Women in Law Leadership Awards Alberta

Former Justice of the Court of Appeal and the Court of King’s Bench, Marina was born and raised in Calgary.  She attended the University of Toronto and graduated with her J.D. from Osgoode Hall Law School at York University in 1978.  After being called to the Bar in Ontario in April 1980, she returned to Calgary to practice law and was also admitted to the Alberta Bar in 1980. 

Marina’s law practice focused on various types of litigation, largely corporate commercial, health and family.  During most of that time she was an associate and then a partner at the firm of Howard Mackie, a legacy firm of what is now Borden Ladner Gervais LLP. In 1994, Marina received the designation of K.C.

Marina was also a board member of the Alberta Securities Commission and the President and General Counsel of Madacalo Investments Ltd., with responsibility for overseeing the management administration and initiation of various enterprises including the development of the legal framework for new ventures not yet been established in Canada.

Prior to her appointment to the then Queen’s Bench of Alberta in 1996, Marina was involved in community pursuits including as Board Member of the United Way of Calgary (and Chair of its Strategic Planning Committee), the Alberta Arts Stabilization Fund, and the Calgary Women’s Emergency Shelter.  She has been a long committed volunteer in the Calgary Jewish Community serving on its Federation Board and executive, and chairing fundraising on its behalf. 

Over her 27 years as a Justice of both the trial court and the Court of Appeal, Marina heard and wrote numerous precedent setting cases in  all areas of the law including charter rights, family law, administrative law and corporate commercial matters.  She has a vast legacy of jurisprudence. Marina also served on the Court of Appeal of the Northwest Territories, the Court of Appeal of Nunavut and the Court Martial Appeal Court of Canada.

As a judge, Marina became actively involved in judicial and legal education and court administration.  She was a member of the Canadian Judicial Council Committee on Judicial Independence and Appointments whose mandate included rewriting the code of judicial conduct.  She was an executive member of the International Association of Women Judges during which tenure she chaired the National Round Tables on retention of women in the legal profession and also became closely aligned with the plight of Afghan women judges.  In that capacity, Marina was actively involved in the resettlement of these women and their families and spearheaded fundraising to enable them to integrate more easily into Canadian society and the legal profession.  She continues to champion this cause through the Displaced Legal Scholars Fund at the University of Calgary.

Marina has regularly made presentations to the National Judicial Institute, the Legal Education Society of Alberta, the Advocates Society and the International Insolvency Institute. While on the court Marina was also committed to numerous access to justice initiatives including being a founding board member of Pro Bono Law Alberta, the Self Represented Litigants Advisory Committee and the Family Justice Advisory Committee. 

Marina has a long history of mentoring and teaching in the profession.  In keeping with her desire to maintain that activity, Marina joined the firm of Borden Ladner Gervais LLP as senior counsel in 2024.  In that capacity she now mediates and arbitrates, but primarily chooses to provide counsel, strategy and guidance to younger lawyers.

Marina maintains many of her community volunteer activities  and participates actively in the arts scene in Calgary.  Marina continues to enjoy her leisure time in the mountains skiing, hiking or biking with her husband of 45 years, Dr. Shep Secter, travelling the world and grandparenting her four extraordinary grandchildren.