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DONNA PURCELL, K.C.
Donna was born and raised in Montreal, Quebec and currently lives in Calgary and Red Deer, Alberta. She is the Founder and Chief Innovation Officer at Donna Purcell QC Law, with offices across Alberta. A legal tech evangelist for over two decades, she advocates for the digital transformation of the legal system to improve access to justice and lawyer retention. Her firm is paperless and in the cloud, but maintains a hybrid existence to accommodate the needs of all clients, regardless of their capacity to access digital services.
Donna practices mainly in the areas of serious personal injury and fatalities, insurance, business (focused on innovation and technology) and employment law. A 2021 graduate of the Harvard Business Analytics Program, she values the gathering and analysis of data to improve the delivery of legal services. She was selected as a 2021 Top 25 Most Influential Lawyer (Changemaker) by Canadian Lawyer Magazine and the 2022 Business Leader of the Year in central Alberta. She is a recipient of the Gary J. Bigg Champion of Justice and President’s Awards from the Alberta Civil Trial Lawyers Association and a Women In Law Leadership (WILL) Award for Leadership in the Community.
She continues to spend half her working hours in non-billable and philanthropic endeavours, especially as they relate to access to justice, diversity and inclusivity, technology, youth and the arts. She and her two daughters (her superpowers) have recently established their Breaking the Mould Foundation. She is a regular columnist as “Lady Justice” and her extra-curriculars include travelling, fitness training, and performing and competing in various styles of hip hop.
- Harvard University, Harvard Business Analytics Program
- University of Calgary, Faculty of Law, Juris Doctor
- University of Calgary, Faculty of Psychology (Honours) Program, First Class Standing
- Legal Education Society of Alberta training in the Mediation of Civil Disputes (I and II) with extensive experience in alternative dispute resolution
- Law Society of Alberta
- Canadian Bar Association
- Central Alberta Bar Society (Board of Directors)
- Alberta Civil Trial Lawyers Association (Sustaining Member)
- Advocates’ Society
- Red Deer & District Chamber of Commerce (Board of Directors)
- Red Deer Downtown Rotary
- American Bar Association
- Association of Women Lawyers (Calgary)
- Lady Justice: Ideas in Action – Regular column in the Red Deer Advocate since July, 2022
- 2022 Article in the Alberta Civil Trial Lawyers Association Barrister magazine (Spring) Edition “A Tale of Two Courts – How Digital Transformation is Improving the Practice of Law and Access to Justice for Albertans”.
- 2021 Co-Presenter, Central Alberta Chartered Professional Accountants (CPA) Chapter – COVID-19, What’s an Employer to Do?
- 2021 Presenter, Red Deer & District Chamber of Commerce – Women Leading Change on “Digital Innovation and Remote Work”
- 2021 Presenter, Alberta Civil Trial Lawyers Association’s “COVID-19 Personal Injury & Fatality – Individual and Class Actions Webinar”
- 2021 Presenter at the University of Calgary Innovation Internship Training Program on “The Business and Challenges of Small and Solo Firms”
- 2021 Panelist and Article in the Alberta Civil Trial Lawyers Association Barrister magazine (Spring) Edition on Access to Justice Roundtable with The Honourable Chief Justice Mary T. Moreau
- 2020 Article in the Alberta Civil Trial Lawyers Association Barrister magazine (Fall/Winter) Edition “Awareness Campaign for Access to Justice for Vulnerable Albertans during the Pandemic”
- 2020 Presenter, Scotiabank Women Initiative – Female Entrepreneur Day presentation on Innovation Disruption
- 2020 Article in the Top 100 Canadian Professionals Magazine Fall Edition on Donna Purcell QC Law
- 2020 – Alberta Protocol for Remote Questioning (part of working group during COVID-19)
- 2020 – Co-Creator of Alberta Civil Trial Lawyers Association’s 7 Episode YouTube Survive and Thrive Virtual Reality Lunchbox Webinar Series on Virtual Litigation developed during the first weeks of COVID-19
- 2020 – Alberta Civil Trial Lawyers Association’s Survive and Thrive Virtual Reality Lunchbox Webinar Presentation on Virtual Treatment/Virtual Experts (Episode 6)
- 2020 – Alberta Civil Trial Lawyers Association’s Survive and Thrive Virtual Reality Lunchbox Webinar Presentation on Virtual Mediation (Episode 3)
- 2020 – Canadian Bar Association National Podcast interview for “The Every Lawyer” on Managing During the Pandemic: An “Outside the Big Cities” Roundtable Discussion
- 2020 – Alberta Civil Trial Lawyers Association’s Survive and Thrive Virtual Reality Lunchbox Webinar Presentation on Virtual Questioning (Episode 2)
- 2020 – Alberta Civil Trial Lawyers Association’s Survive and Thrive Virtual Reality Lunchbox Webinar Presentation on Virtual Meetings with Clients, Employees and Lawyers (Episode 1)
- 2020 – Canadian Bar Association “Keeping Small and Solo Firms Going in Uncertain Times” webinar during COVID-19
- 2020 – University of Calgary, Small & Regional Firm Day Panel (2015, 2017)
- 2019 – Presentation on “The Role of Questioning in the Summary Judgment and Summary Trial Environment” to Legal Education Society of Alberta
- 2018 – Presentation on “Select Legal Issues Involved in Patient Treatment” to Collegiate Sports Medicine Inc.
- 2016 – Legal Education Society of Alberta Questioning: An Interactive Seminar for Litigators: “Managing Challenging Witnesses and Counsel”
- 2013 – Introduction of Premier Alison Redford at Alberta Civil Trial Lawyers Association’s Women’s Law Forum “Lessons Learned in Life and Law”
- 2013 – Presentation on “Current Legal Issues in Employment Law” to Central Alberta Bar Association
- 2013 – Presentation on “Current Legal Issues Surrounding Human Resources” to Certified General Accountants Association of Alberta
- 2010 – Presentation of “The New Drop Dead Rule 4.33” paper at Alberta Civil Trial Lawyers Association “The New Rules: An Essential Overview” Seminar
- 2010 – Presentation of “Update in Personal Injury Law: Minor Injury Regulation – What Every Lawyer Needs to Know” paper for Central Alberta Bar Association
- 2010 – Presentation of “Emerging Defence Tactics and How to Deal with Them” at Alberta Civil Trial Lawyers Association’s “Beat the Cap” Seminar
- 2004 – “Tort Reform 101” paper provided to the Central Alberta Bar Association
- 2003 – Presentation to Public Legal Education Network of Alberta (PLENA) member organizations – Employment Law “Tips and Traps”
- 2003 – Presentation to Municipality – Liability of Municipalities and Insurance
- 2002-2005 – Junior Achievement of Southern Alberta – World of Choices – Lawyer Facilitator
- 1998 – Presentation to Alberta Association of Insurance Adjusters – “What Defence Counsel likes to see in the Adjuster’s File” 1997
- 1997- Presentation to Alberta Dental Association – Employment Law
- 1995 – Presentation/Outreach Program on behalf of The University of Alberta, Faculty of Law – Open Forum on Gun Control – Bill C-68: Good Motives, Bad Law: Law and Firearm Control
- 1995 – Presentation at Grant MacEwan College for the Insurance Institute of Canada course on Principles and Practice of Insurance – Law and the Judicial System
- 1994 – Law Society – assisted in drafting/revising Loss Prevention Handbook section
- 1993 – Presentation to Alberta Motor Association Insurance Company – Changes to the Alberta Rules of Court – Next Step
- 1991 – Presentation to Bank of Montreal Auditor’s Group – Registrations under the Alberta Personal Property Security Act
- 1990 – Assisted in the research and preparation of “Civil Procedure and Practice: Some Recent Developments”, by G. H. Poelman and A. S. Rudakoff for (1990), 24 Alta. Law Rev. 672
- 1990 – Presentation to Credit Union Central – Part 6 of the Personal Property Security Act
- Alberta Civil Trial Lawyers Association, President’s Award, 2023
- Red Deer & District Chamber of Commerce’s Business of the Year, 2022
- Top 25 Most Influential Lawyers in Canadian Lawyer Magazine, Changemaker Category, 2021
- Selected for the Top 50 Professional Women Magazine (North America), 2020
- Selected for the Top 100 Attorneys Magazine (North America), 2020
- Selected for the Top 100 Canadian Professionals Magazine, 2020
- Alberta Civil Trial Lawyers Association, Gary J. Bigg Champion of Justice Award, 2018
- Women in Law Leadership, (WILL), Award Recipient, Leadership in the Community, 2015
- Queen’s Counsel Appointment, 2011
- Prism Award for outstanding commitment to pro bono legal services, 2011
- Various academic scholarships including:
- University of Calgary Scholarship in Law
- Louise McKinney Scholarship in Law (for Highest Academic Standing)
- Louise McKinney Scholarship (for Exceptional Academic Achievement)
- Calgary Herald Scholarship in Social Sciences
- Alexander Rutherford Scholarship
- Texaco Merit Scholarship
- Video – Survive & Thrive Virtual Reality Lunchbox Webinar Series – Episode 1 – Demo 1 – May 2020
- Video – Survive & Thrive Virtual Reality Lunchbox Webinar Series – Episode 1 – Dealing with the “Paper” Work – May 2020
- Video – Survive & Thrive Virtual Reality Lunchbox Webinar Series – Episode 2 – Demo 2 – May 2020
- Video – Survive & Thrive Virtual Reality Lunchbox Webinar Series – Episode 3 – Demo 3 – May 2020
- Video – Survive & Thrive Virtual Reality Lunchbox Webinar Series – Episode 5 – June 2020
- Video – Survive & Thrive Virtual Reality Lunchbox Webinar Series – Episode 6 – June 2020
- Podcast – The Every Lawyer: Keeping Small & Solo Firms Going During Uncertain Times – April 2020
- Article – Local Dancers Part of Nationally Touring Show – March 2015
- Article – Province to Move Landlord & Tenant Disputes Out of Court – July 2014
- Article – Big Brothers, Big Sisters to Benefit from Dance Contest – October 2013
- Article – Three Red Deer Lawyers Receive Queen’s Counsel Appointments – December 2011
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