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Debbie L. Dresen
Partner

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Biography

Debbie Dresen is a partner in the Edmonton office of Davis LLP where she has a corporate commercial practice. Ms. Dresen joined Davis as a partner in 2002.

Ms. Dresen has experience in all aspects of corporate commercial law, with special emphasis on governance and accountability matters and advising delegated administrative organizations. She provides advice and strategic direction to a number of private and public sector clients, and their boards of directors, and gives regular advice to various administrative tribunals and a professional college under the Health Professions Act. She works closely with clients to achieve practical business-oriented results in virtually any area of their business. Ms. Dresen's practice also focuses on environmental law and clients with regulatory mandates or concerns specific to the areas of science and technology, health, environment, conservation and waste reduction.

Throughout her career in private practice, Ms. Dresen has been involved in a large number of corporate reorganizations, mergers and acquisitions, and continues to act in all aspects of their new businesses. She represents clients in corporate restructurings, financing arrangements and related security agreements and opinions. Ms. Dresen has extensive experience in the purchase and sale of businesses, shareholder issues, as well as privacy issues. She works mainly with large corporate and government clients.

As part of her corporate governance and accountability work, Ms. Dresen has a wide range of experience in drafting. This includes corporate and not-for-profit bylaws; internal and external corporate policies; annual reports and other accountability reports to stakeholders and members; third party contracts including service contracts and standard form contracts and privacy policies; consulting agreements; service agreements; and other general commercial contracts and documents. She has assisted not-for-profit clients with their governance reviews, evaluations and reports to boards and stakeholders. In all manner of drafting, she relies on her knowledge and experience of privacy law issues, general tax issues, employment law issues, secured transactions, real estate and environmental issues, and dealing effectively with stakeholders and all levels of government - municipal, provincial and federal.

Professional Experience

Among Ms. Dresen's current and recent engagements are:

• Advising an Alberta quasi-public research body in sale of certain technology and assets to industry partner to support the commercialization of the technology.
• Co-ordinating and managing the legal services requirements of a large quasi-public scientific and research interest, with emphasis on risk management, intellectual property and patent and trademark registrations and protection.
• Advising on privacy issues in the areas of health information, as well as other personal information, including employment and client matters.
• Extensive experience advising Boards of Directors, Audit Committees, Investment Committees and other board committees on director liability, governance and policy issues;
• Working with an Alberta delegated administrative organization (DAO) responsible for implementing Canada's first electronics recycling program;
• Assisting on the development and implementation of Alberta's waste paint recycling program;
• Working with various DAOs in Alberta and British Columbia which operate beverage container recycling, tire recycling, used oil recycling programs and forest enhancement programs;
• Working with a team representing an income fund in completing a $213 million initial public offering and the acquisition of other operating partnerships operating in the oil and gas industry, among others;
• Establishment of board of governance and accountability frameworks in the public sector, DAOs; and
• Advising professional discipline tribunals regarding hearing and administrative process.
• Lead counsel on a number of purchases of businesses, primarily in the oil servicing industry in Alberta. These transactions typically include the pre-closing reorganization of the interests of the shareholders of the business, transfer of the business to a limited partnership and the acquisition by the purchaser of an interest in the limited partnership and business, and may deal with unionized entities.

Directorships, Memberships & Professional Activities

• Co-Chair, Privacy Law Section, Alberta Branch, Canadian Bar Association (2009-10)
• Member, Canadian Bar Association
• Member, Law Society of Alberta
• Member Edmonton Bar Association
• Member and Auditor (2009), St. Thomas More Lawyers' Guild

Publications & Seminars

• Contributor to Davis LLP Environment, Energy and Resource Law Blog (www.davis.ca/en/blog/Environmental-Energy-and-Resources-Law)
• Conference Speaker, 2009 CRDHA Annual Continuing Competence Conference
• Contributor to In Touch, College of Registered Dental Hygienists of Alberta news magazine

Other Activities

• Davis LLP National Technology, Library and Infrastructure Committee
• Davis LLP National Firm Functions Committee
• Davis LLP National Environmental Sustainability Task Force
• Student recruitment and mentoring program - Edmonton
• United Way office representative - Edmonton
• CANstruction Edmonton, May 2009 - Edmonton Food Bank

Education

• LL.B., University of Alberta, 1989
• B.Comm. (with Distinction), University of Alberta, 1986

Place and Year of Call

• Alberta, 1990

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