Svetlana Filincova’s career in the judiciary system of Moldova began in 1996 - she was appointed a judge in the Botanica District Court in Chisinau. Until then she had worked as a lawyer, for more than ten years. In 2007 Mrs. Filincova advanced to the Supreme Court of Justice (CSJ) by a decree signed by then Parliament Speaker Marian Lupu.

In 2012 Mrs. Filincova became a deputy chairwoman of CSJ, acting in parallel as the chief of the panel for civil, commercial, and administrative disputes. However, in 2015, she suddenly retired from the post of deputy chairwoman.

Svetlana Filincova is one of the Moldovan magistrates with faults for the condemnation of Moldova in the European Court of Human Rights. The case Ghimp and Others vs Moldova - which envisaged the torture and death of an inmate and consequently the payment of 100,000 euros in damages - is the best known among her faults.