For the past decade, students at the University of Manitoba’s Faculty of Law have had the opportunity to pursue part of their legal education in French. However, only since the Fall of 2022 have first-year law students been able to take French law courses that would apply toward obtaining the Access to Justice in French Concentration (A2JF Concentration) designation upon graduation. It is an important milestone to recognize our first official cohort of students who have graduated with this concentration. 

Students in the A2JF Concentration must complete at least 26 of the 92 credits required for the JD degree in bilingual courses – that is, approximately 1/3 of their law courses are completed in French. This innovative program addresses the access to justice need of increasing the number of lawyers in Manitoba and Canada who have the linguistic skills to provide legal services in French.

Left to right: Seth Lozinski [JD/24], Alexander Bastin [JD/25], Maia Bacchus [JD/25], Brent Tichon [JD/25], and Bradley Légaré [JD/24]

Dr. Lorna Turnbull, professor and director of the A2JF Concentration commented, “The graduation of this first cohort of students who have completed the Concentration represents the culmination of years of work by colleagues, members of the community and of course the students themselves, built upon the vision first shared by members of our community with our former colleague, now Justice Gerald Heckman, well over a decade ago.”

We had a celebratory lunch on June 5, 2025 at Promenade Brasserie in Saint-Boniface to recognize the new graduates of the A2JF Concentration and former students who will soon be called to the Manitoba Bar. The celebratory lunch also provided an opportunity to thank the members of the Franco-Manitoban legal community who have supported our students and the A2JF Concentration as instructors, guest lecturers, coaches and judges of the Laskin and Bastarache moots.

We wish to thank Justice Canada’s Access to Justice in Both Official Languages Fund for their generous support. We also wish to thank our students, the University of Manitoba, the Faculty of Law, the francophone legal community, l’Association des juristes d’expression française du Manitoba (AJEFM), Infojustice Manitoba, l’Université de Saint-Boniface, the Law Society of Manitoba, and the Manitoba Bar Association for their support of the A2JF Concentration. We wish to recognize Dr. Lorna Turnbull, director of the A2JF Concentration and Justice Gerald Heckman of the Federal Court of Appeal, former co-director of the A2JF Concentration, for their vision and instrumental work in creating this concentration at the Faculty of Law.

Dr. Turnbull noted, “With their vision, and support, as well as the funding provided by Justice Canada and Canadian Heritage, our community will have better access to justice. Our dedicated alumni who have taken courses in French over the years leading up to the formal approval of the Concentration demonstrate what a difference we can make. I look forward to following these students to see where they will make a difference.”

Félicitations et un grand merci à tous pour votre soutien continu! We look forward to the continued expansion of the A2JF Concentration and seeing the impact that our graduates will have in improving access to justice in French.

I was involved in assisting with the administration of the competition, and I heard praise from many people, including judges, coaches, and fellow competitors, about their performances.

The pair of Heather Peterson and Erin Kyriakopoulos, who competed in the English stream, even received the award for “Best Process Management”, which goes to the team that best demonstrates skills in time management, preparation, adaptability, and self-reflection. Erin explained, “I feel privileged to have had Heather Peterson for my partner in the process, whose dynamism and ability to turn a phrase I deeply admire.” 

Heather Peterson and Erin Kyriakopoulos, received the award for “Best Process Management” (English stream) which goes to the team that best demonstrates skills in time management, preparation, adaptability, and self-reflection.

A Bit More About the CNNC

Nine years ago, the University of Manitoba’s Faculty of Law hosted the inaugural national negotiation competition at Robson Hall, which has been run annually since then.  The size of the competition has been growing each year, both in terms of total teams participating and number of law schools represented. 

The 2025 competition was hosted by the University of Windsor Faculty of Law, in collaboration with the Windsor Law Centre for Cities. The competition was generously sponsored by the University of Manitoba’s Desautels Centre for Private Enterprise and the Law.

This year’s competition theme was “Negotiating Housing”, and the competition problem involved negotiations between a municipality and a First Nation over the construction of infrastructure and affordable housing on a greenfield site.  The writing of the problem was a truly collaborative effort, with input from Professors from the University of Manitoba, the University of New Brunswick, the University of Saskatchewan, and the University of Windsor.

This year, the competition involved three rounds of negotiation taking place over two days, with each round building on the last. Issues to be negotiated included the building of infrastructure; the purchase and supply of power from a hydroelectric power plant on the reserve; the construction of affordable housing units; the allocation of the housing between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people; the use/development of various recreational spaces; and most importantly, the reconciliation of the relationship between the municipality and the First Nation. For every round, each team possessed confidential details about client circumstances and settlement preferences.  The first two rounds were bi-party, with the last round involving a more complex four-party negotiation. Heather Peterson had the following observations about the problem: “The fact pattern for this year’s CNNC was very dense and multifaceted with a daunting four-party negotiation for the final round. I was very pleased to see that the theme included extremely important and topical challenges around housing, conservancy, and reconciliation.”

 All of the negotiating took place under the scrutiny of judges, who scored each team’s negotiation skills.  At the end of each session, the judges provided detailed feedback to each team about what they did well, and potential areas for improvement. 

The competition has always had an educational component, and this year was no exception.  There was a pre-competition symposium involving two panels.  The first panel focused on challenges and breakthroughs in how housing problems have been framed, debated and addressed.  The second panel involved an examination of the successes and challenges of housing in Indigenous communities. Yvan Larocque, Clinical Counsel here at the University of Manitoba and well-respected Indigenous business lawyer, was one of the speakers on the second panel, and discussed his experiences advising and representing Indigenous communities with economic development generally, and housing specifically. He was also one of the judges for the French stream of the competition.

Panelists left to right: Professor Dan Brant and Yvan Larocque.

French Stream 

This was the third year that the CNNC ran a parallel French stream, and this year saw the most teams ever participating in that stream. Teams competed in French using a translated version of the same problems as in the English stream.

The University of Manitoba Faculty of Law once again continued its participation in the French stream with skillful negotiators. Maia Bacchus and Tess Poulton, students in the Access to Justice in French Concentration, were excellent representatives of Robson Hall. Students in this Concentration pursue part of their legal studies in French by completing at least 26 credits of bilingual courses, including the French Negotiation course (Négociation juridique).

Andrea Doyle commented,

“I am pleased with how Maia and Tess demonstrated their excellent negotiation skills and strategies as well as their ability to represent clients in French at this year’s CNNC. They worked hard and impressed the judges with their preparation, complementary negotiating styles and insightful questions.

“Preparation for the CNNC was a team effort. Support was provided by our students who participated in the English stream (Erin, Heather, Larissa and Kirsten) and their coaches, Andrew Torbiak and Heather Wadsworth. Chris Dick of Norton Rose Fulbright Canada and Kennedy Pinette of MLT Aikins, both graduates of the University of Manitoba Faculty of Law, provided valuable advice and feedback to Tess and Maia.

“We appreciate the CNNC organizing committee’s work in continuing to expand the French stream providing students an important opportunity to apply their negotiation skills in French. We wish to thank Justice Canada, the Faculty of Law and members of the Franco-Manitoban legal community for supporting the Access to Justice in French Concentration. We also wish to acknowledge and thank the Faculty of Law and the Desautels Centre for Private Enterprise and the Law for their support of our negotiation teams.”

Student Experiences

The student competitors had an opportunity to reflect about their experiences after the competition concluded. All agreed that the competition was an invaluable experience, one they would highly recommend to their fellow law students.

The students emphasized the valuable professional skills acquired from the competition. “This experience has highlighted for me the importance of making space for collaboration and creativity in legal work,” said Erin. “I am confident that the skills I have honed and lessons I have learned through participating in CNNC will serve me in my future legal career.”

Kirsten described her acquisition of skills as follows: “The CNNC was a highlight of law school. Thanks to our fantastic coaches, we were able to further develop our negotiating skills that we will take into practice. The weekend was an exhilarating few days filled with collegiality, collaboration, and friendly competition. I feel truly blessed to have been able to participate!”

Regarding the impact of the competition on her skill-building, Larissa explained, “Collaborating with my partner and coaches to develop strategies for representing our clients’ interests not only enhanced my legal skills but also strengthened my ability to communicate, think critically, and adapt under pressure—skills that will serve me well as a lawyer and in everyday life. Applying these skills in a competitive setting was both challenging and rewarding.”

Heather Peterson found the final round particularly valuable, stating,  “The four-party negotiation was invigorating and infused with so much kindness and goodwill; I think it was excellent practice for the realities of legal practice where multiple interests and communities must figure out a way to equitably share resources.” 

The students also viewed the competition as an opportunity to network with and learn from law students from other schools. Heather Peterson explained, “It was absolutely awe-inspiring to negotiate with exceptionally talented law students from across Canada. The ways in which different teams incorporated environmentalism and aspects of truth and reconciliation were profound, and I was so excited to be a part of it.”

“It was inspiring to engage with law students from across the country. The level of professionalism and talent demonstrated by the other competitors underscored the strength of the next generation of Canadian lawyers.” – Larissa Einarson, 3L

All of the coaches were filled with praise for the students’ performances.  For example, coach Andrew Torbiak said, “The weekend of the CNNC is the culmination of months of practice, preparation and improvement. I couldn’t be more proud of Kirsten, Larissa, Erin and Heather, this year’s English competition representatives from Robson Hall, for the time and effort that they put into this competition.

“When I was a student negotiator, the fact patterns we dealt with typically involved simple, everyday contractual arrangements, or dealt with the aftermath of some outrageous or unrealistic incident between the parties. This year, the team grappled with scenarios involving access to clean drinking water and affordable housing, and building relationships between government and Indigenous peoples, all in the context of Reconciliation.

“Our students approached this subject matter with sensitivity and respect for the interests of their client and represented their school and province admirably. I’d like to thank each of them for being such a pleasure to work with.”

The admiration went both ways, as all of the students mentioned the extreme gratitude they felt for the invaluable mentorship of the coaches. 

This year’s moot related to an appeal of a recent decision of the Quebec Superior Court regarding section 23 of the Charter (minority language educational rights). The participating teams came from across Canada – the University of Calgary, the University of Saskatchewan, the University of Manitoba, the University of Ottawa (Common Law Section), McGill University, and l’Université de Moncton.

The University of Manitoba team consisted of Alexander Bastin (2L), Bradley Légaré (3L), Nadine Plourde (2L), Brent Tichon (2L) and researcher Samantha Pearce (2L). The team was coached by Julien Bédard of Justice Canada and Richard Goulet of Manitoba Hydro.

Brent Tichon (2L) was recognized as the 4^th best mooter for his oral arguments during the competition (4e meilleur plaideur). Tichon was very positive about his experience at the Bastarache Moot, commenting: “I had a wonderful time at Bastarache. It was challenging but very rewarding to write a factum in my second language and then orally present it before lawyers and judges. My French has improved dramatically, and I was even lucky enough to win the prize for the 4^th best mooter.”

Coach Julien Bédard who provided significant mentorship and support and travelled to Ottawa with the team observed, “The U of M team’s hard work paid off. Chief Justice Rivoalen was impressed by their factums and by their performance during the final practice, and their performance only got better at the competition in Ottawa, handling difficult legal questions with poise and confidence, all of it in their second language! I’m proud of them. The moot itself was a fantastic experience. There was a lot of camaraderie between the teams.”

The students from the University of Manitoba who participated in the Bastarache Moot are all students in the Faculty of Law’s Access to Justice in French Concentration, where students complete at least 26 credits of bilingual law courses. The University of Manitoba’s Faculty of Law has for the past decade offered students the opportunity to pursue part of their legal education in French. Beginning in the Fall of 2022, the Faculty of Law introduced the Access to Justice in French Concentration thanks to generous support from Justice Canada’s Access to Justice in Both Official Languages Fund.

The students emphasized the wonderful learning experience that they had in preparing and participating in the Bastarache Moot. Nadine Plourde (2L) stated:

“I don’t know that I’ve had a more effective or more rapid improvement in my abilities to communicate in French and specifically in legal French in any other instance while at law school. The Bastarache Moot and our coach, Julien Bédard’s personal feedback and coaching has had a massive impact on my confidence in my abilities and communication skills.”

The Bastarache Moot was hands down the highlight of my experience in law school so far. Having an opportunity to compete in a moot entirely in French massively improved my language skills, and arguing in my second language has boosted my own confidence in both English and French.

 – Alexander Bastin (2L)

Alexander Bastin further commented, “The lessons I have learned as a result of participating in Bastarache have made me a better student, and I am certain that they will contribute to my success as a professional. I encourage any law student — no matter how nervous you are — to try out for Bastarache next year: if you receive even a fraction of the benefits that I did, you will be forever grateful for the experience.”

Samantha Pearce (2L), who provided important contributions as the team’s researcher, stated, “Researching for the Bastarache Moot was a wonderful experience. Even though I wasn’t a mooter, I feel as though my reading comprehension and oral comprehension in French have improved greatly. I’m so proud of my classmates and all of their hard work!”

I’m grateful that I got the opportunity to participate in the Bastarache Moot not only because it was another chance to learn and prove that I can be an effective French advocate, but also because I got the opportunity to represent the Franco-Manitoban community in a mock appeal that touched on a subject that is important to me. For me, the best part of the Bastarache Moot was the opportunity to be immersed in a totally French environment composed of people from communities similar to our own.

 – Bradley Légaré (3L)

Andrea Doyle, who was the faculty advisor for this moot and is the Coordinator of the Access to Justice in French Concentration, emphasized the importance of teamwork to successfully participate in a moot. She noted, “All of the students, whether a mooter or a researcher, worked very well together supporting each other. The team received invaluable support from their coaches, Julien Bédard and Richard Goulet, as well as members of l’Association des juristes d’expression française du Manitoba (AJEFM), including judges and lawyers who volunteered their time to provide helpful feedback to the team during their practices.”

Bradley Légaré (3L) expressed his appreciation to the team’s coaches, commenting, “I would like to thank my coaches for their patience and hard work to help us improve. Without people from the community like them, we wouldn’t have the opportunity to participate in these events and I wouldn’t have been able to keep my connection to the Franco-Manitoban community. Julien et Richard, gros merci pour tout votre travail et votre soutien. Je me sens vraiment chanceux d’avoir été enseigné par vous et j’espère pouvoir avoir le même impact positif sur un futur participant. Vous m’avez tous deux aidé à me sentir confiant dans mon avenir en tant qu’avocat et c’est la meilleure chose que j’aurais pu apprendre.”

In concluding his remarks about the Bastarache Moot, Brent Tichon (2L) stated, “Most of all, it was a wonderful experience to get to work with our amazing Manitoba team and our very supportive mentor, and the chance to meet the students from the other schools. This has been the highlight of my law school education, and I can’t recommend it enough.”

The Manitoba Team consisted of Maia Bacchus, Zeynep Fattah, Kirsten Nynych, Jayden Wlasichuk, and researcher Ashley Slagerman. The team was coached by Tanys Bjornson and Tamara Edkins [JD/2019] (Manitoba Department of Justice).

Spirit of the Laskin award

The Manitoba Team was honoured to be awarded the Spirit of the Laskin award, the recipients for which are selected by the other teams and given to the school that best showcases the spirit of the moot – fair competition, commitment to bilingualism, and professional camaraderie. “UM won this award last year, so we were honoured to bring it home again, and to tie with the Moncton team,” Wlasichuk explained. “The Laskin was such a great learning experience, and one of my favourite times of law school!”

“The Laskin Moot was such an incredible experience,” said Wlasichuck. “There were dozens of students from across Canada all together in Calgary to moot about constitutional and administrative issues relating to Artificial Intelligence – thank goodness we only needed to know the law, not the technology!”

Coach Tanys Bjornson commented, “This year’s judges made numerous comments about the excellent quality of the advocacy. The competition was fierce but Manitoba’s team still managed to once again secure the Spirit of the Laskin award. This means that they were voted by their peers to embody the social spirit of the Laskin and displayed fairness and professional camaraderie throughout the competition even when under the stress of competing. It was a pleasure to watch these young women transform into very capable advocates while still maintaining the collegiality for which Manitoba has become known.”

The Spirit of the Laskin means so much to us, and we are proud that the other teams thought of us when they voted. The Laskin was a wonderful opportunity for us to make connections before we go off to practice law – and it’s a great practical experience that we can carry for the rest of our careers!

– Jayden Wlasichuk (3L)

Members of Team Manitoba commented about their rewarding experience in participating in the Laskin Moot.In particular, second-year student, Kirsten Nynych stated:

“The Laskin moot was the most rewarding experience I have had since starting law school. We learned important skills in our oral practices and received very helpful advice from our coaches and guest judges. The competition itself was a unique opportunity to interact with law students across the country and get advice from some of the country’s most esteemed lawyers and judges. I feel so blessed to have been able to participate and represent Robson Hall in this competition.”

Professor Lorna Turnbull, Director of the Access to Justice in French Concentration, and a guest judge for the final practice of Team Manitoba stated:

“It was really thrilling to sit as a ‘judge’ with the Chief Justice of Manitoba Marianne Rivoalen and Judge Denis Guénette of the Provincial Court of Manitoba in the court room of the Manitoba Court of Appeal for the last practice of the Robson Hall team. All the hard work through the months, and the effort of incorporating feedback from previous practice rounds, paid off in an excellent practice by all four members of the team. Whether in French or English, they all did an excellent job of submitting their arguments and responding to questions, even highly technical ones about what to do with AI’s tendency to hallucinate (yes, it’s a thing, look it up)!”

Andrea Doyle, who is an Instructor and the Coordinator of the Access to Justice in French Concentration expressed her appreciation to the coaches as well as the judges, lawyers and professors who supported Team Manitoba. She stated, “I wish to thank the coaches, Tanys Bjornson and Tamara Edkins for their dedication and hard work as well as the support of members of l’Association des juristes d’expression française du Manitoba (AJEFM), including the judges, lawyers and professors who volunteered their time to provide valuable feedback to the team during their practices.”

Bilingualism

A unique aspect of the Laskin Moot is that it is a bilingual moot where at least one mooter from each team must prepare their written and oral argument in French. Maia Bacchus, a second-year student in the Access to Justice in French Concentration at the University of Manitoba, Faculty of Law fulfilled this important requirement.

The University of Manitoba’s Faculty of Law has for the past decade offered students the opportunity to pursue part of their legal education in French. Beginning in the Fall of 2022, the Faculty of Law introduced the Access to Justice in French Concentration thanks to generous support from Justice Canada’s Access to Justice in Both Official Languages Fund.

Maia Bacchus shared how she rose to the challenge of mooting in her second language:

“The Laskin Moot in particular is geared toward those who are bilingual, and while I was a bit nervous, I am so glad I had the opportunity to participate in French. The process of preparing for the Moot and then having the opportunity to argue in front of real judges and established lawyers really improved my spoken as well as written French.”

Having the opportunity to do this in a second language is unique and I would highly encourage anyone who is thinking of it to just go for it. You’ll improve greatly, have something unique to put on your resume, and you will enjoy the experience immensely! J’ai adoré cette opportunité et je vous encourage à en profiter!

– Maia Bacchus (2L)

Bacchus also commented how being bilingual allowed her to communicate with all of the moot teams, whether they were more comfortable speaking in French or in English. She stated, “At the competition itself I enjoyed getting to know my colleagues from other provinces, and was pleasantly surprised to hear how impressed the judges and my fellow competitors were with my spoken French, which allowed me to be able to communicate with some of my colleagues who were not comfortable communicating in English.”

Maia Bacchus noted her experience participating as the bilingual mooter in the Laskin Moot had been rewarding and that she could “…say with certainty that it was one of the best experiences of law school!”

The pair of Éric Gagnon & Seth Lozinski, who competed in the French stream, even received the “Spirit of Negotiation” award for that stream, which is peer-nominated and goes to the team that best illustrates the values of collaboration, humility, teamwork and respect.  Robson Hall teams have a long history of winning this award. Éric stated, “I was especially honoured to have been chosen by my national peers for the Spirit of the Negotiation prize, alongside my partner Seth Lozinski, for our commitment towards collegiality and collaboration throughout the negotiation process.”

The student competitors had an opportunity to reflect about their experiences after the competition concluded. Ryan Hall indicated that preparing for the CNNC was “an intimidating process”, but that the high quality of the competitors made the competition “fun, and exciting”.  He also highlighted the important social and networking aspects of the competition: “While the CNNC is largely about negotiating, it is just as much about making connections. This was one of the things I found the most valuable about the competition. It puts competitors in place to network with future legal professionals across Canada, something that is not offered anywhere else.” He ultimately described the CNNC as “one of my best experiences from law school.”

The development of collaborative skills were most important to Nicolas Nudler:

“My time at the CNNC was one to remember. The high-level negotiation and advocacy skills of my coaches, peers, and the other competitors during this competition really made this experience one that I can learn from and take with me as I navigate real-life negotiations throughout my law career. If I had to choose one thing that I took away from this competition, it’s that collaboration between the parties during a negotiation makes for the best result for the client.”

Seth Lozinski reflected, “One valuable lesson I learned from the competition was the importance of adapting my negotiation approach based on the other party, which I’m sure will serve me well throughout my career.”

Both Jamie Robertson and Rebecca Penner believed that the competition helped develop  the skills they needed to succeed in legal practice. Jamie stated, “Competing in the CNNC was a very rewarding experience. During the weeks of preparation, we developed valuable negotiation skills from our coaches that we will continue to use in our future legal careers. I am fortunate to have had the opportunity to compete among the best negotiators in Canada.”

Rebecca explained, “Preparing for and competing in CNNC was truly a fantastic experience that vastly improved my confidence in navigating the strategic and artistic elements of negotiation. The case was nuanced, complex and highly relevant to current events and perspectives which made the whole experience very valuable as we head into our careers, and I feel very lucky to have competed alongside such an incredible calibre of students.”

For Éric Gagnon, highlights of the competition were a combination of collaborative opportunities and the location: “It was wonderful to negotiate and collaborate with colleagues from across the country in the heart of a city as vibrant as Montréal.”

The Manitoba teams were expertly coached by three Robson Hall alumni: Andrea Doyle, an Instructor at the University of Manitoba; Andrew Torbiak, who practises Estates and Trusts with Tradition Law; and Heather Wadsworth, who practises family law at Amica Law. The coaches were filled with praise for the students’ performances.  Andrew Torbiak stated,

“Our students had a great showing at this year’s competition, and represented Robson Hall admirably. This was one of the strongest groups of students Robson Hall has ever fielded in the competition. Having coached for the past 8 years of CNNC competition, I can also say that the overall skill of competitors from across Canada has never been higher. I’d like to thank the students for their diligent preparation for the CNNC weekend, and their dedication during the competition itself. We are very proud of their performances.”

According to Heather Wadsworth, “I am immensely proud of Rebecca, Jamie, Nicholas, Ryan, Seth, and Eric for both their hard work and dedication in preparing for the competition and how they conducted themselves at the competition itself. It was a delight to be one of their coaches and being a part of the CNNC is a highlight of my year.”

The admiration went both ways, as all of the students were also filled with praise and appreciation for the efforts of the coaches.   For example, Seth Lozinski stated, “Our coach, Andrea Doyle, was incredibly supportive and provided us with helpful feedback and encouragement throughout the entire experience.”

A Bit More About the CNCC

Eight years ago, the University of Manitoba’s Faculty of Law hosted the inaugural national negotiation competition at Robson Hall, which has been run annually since then.  The size of the competition has been growing each year, both in terms of number of teams participating and number of law schools represented. 

The 2024 competition was hosted by McGill Business Law Platform, McGill Faculty of Law, in collaboration with McGill’s Sustainable Growth Initiative (SGI).

 This year’s competition theme was “Negotiating Sustainability”, and the competition problem involved negotiations over the location of battery plant to a fictious community. The writing of the problem was a truly collaborative effort, with input from Professors from McGill, University of Saskatchewan, University of New Brunswick, and University of Manitoba and a practising lawyer in Montreal.

This year, the competition involved three rounds of negotiation taking place over two days, with each round building on the last. Issues to be negotiated included the precise location of the plant, the proportion of foreign workers employed, affordable housing for the community, and transportation infrastructure.  During each round, each team possessed confidential details about client circumstances and settlement preferences.  The first two rounds were bi-party, with the last round involving a more complex three-party negotiation. All of the negotiating took place under the scrutiny of judges, who scored each team’s negotiation skills.  At the end of each session, the judges provided detailed feedback to each team about what they did well, and potential areas for improvement. Yvan Larocque, Clinical Instructor here at the University of Manitoba, was one of the judges for the French stream, and did an excellent job.  He was also a member of the organizing committee, along with me, and we helped to administer the competition in Montreal.

French Stream

This was the second year that the CNNC implemented a parallel French stream. Teams competed in French, using the same problems (which were translated) as the English stream.

According to coach Andrea Doyle, “Our team of Éric Gagnon and Seth Lozinski negotiated in French and won the Spirit of Negotiation Award for the French stream (le prix d’excellence dans l’esprit de la négociation pour la section française). Seth and Éric were recognized for their collaboration and collegiality as well as their engaging and personable attitudes. They were great ambassadors for Robson Hall.”

Professor Lorna Turnbull, Director of the Access to Justice in French Concentration stated, “The University of Manitoba’s Faculty of Law has for the past decade offered students the opportunity to pursue part of their legal education in French. Beginning in the Fall of 2022, the Faculty of Law introduced the Access to Justice in French Concentration thanks to generous support from Justice Canada’s Access to Justice in Both Official Languages Fund.”

Students in the Access to Justice in French Concentration pursue a portion of their studies in French by completing at least 26 credits of bilingual courses, including the French Negotiation course (Négociation juridique).

Andrea Doyle, who is the Coordinator of the Concentration in Access to Justice in French at U of M Faculty of Law in addition to being the coach of the French team, had the following to say:

“Preparation for the CNNC was a team effort. I wish to acknowledge and thank the support that was provided to our French team by our students participating in English (Jamie, Rebecca, Nico and Ryan) and their coaches, Andrew Torbiak and Heather Wadsworth, as well as articling students Chris Dick, Norton Rose Fulbright Canada and Kennedy Pinette, MLT Aikins LLP. Chris Dick and Kennedy Pinette, recent graduates of the University of Manitoba Faculty of Law, successfully competed in last year’s inaugural French stream of the CNNC and provided valuable feedback and insights in Éric and Seth’s preparations.”

We appreciated all of the work of the organizers in ensuring that a French stream was offered again this year and their commitment to continuing and expanding the French stream of the CNNC in the future.

Both Seth Lozinski and Éric Gagnon are taking the Concentration in Access to Justice in French, and expressed the importance of the French stream to them. Seth Lozinski stated,  “I was … able to enhance my advocacy skills in French, which is a step toward my goal of representing the Franco-Manitoban community in the future.” Éric stated, “As a Franco-Manitoban, I was extremely appreciative of the opportunity to do this in French.”

Events were intended to inform and educate both members of the public and the legal community. All events were free, livestreamed and recorded for public access and education. Other Manitoba events included an online panel hosted by the Law Society of Manitoba on Wednesday, October 25^th titled “Are we there yet? Reflecting on A2J Progress & the Obligation to Advance A2J in Manitoba”, and two Manitoba Bar Association Section online panels: “Racial Equity, Legal Education, and Access to Justice“ (Thursday, October 26th, 2023), and “Access to Justice in Family Law and Navigating a File with a Self-Represented Litigant” (Friday, October 27th, 2023).

Natasha Brown, Director of Access to Justice and Community Outreach at the Faculty of Law said, “Manitoba’s A2J Week demonstrates a commitment of the law school, the Law Society and the MBA to work together, in collaboration with Manitoba’s justice system stakeholders, to discuss meaningful solutions to advance access to justice. Making the law accessible and transparent to the public is of utmost importance to all three organizations.  Between us, we had a total of 750 registrants this year which would not have been possible without the many individuals who devoted their time and expertise to make the week a success.  I look forward to working with all three organizations for A2J Week 2024.”

The Faculty’s event featured Manitoba’s Chief Justice Marianne Rivoalen as the Keynote speaker, along with Judge Denis Guénette of the Provincial Court who moderated a panel that included Dr. Lorna Turnbull and clinical instructor Andrea Doyle of the Faculty of Law, 

Tarik Daoudi, Executive Director of the Association des juristes d’expression française du Manitoba (AJEFM), Ruphine Djuissi, a lawyer at AJEFM, and Jean-René Dominique Kwilu, Executive Director and Lead Counsel at la Clinique Juridique Franco-Justice (CJFJ).

Panelists discussed bilingualism and the important role it plays in legal practice in jurisdictions where French and English versions of laws are equally authoritative. They noted how the demand for French legal services in Manitoba and in Canada has been increasing and shared how each has tried to work towards addressing this demand and what further work needs to be done. The panelists spoke in French and an online interpreter translated the discussion into English to enable a completely accessible session.

Guénette introduced the session, emphasizing the importance of training lawyers in French in order to help French-speaking communities and immigrants from French-speaking countries. He explained that linguistic insecurity is a major barrier to access to justice.

Turnbull shared what the Faculty of Law is doing to fill the gap by training French-speaking law students in the Access to Justice in French Concentration program. Currently, 24 law students are receiving both linguistic and practical legal training in French at Robson Hall. Doyle shared achievements of the program to date, including examples of the many successes the programs’ students had competing in last year’s moot competitions.

Daoudi described the AJEFM’s activities to facilitate access to justice for French-speaking Manitobans. A major step toward this, he noted, is having a bilingual Chief Justice who can be a resource for both lawyers and judges for statutory interpretation in French and English.

Djuissi spoke from personal experience in her legal practice about how the need to understand the law in one’s own language extends to all areas of law including domestic violence, family and criminal law.

Kwilu, who lectures on commercial law at l’Université de Saint-Boniface, in addition to practicing family, criminal and immigration law, shared his experiences representing French-speaking clients in court, describing the nuances and difficulties that arise with both cultural and language differences. For example, he said, family law in Canada is very different for individuals not from countries based in a common law justice system, and needs to be both translated and explained culturally.

Chief Justice Rivoalen shared her experiences practicing for 15 years as a bilingual lawyer and reflected on how the law in Canada says that everyone is supposed to have legal representation in the official language of their choice and how that plays out in reality where often clients go unrepresented because they cannot find a French-speaking lawyer. She also summarized areas of ongoing need such as connectivity to remote areas of Canada, translation of documents and the need for bilingual clerks, staff and judges. She noted that while there’s an obligation for areas of public law to have bilingual services, there is no such obligation in areas of private law. Ultimately, having legal services in French is not a luxury but is essential for people to live their lives.

Audience members attending the Robson Hall event included a number of law students from the Faculty’s Access to Justice in French Concentration, some of whom reacted strongly to hearing support for French language access in the legal system.

Bradley Légaré (3L), and other students hoped the Faculty would hold more similar events. “Improving access to justice in French has been something near and dear to my heart since I started in the A2JF Concentration at Robson Hall, and this is the first time we’ve had a seminar that has focused on this topic in French,” he said. “On a personal level, it was really validating having members of the French legal community explain the importance of pursuing an education which will allow myself to help members of the community. Moreover, I feel like it allowed a light to be shone on the true goals of the A2J in French Concentration, and the important role it has played in the lives of myself and many of the other students who are in [the program].”

“I appreciated the opportunity to hear from lawyers, academics, and jurists who are working hard to improve access to justice in French,” said Dominique Gibson, 3L. “In particular, it was interesting to learn more about various initiatives to improve French legal services in Manitoba, such as InfoJustice. While I left the event feeling optimistic, I also recognize that there is a lot of work to be done to improve access to justice in both official languages in our province. As a future lawyer, I look forward to being part of that work.”

 Access to justice does not demand perfection; rather, it requires open-mindedness, cultural humility, and compassion.

– Avery Alexiuk, 1L

New to the A2JF Concentration this fall, Avery Alexiuk (1L) said, “What I took away from this event is that being a lawyer and an advocate means being a part of something much greater than yourself. As lawyers, we must adapt and evolve to best accommodate the needs of the populations we serve. In order to bridge the gap that exists for diverse and multicultural individuals when accessing legal services, they must have access to legal representation and proceedings in the official language of their choice. Access to justice does not demand perfection; rather, it requires open-mindedness, cultural humility, and compassion.”

Tess Poulton, also in her first year of law shared that, “The opportunity to engage with the legal francophone community of Manitoba is very valuable as a first year law student in the Access to Justice in French program. This panel discussion further inspired me to engage with the French language to the best of my abilities.”

Yomna Eid (1L) shared, “This session provided a great opportunity to hear about the progress that has been made thus far in our community regarding access to justice in French in Manitoba. It was encouraging to hear open and honest interpretations about the challenges that the panelists have encountered. As future legal professionals, it is very valuable to hear about the advantages of offering services in French from current practitioners. These opportunities, along with the A2J concentration in French at Robson Hall allow us to feel empowered to use languages other than English when it best serves the interest of our clients and our communities.”

Adam Gislason (1L) said the panel “emphasized the need for French legal services in all fields of law. With a continually growing Franco-Manitoban community, it becomes increasingly important for law practitioners to facilitate services in both languages such that unilingual French-speaking Manitobans can properly understand the services they require and receive.”

Finally, 3L Eric Gagnon said, “It was wonderful to hear firsthand from deeply respected members of the French-speaking legal community in Manitoba. As a francophone from rural French Manitoba, I deeply appreciate how involved our Faculty of Law has been in organizing initiatives such as L’accès à la justice en français: Un monde à découvrir.”

A member of the public listening to the event online said they were glad they had stayed and listened to the whole Manitoba event, adding, “The information has been great. Makes me want to move to Manitoba, as you seem to havea greater grasp on the importance to litigants.”

The Faculty of Law event was recorded:

Watch the English version here.

Watch the French version here.

The morning began with Justice Heckman having breakfast with students and faculty in the Access to Justice in French (A2JF) Concentration of the JD program. Justice Heckman, together with Dr. Lorna Turnbull, was instrumental in the creation of this Concentration. Students in the A2JF Concentration pursue a portion of their studies in French by completing at least 26 credits of bilingual courses. Currently, 24 law students are enrolled in the Concentration.

Justice Gerald Heckman (mid-back row) visited Robson Hall on October 13 and enjoyed a reunion with Faculty and students in the Access to Justice in French Concentration program that he was instrumental in creating. Photo by Lily Deardorff.

During the breakfast, students enjoyed sharing and catching up with Justice Heckman in French. Justice Heckman also graciously answered questions about his recent experiences as a justice of the Federal Court of Appeal.

After sharing time with students in the A2JF Concentration, Justice Heckman presented a guest lecture in English to all first-year students in Legal Methods regarding the importance of bilingual statutory interpretation. Students were engaged in the lecture and appreciated Justice Heckman sharing his time and expertise with them.

Thank you, Justice Heckman, for your support to Robson Hall. We look forward to continued collaborations. Merci beaucoup Monsieur le juge Heckman!

We started at the Société de la francophonie manitobaine, the voice of the francophone community in Manitoba. They are responsible for several programs, including 233-ALLO, and they advocate for the importance of respecting and promoting minority language rights.

From there, we visited the Université de Saint-Boniface, which has supported the program for many years. They offer our students individual tutoring to help them develop their language skills, as well as language skills assessments and individualized learning plans.

Francofonds offers important scholarships to students in our A2JF program, including the Chartier Award named in honour of the recently retired Chief Justice of Manitoba.

A2JF students visit Francofonds.

Our last stop at Infojustice and the Cour du Banc du Roi was a great opportunity to learn more about the legal services offered in French. Infojustice helps underserved members of Manitoba’s French community with legal information, and in some cases advice and representation, and offers summer employment and term time internship opportunities for Robson Hall students.

Visiting Infojustice, which helps underserved members of Manitoba’s French community.

Of course, no tour of St. Boniface would be complete without a visit to Chocolatier Constance Popp on Provencher Boulevard. Constance herself welcomed the group and enthusiastically posed for a photo.

Law students visit Chocolatier Constance Popp (centre, back) at her Provencher Blvd shop.

All in all, our first walk was a big success, and we look forward to seeing our first-year students achieve their educational goals in the years to come.

Dr. Akinwumi Ogunranti

Dr. Akinwumi Ogunranti (Akin) earned his LLB degree from the University of Ilorin, Nigeria, and was called to the Nigerian bar in 2013. He practiced law in a full-service commercial law firm for three years before starting his graduate studies. Akin earned his LLM and Ph.D. degrees in 2017 and 2022, respectively, at the Schulich School of Law, Dalhousie University. His Ph.D. thesis is titled “Africa’s Contribution to the Development of the Norm of Corporate Responsibility to Respect Human Rights.” His research interests include business and human rights, private international law, investment law, and dispute resolution relating to corporate accountability and access to justice. 

Akin has published nationally and internationally. His recent paper, “Localizing the UNGPs: An Afrocentric Approach to Interpreting Pillar II,” is published in the Business and Human Rights Journal. His forthcoming paper on international investment law titled “Why the Multilateral Investment Court is a Bad Idea for Africa” is forthcoming in the Dalhousie Law Journal.

“I look forward to interacting with students in and outside the classroom. For me, learning is always a two-way street. I learn from the students as much as they learn from me. I want to share classrooms with students who, through innovative thinking, shape the future of legal practice in Canada.” – Dr. Akinwumi Ogunranti

He is currently a Crawford Fellow at the Schulich School of Law. He joined the teaching faculty of the Schulich community as a professor in 2019. He teaches first and upper-year courses, including contracts, professional responsibility, business and human rights, and legal ethics. He has received many awards, including the Law Foundation of Nova Scotia entrance scholarship, the Dean Ronald St. John MacDonald Graduate Fellowship in Law, the Schulich Fellowship, and the Crawford Fellowship.

Akin is licensed to practice law in Nigeria and Nova Scotia, Canada. He is a member of the Nigerian Bar, the Nova Scotia Bar Society, the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, and the Association of Certified Anti-money Laundering Specialists. 

When asked what it was about Robson Hall that inspired his wish to join the Faculty, he explained, “The strategic vision of the law school on teaching and research was a major attraction for me. Robson Hall’s goal of supporting students’ experiential learning aligns with my teaching philosophy because I believe law cannot be taught; its application can only be learned. Similarly, the law school’s business and human rights research centers that produce cutting-edge research excite me. My research focuses on the intersection of business and human rights. So, the opportunity to collaborate with colleagues in these research clusters is difficult to turn down.” 

If you don’t see Akin in the classroom, his office, or the library, you will catch him skiing or bowling.

“Outside the classroom, I look forward to exploring the city of Winnipeg and trying out new food and sports,” he said.

Yvan Larocque

Yvan Guy Larocque, CD, LLM is a well-respected Indigenous business lawyer and the Founder of Larocque Business Law. With a practice focused on Indigenous Economic Development and Governance, Yvan has extensive experience advising Indigenous governments and Economic Development Groups on a wide range of corporate, financing, tax, and development matters.

Yvan holds a Juris Doctor degree from the Peter A. Allard School of Law (UBC) with a Business Law Concentration and a Specialization in Aboriginal Law, as well as a Master of Laws from Osgoode Hall Law School with a Specialization in Business Law. He is called to the Bar in the Province of British Columbia and Manitoba.

Prior to joining Robson Hall as an Instructor, Yvan regularly guest lectured on the subjects Indigenous economic development and governance at the University of British Columbia and University of Victoria, and taught Commercial Law and Corporations I as a Practicing Professional Instructor.

“I’m honoured to join the faculty of at the University of Manitoba Faculty of Law as an Instructor and look forward to sharing my professional experiences and knowledge with students in my courses and clinical work. I’m also looking forward to joining other Indigenous Instructors and Professors at Robson Hall in continuing to advance Reconciliation in legal education and the legal profession.” – Yvan Larocque

Yvan has also had a lengthy military career, having served in the Canadian Armed Forces for over 20 years in both the Royal Canadian Navy and Royal Canadian Air Force, and currently holds the rank of Petty Officer 1st Class.

Yvan’s expertise and contributions to the field of Indigenous business law are further reflected in his co-authorship of “The Taxation and Financing of Aboriginal Businesses in Canada” (Thomson Reuters). His dedication to improving the economic opportunities and legal rights of Indigenous peoples in Canada is a testament to his commitment to justice and equality.

Andrea Doyle

Andrea R. Doyle graduated from the University of Manitoba, Faculty of Law (Robson Hall) with a Bachelor of Laws degree in 2009 and was called to the Manitoba Bar in 2010. During the past thirteen years, Andrea has had a broad practice with the firm Thompson Dorfman Sweatman LLP (TDS). She is fluently bilingual and has practised law in both English and French. As a student at Robson Hall, Andrea was honoured to receive many academic awards, including being a Pitblado Scholar and obtaining the third highest standing in first and third year law.

Andrea has been a sessional instructor at Robson Hall since 2020 teaching the French section of Legal Negotiation (Négociation juridique) and more recently, teaching Remedies. She coached the Robson Hall negotiation team that recently participated in the Canadian National Negotiation Competition in French. 

“I am happy to be joining the faculty at Robson Hall. As a student, sessional instructor and negotiation coach, I have enjoyed being a part of the Robson Hall community. I look forward to continuing to work with students in both English and French in my new role.” – Andrea Doyle

Andrea has made presentations in the areas of bankruptcy and insolvency law and French language programs. She is a member-at-large of the French Speaking Common Law Members Section Executive of the Canadian Bar Association and a member of the board of directors of l’Association des juristes d’expression française du Manitoba (AJEFM). Andrea is currently chair of the Insurance Agents’ and Adjusters’ Licensing Appeal Board and has been a member of the Manitoba Health Appeal Board since 2017. She has also been involved with the Manitoba Bar Association, including being a member of Council and a member of the Law Day and Mid-Winter Conference Committees. 

All of the Robson Hall students found the experience of competing very worthwhile.  Pinette said, “Participating in the very first French section of the CNNC was a very rewarding experience! Negotiating is such a practical skill for lawyers and I am happy to have had the opportunity to practice those skills in my second language.”

 “The competition was an incredible experience and the negotiations tips and advice received from our coaches will be something that will benefit me throughout my career,” said Harvey. “I especially appreciated our coaches non-stop support and willingness to be there for us at any time and put their very busy lives on hold. We were also incredibly fortunate to travel with an amazing team and to learn some great skills and tactics from not only our coaches but the talented students competing in the competition.”

Jodi Plenert added, “We were so fortunate to not only participate in the competition, but to have such incredible coaches and teammates. It really makes the experience that much more fun and meaningful when you are not only learning a lot but laughing a lot, too!”

Hall had the following sage advice for future negotiators: “I think it’s normal for students to be nervous about negotiating: not only is it a form of public speaking where you are being judged on what you say, but it can also be stressful to be sitting directly across from your competition.  However, as with anything, the best way to become more comfortable with something is to practice it, and by the end of the competition it felt almost routine to sit down at the negotiating table.”

One tip I have for future competitors: when you begin speaking and the opposing counsel picks up a pen to take notes, take a look at their hands.  Their hands are usually shaking uncontrollably, and it may be reassuring to know that you are not the only person who is nervous! – Ramsay Hall, 3L

The Manitoba teams were expertly coached by three Robson Hall alumni practising in Winnipeg: Andrea Doyle, a lawyer engaged in a broad practice at Thompson Dorfman Sweatman LLP; Andrew Torbiak, who practises Estates and Trusts with Tradition Law; and Heather Wadsworth, who practises family law at Hague Law. The coaches were filled with praise for the students’ performances.

Andrea Doyle, who was the coach for the French team, said, “I was honoured to coach these dedicated students. Kennedy and Chris worked very well as a team and spent considerable time preparing their strategies for each of the three negotiation rounds as well as practising their negotiation skills. Their complementary negotiating styles benefited them well. It was rewarding to see their confidence increase in further developing their negotiation strategies in French.

The judges were impressed with Chris and Kennedy’s preparation, application of negotiation skills and strategies in French as well as their excellent teamwork. I am very proud of Chris and Kennedy’s accomplishment! – Andrea Doyle, coach

 “This was a special year, and not just because we were back to an in-person competition. To hear the University of Manitoba’s name called not once but twice during the award ceremony was very special,” said Andrew Torbiak. “I’d like to congratulate all six Robson Hall students for their accomplishments, and their dedication leading up to the competition. On a Friday night in Montreal, all six students were back in the hotel preparing for their second and third rounds of negotiations the next morning and afternoon. From a coach’s perspective, it is so gratifying to see that kind of motivation.”

Robson Hall will continue to enjoy a reputation of strong student negotiators thanks to the performance put in by Jodi, Ben, Chris, Kennedy, Ramsay and Samantha. – Andrew Torbiak, coach

The admiration went both ways, as the students were also filled with praise for the coaches.  Pinette stated, “Many thanks to our coach, Andrea Doyle, for helping us perfect our strategy and practice our French. We could not have done it all without her.”

In speaking about Wadsworth and Torbiak, Harvey described “how absolutely incredible our coaches are and how fortunate each year the negotiations teams are to have them.”

Other local lawyers generously gave of their time to coach the students, including the late Andrew Slough, and Shimon Leibl, who together won the International Negotiation Competition on behalf of Robson Hall in 2015, and subsequently competed in Ireland. Slough recently and tragically passed away last month. Wadsworth, Torbiak, and Doyle wanted to recognize his involvement in preparing the Robson Hall teams for the CNNC. They stated, “A week prior to his untimely passing, Andrew Slough spent considerable time with the teams providing insightful and helpful comments to the students, which comments were continually referred to in the preparation for the competition. His knowledgeable and valuable comments were indispensable to the success of the Robson Hall teams at the CNNC.” 

A Bit More About the CNCC

Seven years ago, the University of Manitoba’s Faculty of Law hosted the inaugural national negotiation competition at Robson Hall, which has been run annually since then.  The size of the competition has been growing each year, both in terms of number of teams participating and number of law schools represented. 

The 2023 competition returned to an in-person format after being on-line for the past two pandemic years. This year, it involved three rounds of negotiation taking place over two days. Teams of two law students, each representing opposing parties to a fictitious business deal related to the purchase and sale of a wildlife sanctuary for a commercial tourism development, met in an attempt to negotiate an agreement, with each team possessing confidential details about client circumstances and settlement preferences.  The first two rounds were bi-party, with the last round involving a more complex three-party negotiation.  All of the negotiating took place under the scrutiny of judges, who scored each team’s negotiation skills.  At the end of each session, the judges provided detailed feedback to each team about what they did well, and potential areas for improvement. 

French Stream New This Year

This year was the first time that a parallel French stream was introduced to the CNCC.  Teams competed in French, using the same problems (which were translated) as the English stream. 

The timing of the introduction of the French stream is fortunate, as Robson Hall has recently enhanced its bilingual program, and the two members of our French team (Dick and Pinette) are students in that program, which allows students to develop their legal skills in French with the goal of improving access to justice in French.  Incidentally, Hall and Harvey are also students of that program, and all four took the Négociation juridique course taught by Andrea Doyle last year.

Professor Lorna Turnbull, who is a Co-Director of the bilingual program along with Professor Gerald Heckman, stated, “The University of Manitoba’s Faculty of Law has for the past decade offered students the opportunity to pursue part of their legal education in French. Beginning in the Fall of 2022, Robson Hall introduced the Concentration in Access to Justice in French thanks to generous support from Justice Canada’s Access to Justice in Both Official Languages Fund.”

“To place so highly in English and in French is a testament to the quality and hard work of both the students and their teacher and coach, Andrea herself,” Turnbull added.

“We wish to thank the organizers of the CNNC for implementing a French stream to the competition this year,” said Doyle. “Kennedy and Chris found that participating in the CNNC was a valuable learning experience demonstrating their ability to represent clients in French.

“Our participation in the French stream of the CNNC would not have been possible without the support of the Robson Hall community, including Dean [Richard] Jochelson, Professor [Bruce] Curran and Professors Turnbull and Heckman, the co-directors of the bilingual program. We also appreciated being able to spend time preparing with the Robson Hall teams participating in the CNNC in English and their coaches, Andrew Torbiak and Heather Wadsworth. We are thankful for everyone’s support in this endeavour.”