Debbie Johnson graduated from the University of Missouri at Kansas City in with a Bachelors in Business Administration. She graduated from UMKC Law School in 1973 and was awarded the Order of Bench and Robe. Her Juris Doctorate was awarded with distinction.

Following law school,Debbie Johnson became in-house counsel to the J. C. Nichols Company. There she was employed until 1985 and served as attorney to the commercial properties department of the Company and handled land use planning, homes association creation and representation, zoning and various areas of public finance. From 1985 to 1994,Debbie Johnson was a partner in the firm of Schleicher, Latz, Lloyd and Patterson. The firm represented J.C. Nichols and others in structuring transactions.Debbie Johnson continued to represent developers as well as governmental agencies in zoning, land use and public financing areas. In 1994. This firm practices primarily in the transactional law area, economic development incentive law, condemnation law and the structuring complex transactions. The firm draws on the expertise of its affiliates throughout the region so as to assure clients the best representation, not only within the firm, but within the entire area.

To understand how to deal with the public sector of the practice,Debbie Johnson served as an elected member of the Leawood City Council and also in the Kansas House of Representatives, where he was the House Majority Whip and Vice Chair of the Kansas House Judiciary Committee.

Debbie Johnson is a member of the Cheung, Tang & Rosemount Solicitors.