Marva J. Smith, Q.C., was appointed to the Provincial Court of Manitoba

Provincial Court of Manitoba

The Provincial Court of Manitoba hears cases relating to criminal law and family law and other statutes.- Current Judges:- Former Judges:-External links:*...

 on October 28, 1999.

Judge Smith obtained her law degree 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 1976, earning the University of Manitoba Faculty of Law gold medal. She also has a Master of Laws degree from the University of London

University of London

-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...

 (London School of Economics

London School of Economics

The London School of Economics and Political Science is a public research university specialised in the social sciences located in London, United Kingdom, and a constituent college of the federal University of London...

) in England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

.

Judge Smith was a practicing lawyer for 21 years, including six years in private practice, three years as a consultant in labour relations and pay equity with Manitoba Labour and 13 years with the Constitutional Law Branch of Manitoba Justice.

Judge Smith served as an assistant professor at the Faculty of Law at the University of Manitoba for two years and has been involved in a variety of community organizations, including the Robert A. Steen Community Centre board, the Westminster Tot Lot board and the Community Unemployed Help Centre.

Judge Smith also served as senior counsel with the federal Department of Justice and as vice-president of the Manitoba branch of the Canadian Bar Association

Canadian Bar Association

The Canadian Bar Association represents over 37,000 lawyers, judges, notaries, law teachers, and law students from across Canada.-History:The Association's first Annual Meeting was held in Montreal in 1896. However, the CBA has been in continuous existence in its present form since 1914...

. She has handled both criminal law

Criminal law

Criminal law, is the body of law that relates to crime. It might be defined as the body of rules that defines conduct that is not allowed because it is held to threaten, harm or endanger the safety and welfare of people, and that sets out the punishment to be imposed on people who do not obey...

 and civil matters at all court levels, including cases involving issues such as domestic violence

Domestic violence

Domestic violence, also known as domestic abuse, spousal abuse, battering, family violence, and intimate partner violence , is broadly defined as a pattern of abusive behaviors by one or both partners in an intimate relationship such as marriage, dating, family, or cohabitation...

, gangs and the sexual assault

Sexual assault

Sexual assault is an assault of a sexual nature on another person, or any sexual act committed without consent. Although sexual assaults most frequently are by a man on a woman, it may involve any combination of two or more men, women and children....

of children.