Freda M. Steel was appointed to the

Manitoba Court of Queen's Bench The Court of King's Bench of Manitoba ()—or the Court of Queen’s Bench of Manitoba, depending on the monarch—is the superior court of the Canadian province of Manitoba. The court is divided into two divisions. The Family Division deals wi ...

on October 5, 1995. She replaced Michel Monnin, upon his appointment to the

Manitoba Court of Appeal The Manitoba Court of Appeal () is the court of appeal in, and the highest court of, the Canadian province of Manitoba. It hears criminal, civil, and family law cases, as well as appeals from various administrative boards and tribunals. Seated i ...

. On February 29, 2000, she was appointed to the

. She replaced Sterling R. Lyon, who had opted to become a supernumerary judge. Steel received her Bachelor of Laws from the

University of Manitoba The University of Manitoba (U of M, UManitoba, or UM) is a public research university in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Founded in 1877, it is the first university of Western Canada. Both by total student enrolment and campus area, the University of ...

in 1975 and her master's degree from

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, Harvard Law School is the oldest law school in continuous operation in the United ...

in 1978. She was called to the Manitoba Bar in 1976 and to the Ontario Bar in 1980. From 1975 to 1977, she practised law with Richardson and Company in

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...

. From 1978 to 1982, she was an assistant professor of law with the

Common Law Common law (also known as judicial precedent, judge-made law, or case law) is the body of law primarily developed through judicial decisions rather than statutes. Although common law may incorporate certain statutes, it is largely based on prece ...

Section of the

University of Ottawa The University of Ottawa (), often referred to as uOttawa or U of O, is a Official bilingualism in Canada, bilingual public research university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on directly to the northeast of Downtown Ot ...

. From 1982 to 1989, she was an associate professor of law at the University of Manitoba, where she served as associate dean of law from 1983 to 1984. From 1989 to 1992, she was director of professional education at the Law Society of Manitoba. From 1992 until her appointment to the bench in 1995, she returned to her role as a professor at the Faculty of Law at the University of Manitoba. Madam Justice Steel has taught

family law Family law (also called matrimonial law or the law of domestic relations) is an area of the law that deals with family matters and domestic relations. Overview Subjects that commonly fall under a nation's body of family law include: * Marriag ...

, clinical family law,

ethics Ethics is the philosophy, philosophical study of Morality, moral phenomena. Also called moral philosophy, it investigates Normativity, normative questions about what people ought to do or which behavior is morally right. Its main branches inclu ...

and professional responsibility, as well as

torts A tort is a civil wrong, other than breach of contract, that causes a claimant to suffer loss or harm, resulting in legal liability for the person who commits the tortious act. Tort law can be contrasted with criminal law, which deals with c ...

. She also acted as a labour arbitrator. From 1993 until 1995, she acted as counsel to the Office of the Children's Advocate. Steel is the author or co-author of various publications and articles on

and equality rights. Madam Justice Steel has regularly participated in continuing legal education programs for members of both the Manitoba Bench and Bar.

References

Government of Canada News Release
(accessed March 31, 2014)

(accessed August 3, 2007) Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Judges in Manitoba University of Manitoba alumni Harvard Law School alumni Canadian women judges {{canada-law-bio-stub