Denise Deschênes

What my clients say

I want to express my gratitude for your advice, your legal counsel, and for making my experience as painless as possible.
I felt heard, supported, and seen throughout this entire legal process.
Keep up the awesome work! I appreciated the laughs as well. I'm glad that I had you in my corner. :)

Denise Deschênes

What my clients say

I want to express my gratitude for your advice, your legal counsel, and for making my experience as painless as possible.
I felt heard, supported, and seen throughout this entire legal process.
Keep up the awesome work! I appreciated the laughs as well. I'm glad that I had you in my corner. :)

Denise
Deschênes
Audio Player
Lawyer
Audio Player
Denise
Deschênes
Audio Player

What Denise enjoys most about employment law is connecting with clients on a personal level, and helping them navigate what can often be a stressful and challenging time in their lives.

Denise Deschênes is an associate lawyer who focuses on a variety of workplace issues including human rights issues, unjust dismissal, negotiation of employment contracts, and workplace investigations.

Her approach is empathetic, ensuring the sometimes overwhelming legal details of a case are clearly understood and accessible to her clients. After meeting with a client, Denise aims to develop a road map explaining what is happening in a case, and what the next steps are. She clearly explains all possible options, and ensures her client’s voice is heard.

Denise is fluently bilingual and can represent her clients in both English and French. She has also appeared before the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal and the Ontario Small Claims Court.

Originally from a small town in Northern Ontario, Denise studied Social Work at Western University and worked as a social worker with Children’s Aid Society before pursuing a career in law. She obtained her law degree at the University of Ottawa and was called to the Bar in 2019.

Denise was recognized in the 2025 edition of Best Lawyers with the “Ones To Watch” designation, an award recognizing lawyers who are in the first 10 years of their careers for outstanding professional excellence in private practice.

Outside of the office, Denise plays the violin in an orchestra. She’s also a total foodie, loves the outdoors, and travels any chance she gets.

 

Education & Professional Associations
  • Call to Ontario Bar
  • J.D, l’Université d’Ottawa
  • B. A., Honours (Social Work) Western University
  • County of Carleton Law Association
  • Association des juristes d'expression française de l'Ontario

Practice Groups

Have Questions?

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Authored Content

Employment Law for Employees
Blog
Reading time: 2 mins
Understanding your rights Originally created to address the specific needs of Shopify employees during a period of mass layoffs, this[...]
Blog
Reading time: 2 mins
Introduction International Women’s Day (“IWD”) celebrates the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women worldwide. This year’s IWD takes[...]
Employment Law for Employees
Blog
Reading time: 3 mins
A shifting world of work The world of work has been undergoing massive changes over the past decade. The COVID-19[...]

Related Posts

Employment Law for Employees
Blog
Reading time: 2 mins
Reports have emerged that IBM is undertaking another “resource action”—its term for workforce restructurings that may include mass terminations. While[...]
Employment Law for Employees
Blog
Reading time: 2 mins
The federal government has introduced several temporary changes to Employment Insurance (EI) that aim to make it easier and faster[...]
Employment Law for Employees
Blog
Reading time: 2 mins
As Hudson’s Bay Company begins liquidation sales at nearly all of its Canadian stores, over 9,300 employees are facing job[...]