Profile

Karen Wittman is a partner with Fast Trippier Clunie Wittman Santos LLP. She has over 19 years experience as a civil litigator working predominantly in three areas: general commercial litigation, personal injury and employment law. She also has extensive experience in insurance law, administrative law, aboriginal law claims, securities litigation and professional liability claims.

In her commercial litigation practice, Karen helps business owners resolve disputes that threaten to slow growth or derail operations. She advises her clients on contractual disputes, shareholder disputes, oppression claims, and claims against directors and officers. In her personal injury practice, Karen advances and defends claims for a variety of injuries including cases involving catastrophic injuries and cases of historical sexual assault. In her employment practice, Karen represents both employers and employees in disputes related to wrongful dismissal claims and the enforcement of employment agreements, confidentiality agreements, and non-competition clauses. Swift and effective results can often be obtained through mediation and arbitration and Karen is experienced at guiding her clients through these processes.

In addition to her practice, Karen is Chair of the Manitoba Criminal Code Review Board, which makes and reviews dispositions concerning those found not criminally responsible on account of mental disorder or unfit to stand trial. She is also Part Time Commissioner representing the public interest with the Appeal Commission, an independent quasi-judicial tribunal established to deal with appeals from the Workers Compensation Board.

Karen is a respected speaker on topics in litigation and an instructor and learning group facilitator for the Centre for Professional Legal Education Program Bar Admission Course with the Law Society of Manitoba. She is Past-President of the Manitoba Bar Association and former Chair of the Women Lawyers Forum. She is also the co-founder of a local networking forum for women lawyers.

• Chair, Criminal Code Review Board of Manitoba
• Part-time Commissioner, Workers Compensation Appeals Commission
• Facilitator, CPLED, Law Society of Manitoba
• Director, Canadian Bar Insurance Association
• Member, Manitoba Bar Association
• Member, Canadian Bar Association

• Past Chair, Women Lawyers Forum
• Past President, Manitoba Bar Association
• Past Chair, Professional Development Committee, Canadian Bar Association Presentations and Publications
• Past Member, Riverview Annual Gala Dinner Fundraiser
• Past Member, SJR Alumni Association
• Participant, Pro Bono program with the Public Interest Law Centre

• 'Debtor and Creditor Rights: An Introduction and Overview', presented to the 2015 CLEA Advanced Community Legal Intermediary Course.
• Annual Hot Topics in Real Estate, co- written with Faron Trippier
• Hot Topics in Real Estate, co-written with Faron Trippier

• Manitoba, 2000

• University of Manitoba, LL.B. 1999
• University of Manitoba, M.A. 1997
• University of Manitoba, B.A. 1991

Languages

• English
• French