which you'll need before marrying again in Ontario if your divorce was granted in another country. You and your future spouse should both come to the appointment, since there's paperwork to fill in and sign. If you bring everything required and can meet soon, the letter is often ready within a day or two.
- What does Morneau Family Law send me after a flat fee individual consultation?
- Morneau Family Law charges a flat fee for the individual consultation and gives you the time you need to talk it through. A day or two afterward, Morneau sends a consultation report with legal information and recommendations on process design, plus any follow-up you need.
- Can my partner and I come to Morneau Family Law's early neutral consultation together?
- Morneau Family Law offers early neutral consultations for couples at the very start, where both partners sit down together to go over legal information and process design. You can meet virtually or in person.
- Can mediation with Morneau Family Law be adapted when there's been domestic abuse or coercive control?
- Morneau Family Law's mediator holds the Accredited Family Mediator designation, which requires training every year on intimate partner violence and coercive control. Morneau can change the mediation process to address safety concerns and what each person needs, while keeping it a safe place to talk.
Where to find them
822 Birchmount Dr., Waterloo, ON N2V 2R3 · 519-635-9145
Is this your firm?
Fix or remove this listing, or add a free listing badge
Something wrong with this listing? Tell us and we’ll hide it right away while we review your request, then correct it or take it down.
Add your free listing badge
Add the free LawOnline listing badge to your website. It tells visitors you’re listed in an independent Canadian lawyer directory and links back to this profile. Being listed isn’t a certification or an endorsement, and the badge doesn’t mean we’ve checked your credentials.
Similar firms in Waterloo Region
Jane McKenzie Family Law is a solo practice in Waterloo, Ontario, focused exclusively on family law in the Kitchener-Waterloo region. Jane McKenzie handles divorce, parenting time and decision-making, child support, C…
Family Law
Ted Dueck Mediation & Arbitration is a solo practice based in Waterloo, Ontario, run by lawyer Ted Dueck. It focuses on mediating and arbitrating family law and estate disputes, offering a way to resolve conflict outs…
Family Law
Wills, Estates & Trusts
Civil Litigation & Dispute Resolution
Dammie Legal is a Waterloo, Ontario law firm led by founder Damilola Aderonke Ojo, who is licensed to practice in both Nigeria and Ontario and serves as a Notary Public. The firm's practice areas include family law, r…
Family Law
Real Estate Law
Immigration Law
Notary & Commissioner ServicesThis listing was generated by AI from public sources in October 2026. It may contain errors, and we can’t guarantee it’s accurate or complete. Before you rely on anything here, verify it on the firm’s own website. Verify licence status in the Law Society of Ontario directory ↗
How this data is compiled and checked · Correct or remove this listing