Dayna Steinfeld, a lawyer at Fillmore Riley LLP who practises in the areas of regulatory and administrative law, labour and employment law, human rights, and civil litigation, has earned recognition as a CBC Manitoba Future 40 recipient for her pro bono work on a significant human rights case.
She acts as legal counsel for a coalition, which includes Aboriginal Council of Winnipeg, Inc., Canada Without Poverty, Canadian Mental Health Association, Manitoba and Winnipeg, and End Homelessness Winnipeg, in the Supreme Court of Canada (SCC) case R v. Le.
The primary issue in the case is whether an invited guest in a friend’s backyard has a reasonable expectation of being secure from uninvited police intrusion. The broader question is whether a privacy interest premised upon control over property can be meaningful for individuals who lack the resources and often the authority to proactively secure their dignity. The Appeal was heard on October 12, 2018, with a decision to follow.
In addition to her pro bono work in the Le case, Dayna regularly represents clients through a provincial program that provides Independent Counsel to victims of sexual abuse, both minors and adults, where the private records of victims is at issue in criminal trials. In her practice, Dayna also provides advice to employers, employees, service providers, and individuals on human rights issues, including discrimination, accommodation, and harassment matters.
Dayna’s passion for human rights is one of the reasons she went to law school. When Dayna attended the University of Manitoba’s Faculty of Law, she played a key role in the organization of The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s first National Event, and also volunteered with the Women’s Legal Education and Action Fund and the University Centre for Human Rights Research. Dayna now teaches a upper-year course on the Charter of Rights and Freedoms at the law school.
In 2013-14, following a successful application in a highly competitive country-wide process, Dayna worked as a law clerk to the Honourable Justice Marshall Rothstein at the Supreme Court of Canada. The experience she gained has helped inform her legal advocacy, including her analysis of complex legal issues and representation of clients before all levels of decision makers.
