Overview

Colleen has 27 years of experience with a focus on Indigenous governance and litigation, commercial litigation, fraud workplace investigations and fraud litigation, as well as employment and human rights.

Colleen’s experience within Indigenous governance includes drafting membership codes, election codes, trespass by-laws, banishment by-laws, general by-laws, personnel policies, drug and alcohol policies, privacy policies and chief and councils code of conduct. Colleen provides opinions on matters involving the Indian Act, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) Act, in respect to Section 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982.

With respect to her Indigenous litigation experience, she advises and represents First Nations on consultation matters (both in respect to dealing with governments and industry), election disputes, human rights complaints, construction litigation, defamation actions, Canada Labour Code Adjudications, Canadian Human Rights Complaints, workplace investigations, fraud risk assessments and investigations, Treaty annuities claims and TLE negotiations.

Her experience also includes assisting clients with commercial litigation matters, judicial reviews, demand letters, construction litigation matters, non-competition agreements, injunction applications, forensic litigation, wrongful dismissal litigation and human rights complaints.

Colleen is called to the bar in Alberta and the Northwest Territories. However, as some of her clients are deemed federal employers, she practices all across Canada. She has appeared numerous times on behalf of clients before the following Courts and tribunals: the Alberta Court of King’s Bench and Alberta Court of Appeal, the Supreme Court of the Northwest Territories, the Federal Court and Federal Court of Appeal, Canada Labour Code Adjudications, Federal and Provincial Privacy Tribunals, the Alberta Human Rights Tribunal and the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal.

Practice Areas

• Aboriginal Law
• Labour Law
• Employment Law
• Privacy Law
• Human Rights

Bar Information

Called to the bar: 1997 (AB); 2009 (NT)