Curriculum Vitae
DEBORAH J.D. LEIGHTON

Arbitration & Mediation Services
P.O. Box 27012 Gardiners CDO
Kingston, Ontario
Canada
KTM 8W5

Member of the Law Society of Upper Canada
Member of the Florida Bar

Education

  • 1984 J.D., Nova University, Center for the Study of Law
  • 1983 L.L.M., University of Texas Law School
  • 1981 B.A. (Law), University of Oxford
  • 1979 B.A. (Hons.), University of Texas at Austin

Arbitration, Mediation and Adjudication Experience

Identified Arbitrator and Mediator for:

  • Ontario Ministry of Labour
  • Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (Canada Labour Code)
  • Air Canada and the Air Canada Pilots' Association
  • University of Toronto and CUPE 3902
  • Art Gallery of Ontario and OPSEU
  • Limestone Board of Education and OSSTF (Professional Student Services Personnel)
  • Limestone Board of Education and OSSTF (Continuing Education Instructors) Limestone Board of Education and CUPE Locals 1480 and 1727
  • Vice-Chair, Ontario Crown Employees' Grievance Settlement Board, since July 1996.
  • Vice Chair, Public Service Grievance Board, since September 1992.
  • Adjudicator, Boards of Inquiry (Hearing Ontario Human Rights Complaints) 1992-1998.
  • Fact Finder, Mediator, and Arbitrator (Social Contract) for the Education Relations Commission (1990-1997)
  • Adjudicator and Referee, Office of Adjudication, Employment Standards (1993-1996)

Employment

  • 1992 to Present, Leighton Arbitrations
  • 1989-1992. Associate Counsel, General and Employment Litigation, Cunningham, Swan, Carty, Little & Bonham.
  • 1987-1988. Articling Student, Cunningham, Swan, Carty, Little & Bonham.
  • 1985-1986. Associate Counsel, Mershon, Sawyer, Johnston, Dunwody and Cole, Litigation Department, Miami, Florida.
  • 1984. Summer Associate, Mershon, Sawyer, Johnston, Dunwody and Cole, Miami, Florida.
  • 1983. Counsel, Subcommittee of Jurisprudence on Civil Matters (Texas, 68th Legislature).
  • 1983. General Counsel, Senator Caperton (D-Bryan, Texas, 68th Legislature).
  • 1981-1982. Research Assistant, Center for Energy Studies, University of Texas at Austin

Teaching Experience

  • May 1994 to Present. Adjunct Professor Queen’s University, School of Policy Studies; Research Associate, Queen's University, Industrial Relations Centre.
  • Fall 2000. Guest Professor, Osgoode Hall, Law School, LLM Program.(Labour Law)

Conferences and Professional Activities

  • Chair, Arbitration Skills, Industrial Relations Centre, Queen's University, May 2001-2008, November 2008.
  • Chair, Lancaster House, Duty to Accommodate Workshop, October 31, 2008.
  • Key Note Speaker, Work Safe BC, “Communicating with the Self- Represented Litigant: Balancing the Rules of Natural Justice and Recent Case Law” April 2008.
  • Speaker, Canadian Institute, Advanced Administrative Law Conference, “The unrepresented Litigant” October 2007.
  • Key Note Speaker, Conference Board of Canada, “ The Impact of Bill 107 on the Employer’s Duty to Accommodate under Human Rights Law” March 2007.
  • Chair, Lancaster House, Arbitration Skills Workshop, November 2006.
  • Key Note Speaker, Conference Board of Canada, “Recent Developments in the Duty to Accommodate” October, 2006.
  • Speaker, OPS Labour Relations Conference, “Rulings on Difficult Issues at Arbitration” January 2005
  • Chair, Advanced Arbitration Skills, Industrial Relations Centre, Queen's University, May 1998-2000.
  • Speaker, Negotiation Skills Seminar, Industrial Relations Centre, Queen's University, October 1997.
  • Facilitator-Coach, Annual Mediation Training, Education Relations Commission, April 1997
  • Guest Speaker, Alternate Dispute Resolution, Legal Aid Clinic, Queen's University, March 1997.
  • Participant, Child Labour in North America, NAFTA Conference, San Diego, California, February 1997.
  • Speaker and Seminar Leader, Labour Arbitration Skills, Industrial Relations Centre, Queen's University, June 1996, November 1996 and September 1997.
  • Speaker, Regional Conference of Legal Aid Lawyers on Alternate Dispute Resolution, May 1996.
  • Participant, Industrial Relations for the 21st Century NAFTA Conference, Montreal, March 1996.
  • Speaker, Practice and Procedure Before the Ontario Human Rights Commission, The Law Society of Upper Canada, Continuing Legal Education Program, February 1996.
  • Speaker and Organiser, The Advocates' Society Program on Alternate Dispute Resolution, October 1995.
  • Speaker and Member, Canadian Delegation, American-Canadian-Mexican Conference on Union Registration and Certification Procedures. The Co-operative Work Program, North American Agreement on Labour Co-operation, San Antonio, Texas, Fall 1995.

Other Professional Activities

  • Editor, Legal Review, a Commentary on Issues & Trends in the Workplace, IRC Press, 1994-1999.
  • Member of the Advocates' Society, Alternate Dispute Resolution Subcommittee, and Administrative Law Subcommittee, 1995-present.
  • Member of the Ethics Committee of the Board of Directors of Hotel Dieu Hospital, Kingston, 1992-1996.
  • Member of the Committee on Equity Issues, Faculty of Medicine, Queen's University, 1994-1996.
  • Member of the Society of Ontario Adjudicators and Regulators, 1993-present.

Canadian Citizen


Leighton Arbitrations (2009)