Overview
Joyce maintains a general civil litigation practice. She has experience assisting clients with variety of complex corporate commercial matters, shareholder disputes (including oppression and derivative actions), oil and gas and construction claims, as well as estates and trusts litigation. Joyce also regularly acts as defence counsel in professional negligence and personal injury matters.
Joyce has appeared in Provincial Court and the Court of King’s Bench in Alberta and British Columbia, in addition to working for a time with the City of Calgary, where she acted regularly as a municipal prosecutor for various by-law matters. Joyce has also acted as co-counsel on matters before the Alberta Court of Appeal.
Prior to joining Miller Thomson, Joyce spent 10 years litigating with one of Calgary’s leading litigation boutique firms.
Professional achievements & leadership
- Harold F. and Anne Bedner Uphill Scholarship in Law, 2010
- Belcourt Brosseau Métis Award, 2008
- Alberta Law Foundation Entrance Scholarship, 2008
- Johnny Samson Prize in Native Studies, 2006
Notable matters
- As counsel, successfully set aside a worldwide Mareva Injunction, with enhanced costs. As co-counsel successfully set aside a worldwide Mareva Injunction. Both matters involved complicated jurisdictional issues.
- Co-counsel in successful 5 day Court of King’s Bench trial, acting for Plaintiffs in a negligent and fraudulent misrepresentation claim relating to the purchase of contaminated commercial land.
- Co-counsel for interveners in a hearing before the Alberta Utilities Commission.
- Acted on a team of independent supervising solicitors in the execution of an ex parte Anton Piller Order.
- Co-counsel for an international manufacturing company in a dispute with a Canadian bank over payment of a $5 million letter of credit.
- Assisted lead counsel in the representation of trustees in a contentious and lengthy trusts and estate dispute over an estate worth approximately $200 million.
- Represented a firm of professional engineers respecting claims arising from the failure of a community retaining wall in large multi-party litigation, and successfully obtained summary judgment on their behalf.
- Co-counsel in defending a highly contentious Originating Application to have an extraordinary resolution of unitholders of a trust declared valid and binding on a trust.
- Co-counsel for an international company in a multi-party dispute over the failure of an oil and gas well caused by improper steel specifications.
- Assisted lead counsel in obtaining a successful mandatory injunction, requiring the tie-in of a major oil pipeline involving public companies, and related disputes between those companies, including defending an Originating Application regarding interpretation of ownership rights of an interconnection facility.
- Co-counsel for a multi-billion-dollar international company in defending claims of oppression and breaches of duty arising from a Plan of Arrangement, also relating, in part, to charges under the Corruption of Foreign Public Officials Act.
- Co-counsel for a post-secondary institution in successfully defending against a Judicial Review application arising from a decision to withdraw a Ph.D student their program.
- Co-counsel on a successful application for oppression on behalf of a director.
Thought leadership
- ACTLA Litigation Seminar, Answers to Undertakings and Objections, 2022
- LESA Law of Damages Seminar, Restitutionary Alternatives to ‘Normal’ Damages, 2018
Community involvement
- International Justice Mision, Mobilization Associate, 2013 – 2015
- Pro Bono Law Alberta, Access to Justice Video Project
- Volunteer, Calgary Legal Guidance, 2011 – 2013
Professional memberships
- Law Society of Alberta
- Canadian Bar Association
Bar admissions & education
- Alberta Bar, 2012
- Juris Doctor, Indigenous Law Concentration, University of British Columbia, 2011
- Bachelor of Arts (with Distinction), Faculty of Native Studies, University of Alberta, 2008
