D.J. has earned a reputation over three decades as a creative problem-solver and a highly effective advocate, in both national and cross-border cases. She is described by clients and colleagues as "extremely strategic" and has obtained numerous precedent-setting outcomes for clients.
She is a leader in Canadian insolvency matters, and currently serves as President of the International Insolvency Institute - an organization of thought leaders from more than 50 countries.
D.J. has been recognized as Insolvency Litigator of the Year by Benchmark Canada in multiple years, as the Woman of the Year in Restructuring by IWIRC Global in 2023, as Lexpert's "Zenith Award" recipient in 2017 and as the recipient of TMA's "Exemplar Award" in 2017.
She is one of only a handful of Canadians who have been inducted as Fellow of the American College of Bankruptcy.
D.J. led a team representing Laurentian University of Sudbury through its CCAA restructuring, being the only public university in Canada to ever seek or obtain insolvency protection to restructure. Thousands of jobs were saved, the university was able to continue in operation and restructure over $350 million of debt.
D.J. led a team representing Oxford Properties Group in the CCAA proceeding and subsequent receivership of The Hudson Bay Company, Canada's oldest company. Oxford Properties was successful in opposing a forced assignment of its leases in two separate cases, and in preserving its right as landlord in various locations, including for prime space in Canada's #1 shopping centre.
- D.J. led a team representing the Government of Yukon in seeking and obtaining the appointment of a Receiver by the Court of Victoria Gold Corp., following an environmental disaster. This mandate included the Yukon Government providing over $200 million of priority funding to the Receiver, to remediate the site and prepare for a sale process. This mandate involved advising Yukon Government as interim lender, as well as principal regulator of mining activities in this northern Territory of Canada.
- Bankruptcy
- Agriculture
- Banking
- Government and public policy
- Mining
- Natural resources
- Pharmaceutical and life sciences
- Real estate
- Transport
- Honours BA (Joint - English and Political Science), University of Western Ontario, 1988
- LLB / JD, University of Windsor Faculty of Law, 1991
- International Insolvency Institute (President), 2017
- American College of Bankruptcy (Fellow), 2023
- Insolvency Institute of Canada, 2009
- IWIRC, 1996
- Canadian Bar Association, 1993
- Ontario Bar Association, 1993
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Ontario, 1993