After obtaining an LLB degree, Debbie completed pupillage and later articles and practiced as an attorney in the Eastern Cape, specialising in Labour, Electronic and Property Law until 2001 when she joined the UCT Law Faculty as an assistant lecturer and IT co-ordinator. Debbie is currently Associate Professor in the Commercial Law Department and Deputy Dean: Postgraduate studies. Debbie is a member of the Institute of Development and Labour Law (IDLL) and serves on the editorial board of the Development and Labour Monograph Series, an IDLL publication and is an associate of the Labour and Enterprise Project. She is involved in the teaching and supervision of undergraduate and postgraduate law students, as well as students outside of the Law Faculty.

Debbie researches in the field of law and development and her PhD focused on law and development in the context of intellectual property law. Her current research interests lie in employment law and development, specifically in the context of workplace discrimination and equality law.