Tina Huizinga, KC

Tina practiced in various areas of civil litigation, including employment, contract disputes, and family law for the first 10 years of her practice, then moving to practice solely in the area of family law. During that time she has appeared at all levels of Court in Alberta, including over 100 appearances at the Court of Appeal. After 22 years, she is winding down her litigation practice to focus solely on mediations, arbitrations and appellate practice.

Tina taught Techniques in Negotiation at the University of Alberta Faculty of Law for 6 years and is a regular guest instructor for other classes. She is a regular panelist for LESA seminars, including being an instructor for the Intensive Trial Advocacy Course for 2 years, and was a Bar Admission/CPLED instructor for many years. She continues to be a guest speaker at CBA luncheons

She obtained her National Q.Arb designation in 2015 and National C.Arb designation in 2021, and was appointed Queen’s Counsel (now King’s Counsel) in March of 2022.

Inquiries for mediations or arbitrations can be directed to Tina’s assistant, Andi Groves at: thassistant@hdllaw.ca, and for appeals to Judi by telephone at (587) 520-8229.

Michelle Di Toppa

Michelle graduated from the University of Alberta law school and was admitted to the Alberta Bar in 2005. Michelle has extensive experience in the area of family law litigation which is her primary area of practice. Coupled with her litigation experience, Michelle is a registered Collaborative Family Lawyer having received additional training in interest-based negotiation and mediation. She has attended at all levels of Court in Alberta and participated in many alternative dispute resolution processes.

Michelle is a strong advocate for her clients and while she believes that a negotiated settlement is ideal, she recognizes the need for and has great respect for the Court Process. Michelle believes it is important for her clients to feel informed and respected throughout along with providing them the option to opt out of the Court process if they choose to and if it is appropriate to depending on their needs and circumstances.

Along with being a member of the Canadian Bar Association, Michelle is an active member of the community and a founding member of the Canadian Volunteers for International Development Society (CVIDS) a charitable organization dedicated to providing medical and humanitarian aid in underdeveloped countries.

Collista Coles

Collista was born and raised in a small community in the Northwest Territories. Having attended numerous courses throughout the years along with being a member of the Edmonton Bar and Canadian Bar Association since 1998, Collista has over 20 years legal experience with a primary area of practice in Family Law. Collista is able to assist with all Family Law matters with a view of settlement. As these situations can often involve high conflict and/or complex matters dealing with custody, access, child/spousal support, and property division, her expertise in these matters can be invaluable.

If settlement is unattainable, Collista's extensive experience in family litigation, appearing before the Provincial Court, Court of Queen’s Bench and Court of Appeal of Alberta can assist in negotiating the best outcome possible.

In addition to working with all aspects of Family Law matters, Collista also has extensive experience in Personal Injury law for clients that have suffered various complex injuries, including brain injuries. Collista has also attended numerous Alternative Dispute Resolution Processes in an effort to reach settlement on issues, and before trial.

Denise Layton

Denise Layton is an Edmonton lawyer practising in the areas of Residential Real Estate, Commercial Real Estate, Business and Corporate law and Wills and Estates. Denise aims to provide legal advice and services in an empathetic and understandable manner to her clients. Denise’s wide range of experience in business and life assists her in navigating through her clients legal matters – whether it’s planning and drafting estate documents (Denise has a special soft spot for seniors –“ hopefully we’ll all be there some day!”), working through the legalities of financing, buying a property, starting or buying or selling a business, drafting agreements, reviewing leases – and everything in between. The bottom line is - Denise likes to’ keep it simple’ by providing practical and understandable legal advice - responsively and proactively.

Denise is grateful for the wonderful client relationships she has enjoyed for the past 30+ years. She looks forward to sharing her extensive legal experience with her clients and future clients - whether individuals or business clients - for many more years.

Denise works hard and she still loves it… When not at work, she loves sharing time and activities with family and friends.

James D. Henry

James graduated from the University of Victoria Faculty of Law in 2018. James practices almost exclusively in Family Law and Child Welfare. Prior to joining Huizinga Di Toppa Coles and Layton in the fall of 2021, he articled at a boutique family law firm. In his previous careers, James worked for the Metis Nation of Alberta in its Intergovernmental Relations Department negotiating agreements between the Nation and different levels of Government. He is very familiar with alternative dispute resolutions available and he believes there are many avenues available in order to pursue resolution inclusive of mediation, arbitration, Binding JDRs, and constructing creative solutions to see a matter to its finality. He understands litigation can take many forms and is eager to assist you in navigating them.