Karen I. Simonsen was appointed a judge of the Court of Queen's Bench of Manitoba

Court of Queen's Bench of Manitoba

The Court of Queen's Bench of Manitoba is the superior court of the Canadian province of Manitoba...

 on December 10, 2004. She replaced Mr. Justice Marc Monnin, who was appointed Chief Justice

Chief Justice

The Chief Justice in many countries is the name for the presiding member of a Supreme Court in Commonwealth or other countries with an Anglo-Saxon justice system based on English common law, such as the Supreme Court of Canada, the Constitutional Court of South Africa, the Court of Final Appeal of...

.

Madam Justice Simonsen received a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Manitoba

University of Manitoba

The University of Manitoba , in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, is the largest university in the province of Manitoba. It is Manitoba's most comprehensive and only research-intensive post-secondary educational institution. It was founded in 1877, making it Western Canada’s first university. It placed...

 in 1981. She was admitted to the Manitoba Bar in 1982.

At the time of her appointment, she was a partner with the firm of Thompson Dorfman Sweatman

Thompson Dorfman Sweatman

Thompson Dorfman Sweatman LLP is a Manitoba, Canada-basedlaw firm with its head office in Winnipeg and regional offices in Winkler and Steinbach Manitoba.On May 27, 2010 Thompson Dorfman Sweatman announced a merger with the firm Perlov Stewart LLP...

in Winnipeg. She practised primarily in civil litigation with an emphasis on personal injury, insurance and workers' compensation matters.