“The Faculty of Law is fortunate to have many excellent law professors and practicing professionals; it is never easy to choose amongst them,” said Dr. Jennifer L. Schulz, chair of the teaching awards selection committee. “This year, Dr. Khoday and Ms. Fenske unanimously rose to the top. The selection committee was so impressed with both of their teaching prowess, dedication to students – in and outside of the classroom – and genuine love of teaching. They are truly very deserving recipients of their respective awards.”

Barney Sneiderman Award

The Barney Sneiderman Award honours a late beloved faculty member who taught Manitoba law students from 1969 until the year of his passing in 2006. Friends and family remember Barney as being eternally curious, confidently irreverent, and passionately interested in connecting with people from all walks of life. He was a devoted educator, in the classroom and beyond, through his writing (of academic texts and op-eds) and his speaking (on the radio and at conferences). He was a devoted husband and father to his wife and three children as well as an ardent educator. He strove for excellence in all he did and would be delighted to know that an award to recognize excellence in teaching was created in his name to foster the dedicated teachers who have followed his example with a love of learning.

Dr. Richard Jochelson, Dean of Law, presents Dr. Amar Khoday with the 2025 Barney Sneiderman Award for Teaching Excellence.

Dr. Khoday joined the faculty in 2012 and is an associate editor and regular contributor to the Criminal Reports published by Thomson Reuters and is a co-author of the National Judicial Institute’s Criminal Essentials eLetter.

He earned his JD from the New England School of Law in Boston, and his LLM and Doctor of Civil Law from McGill University in Montreal.

He has won awards for both his teaching and research including the prestigious Terry G. Falconer Memorial Rh Institute Foundation Emerging Researcher Award in the Humanities in 2021, and he previously won the Barney Sneiderman Award in 2020.

“I am tremendously honoured to have received this award again. This is in part due to the immense esteem many graduates and colleagues hold Barney Sneiderman,” said Khoday. “It is also gratifying that my approaches to teaching and excitement about the topics I address, resonate strongly for various people. Thank you to those who nominated me. Lastly, it is a privilege working in a faculty with so many colleagues who are thoughtful and devoted to their teaching.”

Dean’s Award for Teaching Excellence for Sessional Instructors (Practising Professionals)

This award is given in recognition of professional commitment beyond the call of duty to the student experience, innovative teaching methods, development of instructional materials, coaching of students in competitions, or contributions to student development outside the classroom.

Dr. Richard Jochelson presents Allison Fenske with the 2025 Dean’s Award for Teaching Excellence. Allison Fenske joined the Faculty of Law in 2023 as Clinical Counsel.

Caption: Dr. Richard Jochelson presents Allison Fenske with the 2025 Dean’s Award for Teaching Excellence.Allison Fenske joined the Faculty of Law in 2023 as Clinical Counsel.

She is a member of the clinical practice team which includes acting as Director of the University of Manitoba Community Law Centre – a long-standing partnership with Legal Aid Manitoba providing law students with the opportunity to represent individuals who would not otherwise receive legal aid. She is also part of leading the newly formed International Human Rights Clinic. Allison has taught courses at the Faculty of Law as a sessional instructor.

Allison obtained her LLB from the University of Manitoba in 2007 and since then, her legal practice has primarily focused on human rights, administrative and constitutional law, navigating legal issues through a lens of social inclusion and advancing the rights of people and communities marginalized through state and systemic oppression.

Allison was also recognized this year at the University of Manitoba’s Student Teacher Recognition Reception (STRR) when Cody Buhay (3L) chose her as the educator who made the most impact on his post-secondary career.

“One of the Faculty’s greatest strengths is its innovative approach to experiential learning,” said Fenske. “It’s a privilege to support and empower students as they move from theory to practice, developing their legal skills and cultivating a commitment to access to justice. I am beyond honoured to receive this award, but the real reward is being a part of students’ learning journeys as they grow into formidable advocates.”

Szilagyi joined the Faculty of Law in 2021, and brings to the University of Manitoba, an unprecedented research focus on Law and Technology. She studies the intersection of technology law and legal theory with artificial intelligence, focusing on transdisciplinary research, combining her educational backgrounds in engineering and law with her experience in legal practice. Szilagyi holds a BSc in Engineering, as well as JD, LLM, and PhD degrees in law. Recent research projects include smart agriculture; social robotics; science fiction and the law; ethical frameworks for automated mobility; and conceptualizing the impacts of generative AI on the law. At Robson Hall, she teaches Property Law, and an upper-year seminar of her own design titled Law, Technology, and the Future.

Szilagyi received several independent nominations from students for The Barney Sneiderman Award, and those nominations came with multiple excellent letters of support. The selection committee notes that one student wrote:  “Dr. Szilagyi is nothing short of an exceptional educator. She is dedicated to exceptional pedagogy and diversity of curricula, encouraging students’ curiosity, and enriching and elevating students to their full potential.” Another stated, “On a personal note, Dr. Szilagyi made me love the law. I came to law school for the sole purpose of graduating, practicing and getting on with my life.  As a result of Dr. Szilagyi’s instruction, I now look forward to a career filled with studying, learning, and expanding my understanding of the law and all of its histories, philosophies and intricacies.”

Upon receiving the award, Szilagyi shared some thoughts on teaching that demonstrate how her own love for the law translates to her students: “Teaching law students is a fantastic job,” she explained. “I love meeting students at the very beginning of their legal careers and coasting on their wave of enthusiasm as they discover law’s possibilities and prevailing stories for the first time.

“As legal educators, we have an unparalleled opportunity to help shape the next generation of legal thought. I particularly appreciate the chance to explore emerging societal issues with students through the lens of law and technology. In my classes, we discuss novel technological issues ripped from the headlines, combined with philosophy and legal theory. I hope my students enter their careers with an understanding of how law, policy, and regulation intersect with technological development.

“While it was wonderful to be recognized with this award, the real honour is that my students took the time and energy to nominate me. I am grateful for the recognition!” – Dr. Katie Szilagyi

Slonosky is a practicing professional instructor and supervising lawyer on the L. Kerry Vickar Business Law Clinic management team. He brings to the Faculty of Law, years of practice experience as well as a deep commitment to experiential learning and professionalism that ensures the best possible training for Manitoba’s future generation of business lawyers. A graduate of the UM Faculty of Law himself, Slonosky holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) degree (1976), and an LLB (1979), as well as an MSc in Telecommunications from the University of Colorado at Boulder. He practiced law for nearly 40 years as an in-house corporate lawyer before joining the business clinical team at the Faculty of Law in 2021.

One of Slonosky’s nominators for the Dean’s Award for Teaching Excellence for Sessional Instructors noted that his  “contributions to student development extend far beyond the classroom. Through my work, I’ve had the opportunity to develop skills in networking, public speaking, and representing our clinics in media interviews.”

Another letter of support mentioned, “his dedication to public service through the profession is unparalleled, and his work with students will undoubtedly instill these same values in future generations of lawyers.” 

Upon receiving the award, Slonosky thanked the Dean, the Faculty, and law students for the recognition. “It is a unique and  rewarding opportunity to be able to contribute to educating students participating in the L. Kerry Vickar Business Law Clinic and the Manitoba Legal Clinic for the Arts. With these clinics, we have created a learning environment that emulates a teaching law firm where students gain opportunities to experience actual legal practice with live-clients. Here, they develop practical skills and knowledge not acquired in other courses that are relevant in practice, so they are prepared, confident and will be superior performers during their articling year and future legal careers.” 

“The real award is being able to help students to become the best lawyers of tomorrow and serve pro bono clients who cannot afford legal assistance remotely across all of Manitoba today!” – Nick Slonosky

According to Slonosky, the clinical experiences he works to provide for students, are “all about personal growth, learning, acquiring knowledge where every student and all our clients are on their own unique journey towards success.”

Slonosky shared that in the past year, the clinics’ 22 externship students had a record-setting number of clients and performed a record number of pro bono hours. “We all learned a great deal together while helping others who cannot afford legal services,” he said.

The Faculty of Law is very proud of these two excellent instructors.