My name is Wura Dasylva, and I am the current Board Chair of the Regina & District Chamber of Commerce and a partner at Miller Thomson LLP. My legal practice includes working with business owners through various stages of the business lifecycle – starting a business, growing the business by way of raising capital, expanding the business through partnerships, mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures and other means; and finally the transition of the business to new owners or the next generation through succession planning. 

The Robson Hall Experience

Having studied and practiced law in Nigeria, moving to Canada for a fully-funded thesis-based master’s program at the University of Manitoba was exactly what I needed to advance my career. Not only did the scholarships eliminate financial stress, they also enhanced my competitiveness when I got into the job market. My experience at Robson Hall set me up for success in my career and other life ventures. I recall engaging in intellectually stimulating discussions in class and writing papers (and eventually, my thesis) which were often critiqued by my professors – all of which challenged by biases, sharpened my critical thinking skills and enhanced my writing style and soft skills. 

The pursuit of an LLM at Robson Hall with a research focus on mergers and acquisitions (“M&A”) and alternative dispute resolution (“ADR”) was a pivotal step in my journey as a legal professional. As I reflect on how the University of Manitoba shaped my career, especially through the guidance of my advisor, Dr. Jennifer Schulz, my other professors and the staff at the Faculty of Law, the International Centre and the Career Services Office, I couldn’t be more grateful that I chose Robson Hall or, to put it better, Robson Hall chose me. From conference opportunities to resume tips, the University of Manitoba gave me all the tools that I needed to succeed as an international student in a new country (and school).

Choosing Corporate Law

Wura Dasylva [LLM/17] is now a partner at the Miller Thomson Regina office, specializing in Mergers and Acquisitions and Alternative dispute resolution.

M&A is at the heart of corporate law, governing how businesses grow, consolidate, and navigate complex financial and regulatory landscapes. At the same time, ADR plays a crucial role in resolving conflicts efficiently outside the courtroom, making it a useful tool in corporate transactions. Corporate transactions often involve negotiations, potential disputes, and regulatory challenges that require both legal expertise and problem-solving skills. By blending these two research areas, my LLM program set me on the path to becoming a savvy M&A lawyer, capable of handling high-stakes corporate matters while mitigating risks and facilitating negotiations that aid seamless transactions.

As a foreign-trained lawyer, understanding the nuances of the Canadian legal system was essential. Robson Hall also gave me a strong foundation in this regard through various academic resources. After completing my LLM, I joined the Regina office of Miller Thomson, a national law firm with over 500 lawyers in 10 cities across Canada, bringing with me a unique combination of corporate law experience and strong academic background. As many would know, success in the legal profession, especially for an immigrant, requires knowledge, strategy, mentorship, hard work and resilience — but with the right foundation (which Robson Hall gave me), the possibilities are endless.

Community involvement

My role as Chair of the Regina Chamber of Commerce allows me to participate in business and policy decisions. Again, I have Robson Hall to thank for helping me to find my interest in Chamber of Commerce advocacy work which stemmed from my International Business and Trade Law class at Robson Hall, providing me with foundational knowledge on trade policies and agreements.

Having been a recipient of scholarships and excellent mentorship and support from Robson Hall, I am now paying it forward. In addition to serving as the Chair of the Regina & District Chamber of Commerce, I mentor law students in various Canadian law schools through the Canadian Association of Black Lawyers / Black Law Students Association (CABL/BLSA) formal mentorship program. I have also acted as principal to articling students at my firm, in addition to mentoring other international students and foreign-trained lawyers. 

Until next time,

Wura Dasylva
Partner
MILLER THOMSON LLP

“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.”

The Canadian Law Student Conference, hosted by the Windsor Review of Legal and Social Issues, offers law students the unique opportunity to present their work and receive feedback from faculty and peers. The Conference takes place over a two-day period in Windsor, Ontario and is attended by faculty, law students, practitioners, and judges from across Canada. This year’s Keynote Address was given by The Honourable Justice Malcolm Rowe of the Supreme Court of Canada, who visited Robson Hall on March 28.

Professor Jennifer Schulz, who is also the Associate Dean of the Juris Doctor program and an author of multiple books and other academic research publications herself, had encouraged all law students to consider submitting papers to the conference earlier this year.

London, who will be clerking with the Tax Court of Canada upon graduating, submitted a paper titled “The Regulated Wild West: Sports Betting and Dispute Resolution in Canada”. He wrote the paper for the Dispute Resolution course taught by Professor Jennifer Schulz. “I’d encourage others to apply for conferences, journals or paper awards, because there are a lot of opportunities available across the country,” said London.

Justin Papoff (3L) presents his paper written for Professor Michelle Gallant’s Dispute Resolution class.

Papoff, who will article at MLT Aikins LLP in Winnipeg upon graduation, presented his paper titled “Holding the Kids Hostage: What Family Lawyers Can Learn from Hostage Negotiators. The paper was written for Professor Michelle Gallant’s Dispute Resolution class during the Fall 2023 semester.  “I submitted the paper because I thought that my comparison of hostage negotiations and family disputes was a unique one that could lead to further research into the topic by others,” said Papoff. “By adopting skills used by hostage negotiators such as active listening, empathy, trust, and rapport, I believe lawyers can facilitate behavioral change and enhance cooperation in family disputes.”

After presenting, Papoff fielded questions from peers, and found this to be an important learning experience that gave him new ideas and opportunities for self-reflection. “I was also fortunate to learn about many interesting issues as they intersect with the law, including environmental racism, India’s caste system, and the digital privacy of children,” he said, noting some of the other impactful presentations he experienced.

Simpson presented on the topic of “Learning from Feminist Methodologies: A Way Forward for the Human Rights Approach to Disability-Based Persecution.” The paper was written for Dr. Amar Khoday’s Refugee Law class and discussed the types of harms that have been found by refugee decision makers to qualify as persecution based on disability for which refugee protection should be afforded. Simpson argued that these forms of harm are too anchored in traditional conceptions of harm that lead to the adoption of the Refugee Convention and are not responsive to the lived experiences of persons with disabilities nor the international human rights instruments that have been adopted to reflect unique positionalities of these persons. 

“[Professor Khoday] was very supportive and provided comprehensive feedback that helped me to develop the paper into something I wanted to share and that I hope to continue to develop, and this Conference was a great opportunity to get more feedback and hear about some work other students are doing in the topic,” said Simpson.

This Conference helped me to see how other students are taking their findings and making concrete and implementable recommendations based on them which has assisted me in improving my own paper.

– Megan Simpson (3L)

The panel Simpson presented on was entitled “Interdisciplinary Perspectives.” On the whole, the Conference showed Simpson how much there is to learn from other legal and non-legal disciplines. 

Lamari’s paper titled “Not Without Health: The Accessible Canada Act and Canada’s Failure to Implement the CRPD,” was written for the Human Rights Law course taught in the Fall term by Assistant Professor Nathan Derejko, Mauro Chair in Human Rights and Social Justice. “He recommended I try to publish it, so I will be looking into that after the conference,” said Lamari, who presented at 3:00 p.m. Winnipeg time via Zoom on March 22.

The McGill event is a hybrid bilingual student colloquium with students from across Canada presenting research on disability and human rights. The keynote speaker this year was Professor Stephanie Chipeur, Law and Disability Policy professor at the University of Calgary.

Dr. Jennifer L. Schulz, Associate Dean of the JD Program at Robson Hall, is thrilled to see the competition’s return to Manitoba, where the inaugural event was held in 2020. Having hosted the event in 2023, Winkler Institute Co-Academic Directors Professors Patricia McMahon and Shelley Kierstead are equally delighted to have the Institute provide a home for the NFLNC. Both institutions believe in the importance of negotiation and other non-adversarial approaches as the key to future legal practice, especially in the area of family law. Developing the skills that promote access to more effective forms of dispute resolution is consistent with the mandates of both schools, including improving access to justice. 

Dr. Schulz praises the work of Robson Hall’s Dr. Lorna Turnbull and the Winkler Institute for Dispute Resolution, an organization that she has long supported in her capacity as one of its fellows. “Negotiation and other non-adversarial forms of dispute resolution are the future of legal practice in Canada. No where is this more important than in family law. Students should be lining up to participate in this national negotiation competition, and Robson Hall students in particular should be proud of their law school’s foundational involvement in the competition.”

Dr. Lorna Turnbull sees family law as an important area of practice. “Manitoba is a leader in modernizing the family justice system to better meet the needs of children and to improve access to justice,” Turnbull says. “Providing students the opportunity to participate in family negotiation allows them to develop those important skills while working with coaches from the profession and also building important professional relationships.”

The NFLNC provides students from across Canada the opportunity to experience first-hand how effective negotiation skills can help families going through difficult life transitions. Participating in the NFLNC gives students the chance to further develop their skills through the preparation and presentation of mock negotiations and receipt of feedback from highly skilled professionals. 

This year’s competition will be held virtually from February 29 to March 2, 2024. Team registration is due by December 1 – please find details here: National Family Law Negotiation Competition Tickets, Thu, 29 Feb 2024 at 9:00 AM | Eventbrite.

(If any team encounters a problem with the December 1 registration deadline, please reach out to Shelley Kierstead at skierstead@osgoode.yorku.ca).

Dr. Richard Jochelson, Dean of Law welcomed everyone and coordinated the presentation of the most recent Jurists of Robson Hall designations, Faculty and Staff Service Awards, and the Faculty of Law’s Alumni Awards.

Jurists

Wishing to formally recognize the exceptional contributions made to the University of Manitoba’s Faculty of Law Juris Doctor program, Dean Richard Jochelson began designating long-time community members as “Jurists of Robson Hall.” The latest additions to this list of extraordinary individuals included David Asper, K.C., LL.D., Gail Asper, O.C., O.M., LL.D., Silvia De Sousa and Grant Mitchell, K.C..

Faculty Service Awards

Professor Lorna Turnbull is presented with a Faculty Service Award by Professor Darcy MacPherson.

Professor Darcy MacPherson, Acting Associate Dean of Research and Graduate Studies, was pleased to present the Faculty of Law’s inaugural Faculty Service Awards.

The Faculty of Law’s Extraordinary Service Faculty Award went to Bruce Curran for his diligence, professionalism, and leadership in providing support to his colleagues in service work on governance, compensation and the Negotiations program.

The Faculty of Law’s Extraordinary Service Faculty Award went to Gerald Heckman for his diligence, professionalism, and leadership in providing support to his colleagues in service work on Access to Justice in French and in service work with Manitoba Justice.

The Faculty of Law’s Extraordinary Service Faculty Award went to Lorna Turnbull for her diligence, professionalism, and leadership in providing support to her colleagues in service work on governance, compensation and Access to Justice in French.

Staff Service Awards

Lisa Griffin is presented with an Extraordinary Support Staff Award by Professor Jennifer Schulz.

Professor Jennifer Schulz, Associate Dean Academic, presented the Faculty of Law’s Extraordinary Support Staff Awards to Lisa Griffin, Career Development Coordinator, for her diligence, professionalism, and leadership in providing student support and for excellence in providing career services for students, and also to Trina McFadyen, Director of Professional Development, for her diligence, professionalism, and leadership in providing community outreach to the profession, alumni and for excellence in career services.

Alumni Awards

Trina McFadyen, Director of Professional Development, presented the Faculty of Law’s Alumni Awards, which wereannounced earlier this year.

The Outstanding Alumni Award honours a UM Law alum recognized for outstanding professional achievement in their legal career and who has shown dedication and commitment to the betterment of the legal profession while exhibiting the qualities of integrity and professionalism.  This year’s recipient of the award is Sherri Walsh, litigator, adjudicator, arbitrator, and managing partner of Hill Sokalski Walsh.

Sherri Walsh is presented with the inaugural Outstanding Alumni Award by Dean Richard Jochelson and Trina McFadyen.

The Emerging Leader Award Honours a UM Law alum who has graduated within the last 10 years, has shown dedication and commitment to the legal profession, and has also shown the qualities of integrity, professionalism, and leadership in their time practicing law.  This year’s recipient of the award is Dayna Steinfeld, lawyer at Raven Law.

The Trailblazer Award honors a UM Law alum who has excelled in a career outside the traditional practice of law and who is a person of integrity and demonstrated leadership and service to the community.  This year’s recipient of the award is Jennifer Schulz, Professor and Associate Dean in the Faculty of Law.

The Outstanding Alumni Award honours a UM Law alum recognized for outstanding professional achievement in their legal career and who has shown dedication and commitment to the betterment of the legal profession while exhibiting the qualities of integrity and professionalism. The Emerging Leader Award honours a UM Law alum who has graduated within the last 10 years. This alum has shown dedication and commitment to the legal profession, and has the qualities of integrity, professionalism, and leadership in their time practicing law. Finally, the Trailblazer Award honours a UM Law alum who has excelled in a career outside the traditional practice of law. This alum is a person of integrity and has demonstrated leadership and service to the community.

The Faculty of Law is pleased to announce the winners of the 2022 Faculty of Law Alumni Awards as follows:

Outstanding Alumni Award winner: Sherri Walsh [LLB/1985]

Emerging Leader Award winner: Dayna Steinfeld [JD/2012]

Trailblazer Award Winner: Dr. Jennifer Schulz [LLB/1994]

Outstanding Alumni Award – Sherri Walsh [LLB/1985]

Sherri Walsh. Photo by Nardella Photography.

A litigator, adjudicator and arbitrator, Sherri Walsh is the Managing Partner of Winnipeg law firm Hill Sokalski Walsh. Much of her legal career has been spent serving the public interest and her work has had significant impact in the promotion of human rights and social justice in Manitoba with repercussions across Canada.

Notably, from 2011 to 2013, she acted as Commission Counsel to the Commission of Inquiry into the Circumstances Surrounding the Death of Phoenix Sinclair, which was the largest public inquiry ever held in Manitoba. The resulting report from that Inquiry made sixty-two recommendations to better protect children in Manitoba.

From 2009 to 2019, she served as an adjudicator under the Human Rights Code, serving as Chief Adjudicator from 2012 to 2019. In that role, she delivered decisions about matters including employers’ obligations to maintain workplaces that are free from discrimination and harassment. These decisions are now followed by employers across Canada.

Before serving as an adjudicator, she acted for the Human Rights Commission on complaints that resulted in positive systemic changes to Provincial legislation and policies.

Walsh was an arbitrator on The Manitoba Framework Agreement – Treaty Land Entitlement, signed in 1997, where she delivered decisions which resolved land disputes that had been outstanding for 150 years.

Frequently acting pro bono as an intervenor for public interest groups, she has ensured that perspectives of groups such as the Manitoba League of Persons with Disabilities, the HIV AIDS Legal Network and the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs, were put before the Court on matters including the unilateral imposition of DNR Orders, criminalization of HIV status, and the over-representation of First Nation children in the child welfare system.

Walsh has also returned to her roots at Robson Hall teaching Civil Procedure for nine years, and sitting on many committees. Outside of legal practice, she volunteers for community-based organizations including Harvest Manitoba and currently sits on the boards of the University of Winnipeg and the Manito Ahbee Festival.

Throughout her career, Walsh has achieved numerous firsts, including being the first woman in Manitoba to act as Commission Counsel to a large public inquiry, first person to perform the role of Chief Adjudicator under the Human Rights Code, first Integrity Commissioner for the City of Winnipeg, and first Municipal Codes of Conduct Appeals Director for the Province of Manitoba. She serves as a mentor to many young lawyers, particularly women in the legal profession and is one of only a few women in the role of Managing Partner of their firm.

Described by her nominator as “honest, honourable and compassionate,” she willingly shares a few words of wisdom here with current law students:

I am so honoured to be receiving this award and to be recognized by the professional school that launched my career.

 A legal education is a gift – one that will influence you forever and will give you a framework through which to navigate the world, in your personal and professional lives.

 You are moving into a future which is in many ways unknowable and uncertain but the education which you are working so hard to receive will give you the capacity to take action and influence outcomes – to pursue and achieve just results.

 As you look for the right career path, be true to yourself and follow what interests and inspires you.

 Look for mentors. Be a mentor.

 Find colleagues with whom you share sensibilities and perspectives.

 Think critically.

 Maintain a sense of curiosity and don’t stop learning.

 Trust your instincts.

 Stay hopeful and be brave. Don’t hesitate when faced with a challenge.

 Thing big but know that by taking even the smallest action you can make a difference.

 Engage with community and be compassionate in that engagement.

 Finally, remember to maintain your sense of humour.

 Don’t take yourself too seriously and have a good time!

 I wish you all the best in your future endeavours.

Emerging Leader Award – Dayna Steinfeld [JD/2012]

Dayna Steinfeld

Dayna Steinfeld is the Winnipeg Lead Lawyer at RavenLaw LLP. Called to the bar in both Manitoba and Ontario, she is committed to advancing the rights of working people, specializing in union-side labour law, employee-side employment law, long-term disability benefits, human rights and whistleblower protection.

In her daily practice, Steinfeld represents workers in all areas of the law that touch the workplace, including terminations and wrongful dismissals, human rights and the duty to accommodate, contract and severance package reviews, professional discipline, workplace investigations and harassment complaints. She works to advance the rights of workers in human rights proceedings, grievance arbitrations, labour board hearings, civil court actions, and judicial review proceedings. She represents both individuals and unions and has appeared before labour and arbitration boards, administrative tribunals, and all levels of court.

Steinfeld has been recognized as a Lexpert Rising Star and a CBC Manitoba 40 Under 40. In 2019, she was awarded the Manitoba Bar Association Pro Bono Award for her work representing a coalition of poverty and mental health organizations on significant constitutional privacy issues before the Supreme Court of Canada.

Having started her legal career as an articling student at RavenLaw’s Ottawa office, she clerked for the Honourable Justice Marshall Rothstein at the Supreme Court of Canada before returning to Winnipeg to work at a large firm in administrative, regulatory, labour and employment law.

Her nominator points out that Steinfeld demonstrates that commitment and hard work can help people achieve great things while promoting principles of access to justice and equality. Her willingness to help others achieve their goals is evident in the work she has done with the Manitoba Bar Association’s Women Lawyer’s Forum to advance the cause of equality for lawyers identifying as women working in the legal profession in Manitoba.

Steinfeld offers the following advice to current law students:

As a law student, lawyer or legal professional, never assume you are the expert because you are the person in the room with legal training. Be humble and curious. Take every opportunity to learn from, and be guided by, your clients and all those with whom you work and collaborate.

Trailblazer Award – Dr. Jennifer Schulz  [LLB/1994]

Jennifer Schulz

Dr. Jennifer Schulz is a Professor at the Faculty of Law, University of Manitoba and the current Associate Dean of the Juris Doctor program.

While still a law student, Schulz had her first publication, publishing a chapter in Professors Barney Sneiderman and John Irvine’s public health law text book.  She graduated from Robson Hall in 1994.

After pursuing graduate studies at Cambridge and the University of Toronto, she started her career as a law professor at the University of Windsor, eventually returning to the University of Manitoba by way of the University of Toronto, Osgoode Hall and Harvard. She has taught at Robson Hall since 2004, teaching and conducting research in the areas of Alternative Dispute Resolution, Mediation and Cultural Legal Studies. Dr. Schulz has served as both Associate Dean JD and Associate Dean of Research and Graduate Studies.

Dr. Schulz’s teaching skills have been recognized multiple times: she was named Professor of the Year (2002) at the University of Windsor; Outstanding Teacher – twice (2015 and 2017) at the University of Manitoba’s Students’ Teacher Recognition Reception; and she received the Barney Sneiderman Teaching Award in 2019 from the University of Manitoba.

For her work in ADR, she was recognized with the Lionel J. McGowan Regional Award of Excellence in Dispute Resolution (2015) by the ADR Institute of Canada. Dr. Schulz frequently presents on the topic of ADR to the Manitoba Bar Association, the Canadian Bar Association, and at academic conferences across North America and Europe.

She authored the Schulz Report, an expert evaluation of Manitoba’s Automobile Injury Mediation program, and completed a three-year expert evaluation of the University of Hong Kong’s LLM program in ADR.

To her students, she brings the law alive and has been instrumental in inspiring students to excel in their own careers. She serves as an inspiration to female law students, and is approachable and willing to advocate for the retention of women in the legal profession.

Dr. Schulz shares these words upon being acknowledged with the Trailblazer Award:

I am truly honoured to have received this award. It means a lot to me because it is from my alma mater and employer, the U of M, and specifically its wonderful law school, Robson Hall. My fellow professors and our students are what make Robson Hall a wonderful place to be every day. I especially hope our students know that not only can they find fulfilling careers as lawyers as a result of graduating from Robson Hall, but they can also find a myriad of other interesting and fun careers – like being a law prof – because they graduated from U of M.

The inaugural Law Faculty Alumni Awards will be presented at the upcoming Practicing Professionals Reception to be held in March.

This topic is near and dear to the hearts of these two Robson Hall alumni. By making the prize especially for research in ADR and family law, Schulz [LLB/94] and Goszer [LLB/83] are deliberately recognizing the future of law. “There is currently a movement toward  resolving family law disputes through more collaborative  and less adversarial processes” said Goszer.

“Today’s families don’t want to engage in war with each other. Our prize recognizes this by honouring a Robson Hall law student who combines family law with dispute resolution, writing a research paper that shows how collaborative dispute resolution processes can be used to resolve family law disputes.” – Prof. Jennifer Schulz

Schulz, who is Associate Dean of the Juris Doctor program from July 1, 2022 until 2024, is an expert in mediation and a professor at Robson Hall since 2004. She teaches Alternative Dispute Resolution, Law and Popular Culture, and Torts and Compensation Systems. Having served as Associate Dean of Research and Graduate Studies from 2010 to 2012, she is pleased to have the current opportunity to assist with the Faculty’s J.D. program.

A Partner at Levene Tadman Golub Law Corporation, Goszer has been an instructor and lecturer, teaching the bar admission course in family law, and has been a guest lecturer at the Faculty of Law. He has contributed to legal periodicals and been a participant in panels, lectures and seminars for continuing legal education. He has appeared at all levels of the court system in Manitoba and in the Supreme Court of Canada, and has engaged in all aspects of family law litigation.

During her time as a law student, Schulz recalls how she loved her paper courses which inspired her to pursue a career in legal academia. “[I] had my first publication as a law student when I wrote a chapter for Prof. Sneiderman’s medical law text. So, right after Robson Hall, I went straight to grad school at Cambridge.”

After articling at Torys LLP in Toronto, Schulz became an Assistant Professor at the University of Windsor’s Faculty of Law. Upon finishing her doctorate at the University of Toronto, she did a fellowship year at Harvard prior to joining the Faculty at Robson Hall. “I love my job!” she said.

Similarly, Goszer’s interest in family law began at Robson Hall as well, when he took Madam Justice Shawn Greenberg’s Family Law class. After taking Advanced Family Law from his favourite professor, Madam Justice Freda Steel, he decided helping families in difficult times was what he wanted to do.

Speaking on behalf of the Faculty of Law, Dr. Richard Jochelson, Dean of Law, expressed thanks. “I am grateful for this generous gift from Dr. Schulz and Mr. Goszer. Having a current Faculty member and eminent lawyer invest in the future of student learning is a vote of confidence in the students and their education at Robson Hall,” he said. “Students will benefit greatly from this award and they will be inspired by what they learn about ADR in the Family Law context. It is so wonderful to see this investment in student outcomes, and it is encouraging to see our communities make this investment. I hope to see people contribute to this prize and am excited to see the student winners who emerge in future years.”

To contribute to this unique gift, please visit The Schulz/Goszer Prize for Alternative Dispute Resolution in Family Law donation page.

Michael Badejo: Communication is Key

President of the Manitoba Law Students’ Association, Michael Badejo came from a career in communications, and immediately jumped into an active law school life serving as Manitoba Bar Association student representative and putting his design and editorial skills to use as one of the student editors of the Manitoba Law Journal. Michael graduates as an award-winning student having received – even in his first year of law school, the Manitoba Bar Association’s President’s Award of Excellence, given to an MBA member for extraordinary contributions to the Association.

Q: What drew you to law school?

A: Though I had a career before I came to law school, law was always on my mind as a career – since high school, in fact.

I’ve always had an interest in using critical thinking, strategic messaging, and good old fashioned common sense to help those around me. Coming from a career in strategic communications, this seemed like the natural evolution to accomplish that goal on a bigger scale and with the ability to make a positive impact in our shared community by giving back. Law school has provided me the opportunity to do that and more, so I’m glad to report that the multitude of experiences that compose law school lived up to those aspirations and then some.

Q: What was your path to get to law school?

A: I came to Robson Hall after having a career in media relations and strategic, mostly corporate communications. My past experience includes being a strategic advisor and communications specialist (both as a self-employed contractor and a full-time employee) with numerous major local organizations like the Winnipeg Airports Authority, the Chartered Professional Accountants of Manitoba and Deer Lodge Centre Foundation. These roles deepened my understanding of our community, while also helping to shape my approach in law school – particularly in how the law manifests practically for everyday people. It really made me try to approach every fact set, every scenario, every hypothetical legal conflict in a manner that puts both pragmatism as well as “how will this work in real life” front and centre.

As for my educational background, I initially graduated with a joint degree/diploma from The University of Winnipeg and Red River College in my undergrad (which also included a short stint at the University of Manitoba when I had thoughts of pre-med).

Q: What was your favourite class and why?

A: I’ve got a few! If it counts, social psychology was just an intro course, but it underpins much of my past and current career, so much so that I’ve continued to stay current in academic research on that front.

In law school my two favorite courses have been intellectual property and evidence. Intellectual property is my favorite area of the law and along with a great professor/practitioner in Silvia de Sousa, just had striking content alongside the field’s central role in protecting the interests of art and artists.

Evidence was also a fantastic course as taught by Assistant Professor Brandon Trask. I hope to be a litigator in the future and Professor Trask made the complex rules of evidence that underpin our legal system extremely easy to understand, digest, and apply which has been very helpful as I hone my craft.

Q: What was your favourite law school memory?

A: Two law school memories stick out to me: the first is our orientation week lunch where we all got introduced to each other for one of the first times in 1L. there’s something about trial under fire and the beginning of the journey that always sticks out to me in situations like this because you can see the gradual reveal of unforgettable people and personalities that make up these formative years. It’s always rewarding and fun to look back on.

Of course, doing this right before the pandemic did cut some of our togetherness short but we adapted.

A return to safe events as we were eventually able to do was also a source of great memories because it allowed us to see our shared community come back together.

And lastly, being President of the Manitoba Law Students Association was extremely rewarding and something I will remember forever. My team of Alexis Alevizos, Narayan McRae, Kelsey Thain and I were able to give back to our community and students not only by setting up many new initiatives for this year, but also by building a foundation for the future with our major donation to student-facing spaces at the Faculty of Law. We know the next iteration of the MLSA will take the torch and build on all of the fantastic achievements our MLSA committees and representatives put in motion; there are too many to list and I’m very proud of what we’ve accomplished this year.

Q: What do you wish you knew before your first day of law school?

A: Something we can always use a reminder about but just to keep an open mind about is where your interests in law school lie. There are going to be many opportunities in front of you and you can take them all on but pushing at the edge of your comfort zone is a good thing and will lead you to growth in both skill and experience.

Q: What one piece of advice would you give to a new law student or person considering going to Robson Hall?

A: Make sure to build out a flexible routine that leaves time for selfcare. Law school will be a busy time in your life but with the right approach there is still lots of time to carve out for the people that you care about as well as the activities and restorative things that make you who you are. Those are just as important to your success as putting in the work. We can’t wait to see what you’ve got!

Hannah Taylor: In Pursuit of Equality 

Hannah Taylor, Winnipeg homelessness advocate who founded the Ladybug Foundation at age eight, is graduating from law school. Having received an international humanitarian award for her work several years before starting law school, she continued to be active in advocacy causes throughout the past three years including helping to create a Trans ID Clinic, serving as president of Outlaws (Robson Hall’s 2SLGBTQ+ student group), and co-authoring a submission to the International Criminal Court to support the Tamil community. This year, she received the Pro Bono Students Canada (PBSC) – Manitoba Chapter’s Chief Justice Richard Wagner award given to outstanding PBSC volunteers who embody the organization’s core values of dignity, equity, and humility. Taylor was also one of the inaugural winners of the Royal Society of Canada’s Justice Rosalie Silberman Abella Prize, presented to one graduating law student in every law school in Canada “who represent[s] the values of equality and equity we need in our country as we move forward,” according to RSC President Dr. Jeremy N. McNeil.

Q: What drew you to law school?
A: I was drawn to law school because I want to build a career focused on human rights and service to the community. After wrapping up the work of The Ladybug Foundation – a non-profit I started to raise funds and awareness for people experiencing houselessness in Canada – in 2019 I felt that pursuing law would give me the opportunity to do that. 

Q: What was your favourite class and why?

 A: I had so many great classes at Robson. Advanced Advocacy, Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, Gender & The Law and Human Rights Law were a few of my favourites. 

 Q: What was your favourite law school memory?
A: My favourite law school memories come from being a part of Outlaws, Robson Hall’s 2SLGBTQ+ student group and projects through Pro Bono Students Canada such as the Trans ID Clinic. It was so meaningful to see hundreds of people come out to ‘Call Me By My Name’ – Outlaws’ drag show fundraiser, in my final year at Robson.  

Q: What do you wish you knew before your first day of law school?

A: As a student, I came to understand that legal learning doesn’t end in law school. I expect that I will learn something new in my career every day. 

Q: What one piece of advice would you give to a new law student or person considering going to Robson Hall?

A: I loved being a law student, but it is also difficult being a law student. If you are just starting out and you find that a certain class or involvement in a specific student group sparks your interest – follow the spark. 

Andrew Fenwick: Pacing yourself

 By the time the global pandemic shut down in-person classes at the University of Manitoba in March 2020, Andrew Fenwick had already overcome much adversity in life. A recipient of the Ken Tacium Memorial Scholarship (given to support students who have overcome significant obstacles in pursuit of their university studies), he overcame a brief case of imposter syndrome to graduate with high praise and a bright legal future. Andrew received the 2022 Susan Loadman Award this year, which is awarded annually to a law student who has demonstrated determination and perseverance in progressing in their Law studies despite significant obstacles.

Q: What drew you to law school?

A: I was drawn to law school by my interest in policy drafting and advancing peoples’ legal and human rights. I had a string of medical complications at an early age, and now I am a full-time wheelchair user. Through my experiences living with a disability, I have developed awareness and interest in disability justice and rights advocacy. Through my advocacy, I was able to work on both provincial and federal stand-alone accessibility legislation. In the final year of my undergraduate studies, I began working for the Public Interest Law Centre, researching ground-level effects of federal monetary policy. This research solidified my interest in policy drafting and interpreting laws while also presenting me with an intellectual challenge to apply my passion and knowledge. Law school felt like the perfect progression for me.

Q: What was your favourite class and why?

A: My favourite class was first-year Legal Methods because we were able to hear from many different guest lecturers about their expertise and areas of interest. As someone without family connections to the legal practice or even a lawyer, I found it eye-opening to hear about the different areas of practice. These speakers also allowed me to see the diverse interests and paths to and within the legal profession. In the second term, this course becomes judge shadowing, where students get to spend the day with Manitoba Court judges. It was great hanging out with judges and being treated like colleagues while experiencing the courts through this oftentimes unseen lens.

Q: What was your Favourite law school memory?

A:  My favourite memory was getting to know my classmates at the beginning of my first year. In the early fall of my first year, MLT Aikins hosted a wine & cheese networking event at their office and invited 1L students. It was my first networking event, and, at that point, I was more concerned with trying to get to know my classmates than chatting with lawyers about their practices. I spent most of the night just chatting with my classmate, who became one of my closest friends for the preceding three years, and likely years to come. After the event, many students went to Earls to debrief and hang out. I will never forget the acceptance and support I felt within Earls that night. That was the moment I knew I was where I wanted to be. Law school is quite hard, but the camaraderie and friendships that developed throughout law school helped me get through it. I consider the friends I made in law school to be some of my best friends.

Q: What do you wish you knew before your first day of law school?

A: Not to let good grades trick you into bad habits. At the beginning of law school, the realization that everyone is smart is apparent; however, we cannot all be the smartest, so we all received advice to not let our first C in law school derail our confidence. This was great advice, but it was a rallying cry to study hard for me. I did exceptionally well on my first exam. After this mark, I forgot about all the work that got me there, believing that my previous efforts would carry me. This was a false hope! I realized that law school is more a marathon than a sprint.

Celyna Yu: All that glitters

 University of Manitoba, Faculty of Law Gold Medalist Celyna Yu, did not hide in the (virtual) E.K. Williams Law Library with her nose in her law books for the past three years. On the contrary, she was active in student groups including the Diversity in Law Group, the Prairie Diversity Committee, the Robson Hall Debate Society (as president in her third year) and early in her law school career, was involved in the Pro Bono Students Canada Legal Help Centre externship. She was also a member of the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition team this year. The Gold Medal for Law caps off a long list of academic honours for this remarkable student who, as an undergraduate, arrived at the Asper School of Business as a President’s Scholar, and was then a member of the Most Outstanding Business Student Association as selected by the Canadian Association of Business Students (2017 – 2018). Before arriving at Robson Hall, she received an Emerging Leader Award in 2018, won the Bronze Medal in Management and was on the Dean’s Honour List. Once at Robson Hall, she kept up her Dean’s Honour List tradition in addition to winning no less than four top marks prizes including The Honourable Justice Robyn Moglove Diamond Prize for Excellence in Family Law, Archie Micay, Q.C. Prize for Corporations I, and the R.R. Goodwin, Q.C. Prize for Property Law, and the MLT Aikins, MacAulay & Thorvaldson Honourable Marshall Rothstein Prize (for Constitutional Law). Finally, she received the Dr. A.W. Hogg Undergraduate Scholarship, and the Lieutenant M.M. Soronow Scholarship.

Q: What was your path to get to law school? What drew you to law school?

A: I never imagined or predicted that I would go to law school. 15-year-old Celyna was adamant about pursuing a career in marketing – which is why I enrolled at the Asper School of Business after high school.

I went to the Asper School of Business from 2015-2019, and I had an incredible experience. I was part of the Commerce Students’ Association, I participated in several case competitions and conferences, and I double majored in Marketing and Supply Chain. Towards the end of my degree, I wanted to give myself some options in the off-chance I decided not to dive into a marketing career, and in essence, adulthood, right away. I took my LSAT, but I still didn’t consider law school seriously – I told myself that I would see my score and then decide.

There was no singular experience or event that occurred that made me decide to go to law school. It wasn’t like the movies where something clicks. Law school felt intimidating; I knew that as a visible minority and a woman, the cards were stacked against me. However, I think that over my final year of business school, I also realized I was capable of more than I gave myself credit for and that I was up for a challenge. In Fall 2019, I walked through the doors of Robson Hall, and I am so happy I did.

Q: What was your favourite class and why?

 A: My favourite class was Law and Popular Culture with Dr. Jennifer Schulz. From the outside, many people falsely assume it is an easy class where the homework is watching movies. From having taken the class, I can tell you it is much more than that – it is an introspection on society’s conception of the law and an examination of what the law “actually” is and/or should be. It was my favourite class because law students often focus on the milestones of writing the LSAT and getting into law school that we often forget to ask ourselves why we want to be lawyers and what kind of lawyers we want to be. Dr. Schulz pushed us to look at the law from different perspectives and I believe in doing so, she made us better law students and lawyers.

Q: What is your favourite law school memory?

A: Law school has been a wild ride – especially being online for over two years of it because of COVID. I have many favourite memories, but if I had to choose one, I would choose my mooting experience in 3L. Specifically, I would choose listening to the keynote address by [Supreme Court of Canada] Justice Mahmud Jamal. My teammates and I continue to talk about his story of the cherry blossoms in Washington D.C. when he travelled for the same moot, and the bond we share because of his keynote is so special.

Q: What do you wish you knew before your first day of law school? What one piece of advice would you give to a new law student or person considering going to Robson Hall?

A: I wish I knew how fast time would fly by, because it still feels surreal to be done law school!

My one piece of advice for a new law student or person considering going to Robson Hall is to be kind. Our conception of lawyers is largely based on popular culture, like the TV show “Suits”, but lawyers aren’t and don’t need to be vicious in order to be successful. In my experience, the people I have met during my law school experience have been incredibly kind and generous. The academic learning curve of law school is difficult enough, so I would encourage new and prospective law students to be kind and open minded to one another and themselves.

Business Law Clinic

Operating virtually for the past two years of the pandemic, the Business Law Clinic, under the direction of practicing professional lawyer Nick Slonosky [LLB/1979] and retired faculty member, former Associate Dean (JD) Lisa Fainstein [LLB/ 1979], the clinic has provided law students with hands-on experience advising small business clients while counting as a for-credit course. Starting in the fall term, practitioner Rebecca Jaremko Bromwich will join the team as a Faculty presence for the Clinic.

“This new space is part of a transformational set of opportunities for hands-on clinical experience for our students,” said Dr. Richard Jochelson, Dean of Law. “The space will not only be a clinical hub but a site of discovery and collaboration as the clinical team reaches out to partners like the Stu Clark Centre and North Forge and beyond to become the Manitoba engine room for access to innovation.”

UMCLC expansion, Indigenous, Mediation and Rights Clinics

In addition to the L. Kerry Vickar Business Law Clinic’s ongoing operations, UM Law will be increasing the number of clinical experience opportunities next year with expanded services now available to Manitobans at the University of Manitoba Community Law Centre (UMCLC). Through an agreement with Legal Aid Manitoba, law students will be able to assist with family law, prison law and Indigenous legal services in addition to criminal law matters as before.

An Indigenous Community Legal Clinic will be for-credit starting in Fall 2022, thanks to the help of Marc Kruse [JD/2015], Indigenous Legal Studies Coordinator. A Mediation Clinic course, to be guided by Professor Jennifer Schulz and Chief Justice Glenn Joyal (Court of Queen’s Bench), is slated to begin in 2023. Also, a new Rights Clinic, which is being developed and supervised by Professor Brandon Trask, will be launched later this year, with a for-credit course being offered in Fall 2022. The Rights Clinic will be a site of innovation, focusing primarily on environmental rights and civil rights work pertaining to matters of importance for vulnerable Manitobans.

Launch of Robust Clinical Team

To facilitate the expansion of its clinical programs, UM Law has proposed a position of Director of Clinics to coordinate the increasing number of clinics, experiential learning opportunities, moots, competitions, articling integration and development of clinical and experiential programing while helping to administer the work of a newly formed clinical team.

The clinical team is comprised of faculty members Associate Professor David Ireland (clinical professor; clinical coordinator), Assistant Professor Brandon Trask (clinical professor), Senior Instructor Elizabeth McCandless (clinical instructor), and Senior Instructor Dr. Rebecca Jaremko Bromwich (clinical instructor), along with staff members Marc Kruse (Indigenous Legal Studies Coordinator) and Trina McFadyen (Director of Professional Development).

Ireland possesses years of experience representing clients in all levels of court, including the Supreme Court of Canada. He teaches Criminal Law, Evidence and Trial Advocacy at Robson Hall while maintaining a practice at the law firm of Cochrane Saxberg, specializing in public law with an emphasis on criminal litigation and appeals. Ireland has experience both prosecuting and defending criminal charges as well as proficiency in public inquiries, inquests and human rights litigation.

Trask is a practicing lawyer focusing on public law who worked as a Crown prosecutor in Newfoundland and Labrador and later in Nova Scotia, most recently with the Appeals and Special Prosecutions Section of the Nova Scotia Public Prosecution Service. While practicing as a Crown prosecutor, Trask was involved with hundreds of cases across two levels of court in Newfoundland and Labrador and three levels of court in Nova Scotia. He also regularly appeared on behalf of the Crown at the Criminal Code Review Board in Nova Scotia. He is an Assistant Professor at Robson Hall teaching Constitutional Law and Evidence this year, and will additionally be teaching Criminal Law, Mental Health and Criminal Law, and the Rights Clinic courses next year.

McCandless and Jaremko Bromwich are both seasoned lawyers who bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to the clinical program at UM Law. McCandless most recently served as director and legal counsel at the Manitoba Law Reform Commission and holds an LL.M. from UM Law. Jaremko Bromwich practices law at Gowling WLG Canada where she has acted as the firm’s national manager of equity, diversity and inclusion. She holds a Ph.D. from Carleton University’s Department of Law and Legal Studies.

Kruse returned to his alma mater of Robson Hall after practicing criminal law at Rees Dyck Rogala Law Offices, and engaging in research on curriculum reform. He has published work on the moral foundations of professional ethics, social justice education, and Indigenous educational ethics.

McFadyen, also an alum of Robson Hall, was an associate at Thompson Dorfman Sweatman practicing civil litigation with an emphasis on commercial litigation, employment and labour law. She was later Legal Counsel at the Great-West Life Assurance Company, practicing civil law. She has returned to the Faculty as Director of Professional Development.

The course and all students involved in Desautels Centre-related activities fall under the supervision of Dr. Virginia Torrie, Associate Dean (Juris Doctor Program). “The Desautels Review is an excellent opportunity for students to learn about the mechanics of scholarly publishing. It is also great to see students actively involved with the Desautels Centre – it is a unique experience for them to be involved with building something with both academic and scholarly dimensions.”

Students currently enrolled in the Desautels Review course are close to publish the inaugural issue, and are thankful for the dedication and guidance of the new editorial board consisting of professors, alumni and internationally-respected legal scholars. The Review’s rolling call for submissions accepts academic articles focusing on the integration of business, law, and the humanities as they apply to family-controlled and other private enterprises in Canada.

“What we learned at school is not just some text, but a useful tool to solve problems in daily life.” – Xiyuan Feng, 2L

Xiyuan Feng is a second-year law student currently engaged in doing work for the Desautels Centre. “Through this work, I found so much fun in commercial law,” said Feng. “I am very grateful for the opportunity of sitting in the commercial symposium, which introduced so many interesting ideas and inspired me to explore more afterwards. Through writing the blogs, I start to think how to use the law to help people.”

To encourage law students at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, and early-career practitioners across Canada to conduct research in this area of law, the Review launched two paper competitions. The deadline for doctoral candidates is February 28, 2022, and the deadline for JD students is June 17, 2022.

A National Business Law Network is emerging through the Centre’s initiatives, and law students at Robson Hall are forming clinical connections through the L. Kerry Vickar Business Law Clinic. Conference and research opportunities are starting to be announced, and the Faculty can already boast the formation of a Desautels Research Cluster consisting of Professors Jennifer Schulz and Darcy MacPherson, Associate Professor Virginia Torrie, and Assistant Professors Bruce Curran, Krish Maharaj, and Katie Szilagyi.

The Desautels Centre will host visiting scholar Dr. Matthew J. Bellamy, an associate professor at Carleton University, on January 25, 2022 at 12:00 p.m. as the inaugural speaker for the Annual Desautels Lecture Series. Dr. Bellamy will discuss parts of his new book, Brewed in the North: A History of Labatt’s in a talk titled “Family Firm to Managerial Enterprise: Three Generations of Labatt’s and the Bootlegging Manager-Entrepreneur Who Saved the Brewery from Prohibition.”

The Desautels Centre’s mandate is to integrate the disciplines of law, business and the humanities as they apply to family-controlled and other private enterprises.

Follow the Desautels Centre and the Desautels Review on Twitter @DesautelsCentre and @DesautelsReviewand on LinkedIn at The Marcel A. Desautels Centre for Private Enterprise and the Law and Desautels Review of Private Enterprise and the Law.