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.

“People were always inviting me to alumni events, and I was regretfully having to say, “Actually, I didn’t study law here,”” says Lebois, who holds both a BA (2005) and an LLB (2008) from the University of Ottawa.

Lebois had initially selected the U of O because, he explains, “continuing my education in French was important to me, and very few options were available in Western Canada at the time. I was thrilled when Robson launched the A2J in French program, and saw an opportunity to celebrate that and participate in Robson’s French common law culture by completing my thesis in French.”

While Lebois was contemplating whether or not to do an LLM at the University of Manitoba, the founders of the Access to Justice in French (Common Law) Concentration program, then-Professor Gerald Heckman (now Justice Gerald Heckman of the Federal Court of Appeal), and Professor Lorna Turnbull, reached out for support from the Francophone legal community. The timing was right, and Lebois joined the Faculty’s graduate program in 2021 as an LLM student, inspired by the research of (now-retired) Professor Karen Busby, founder of the Centre for Human Rights Research housed in Robson Hall.

His thesis, written in French under Turnbull’s supervision, was titled, “Les modes substitutifs de résolution des différends en matière de violence à caractère sexuel ou de discrimination chez les institutions postsecondaires au Manitoba.”

Lebois’ thesis drew from a number of experiences including his time working as in-house Counsel at the University of Manitoba, where one of his portfolios was serving as Human Rights Counsel for the Office of Human Rights and Conflict Management. “As I was continuing to learn about the investigatory process and continuing to administer it at the University, I was also talking to counterparts across the country and seeing what was going on at their universities,” recounts Lebois. “I was asking questions about how their systems worked and what was successful within their areas, and how we could improve.”

These mechanisms are provincially legislated but not very standardized, and Lebois argues that they could be improved.

“My generalized observation was that everyone who is involved in the complaint mechanism is somehow diminished by the complaint process,” Lebois says. “So, whether you’re the complainant or the respondent, and regardless of how the outcome ended up flowing, whether the complaint was substantiated or not, whether there was obviously visible discipline of the respondent or not, that didn’t really matter, people were finding themselves lacking something for having participated in it.”   

He wondered if there was a better way to handle complaint mechanisms. Then he discovered the book, Achieving Fairness: A Guide to Campus Sexual Violence Complaints (Thomson Reuters, 2020) by Johanna Birenbaum and now-retired UM Faculty of Law professor Karen Busby, which goes into depth about the complaint mechanisms that exist across Canada at post-secondary institutions. He used this book as a roadmap and focused his research on a complimentary idea—how to better integrate certain types of dispute resolution models into the complaint mechanisms that currently exist.

Lebois’ bold and innovative research focuses on complaint mechanisms for human rights violations as they exist at postsecondary institutions in Manitoba. Based on his careful research and experiences, Lebois’ dynamic thesis proposes a different system than the one that postsecondary institutions currently use. The current model is a concurrent offering of resolution options, where a complainant is offered alternative dispute resolution concurrently to more formal mechanisms of redress. “Offering these concurrently is the wrong choice in my opinion, and that is what I argue in my thesis,” Lebois explains. “I believe that they should be offered as a cascade where the alternative dispute resolution for non-criminal behaviors should always be offered first before a formal complaint mechanism is explored.”

“ADR doesn’t get necessarily a great rap outside of certain types of uses, and certainly, there are some who say alternative dispute resolution is only appropriate in certain circumstances; for example, only when desired or asked for explicitly by a complainant. I’m not necessarily in agreement with that assessment,” Lebois explains. “I think that there are a number of examples wherein groups have participated in alternative dispute resolution even if it wasn’t given as an entirely opt-in option and that’s still benefited a number of the stakeholders. In the criminal sphere you see this a lot already, where you have diversion programs that move someone to sentencing circles or to alternative resolution where they have to take actions that are really specific to the crimes that they have committed, and the accused is expected to take ownership of the actions that they have posed within their community. And that is something that works.”

Lebois admits that there are valid critiques of ADR, and in some cases, it certainly draws out more of the complainant’s time and energy. But, as Lebois says, “There is a lot of opportunity for presenting a space in which the accused can take ownership, can apologize, can learn, and can make concrete steps towards restitution.”

He drew a lot of inspiration from the Dalhousie School of Dentistry case from 2015, where many of the students involved saw great outcomes from ADR rather than more formal mechanisms. “There is much more room for alternative dispute resolution to take centre stage as part of the complaint mechanisms that exist at post-secondary institutions,” is a key takeaway from this research according to Lebois.

When asked who benefits from his thesis, Lebois says, “It’s not really a stretch to say it’s everyone that benefits from this. […]  Universities are an economic driver within Manitoba, representing a lot of important work being done, a lot of important training being done, and a lot of innovation that’s taking place. You want the systems that underpin all of that to work well as well.”

However, the research itself gears more towards the decision-makers of complaint mechanisms, boards of governors and directors, depending on which post-secondary institution, because it is about the ways that the system can be adjusted to better serve everyone.

Lebois is a testimony to the University of Manitoba’s LLM program at the Faculty of Law.  Completing a master’s degree in law, being a Francophone lawyer, and conducting research in the French language are possible, even outside of Canada’s Francophone hubs like Quebec, Ontario and New Brunswick.

Even though his thesis topic is not related to language rights, his decision to write it in French, is “a nod to the language rights that are entrenched in the University of Manitoba Act,” he explains, “and an acknowledgement of the oft-forgotten cultural realities that founded both the province of Manitoba and the University of Manitoba (thanks to its founding colleges, one of them now operating as Université de Saint-Boniface). Just as we seek to show prospective JD students the value of completing the A2J in French program, I also wanted to be an example of that at the graduate level.”

Lebois recommends that lawyers with the capacity to upgrade French/English bilingualism to communicate clearly and concisely should do so, as this opens a lot of opportunities, including a graduate degree. He suggests that more lawyers should consider investing in their French skills because of the benefits to themselves and to the community they serve. “Bilingualism really does have a lot of benefits noted throughout the profession, and so I really wanted to shout that from the rooftops as much as I could to say it’s doable, and it’s worth taking the time and effort to do it,” he says.

The Faculty of Law at the University of Manitoba hosts the Access to Justice in French Concentration program for JD students, and now has graduated its first of hopefully many more LLM students in French.

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!”

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).

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.

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.”

“With encouragement from our local francophone bar, and working with Professor Heckman, we received our first Justice Canada: Access to Justice in Both Official Languages grant in 2011,” said Dr. Lorna Turnbull, Professor and co-director of the Concentration. “It is fantastic to have achieved this milestone on our path to better supporting access to justice for all Manitobans. It is also wonderful to provide so many bright future lawyers with this opportunity right here at home.”

“The A2JF Concentration formalizes and reinforces Robson Hall’s long-term commitment to improving access to justice in French in Manitoba and elsewhere in Canada,” said Dr. Gerald Heckman, Associate Professor and likewise co-director of the Concentration. “Our students are already helping InfoJustice, Manitoba’s francophone legal information centre, carry out this important work. I expect that in the decades to come, our A2JF Concentration graduates will contribute to establishing a strong network of practitioners to whom francophone Manitobans can turn for legal services in their language.”

While law students at Robson Hall have had the opportunity to take some of their law courses in French since 2011, this is the first time a formal Concentration is being offered. Official recognition of bilingual legal training requires that students take approximately one third of their Juris Doctor degree courses in French. Not just a handful of French electives, the Concentration is highly structured with a bi-weekly Passport to Law in Frenchcourse being offered across all three years of the degree program bringing together first, second, and third year students. Passport tackles important competencies, including cultural competencies, needed in a legal career generally, and in a bilingual career in particular, exposing students to various subjects concerning French language communities in Manitoba and across Canada.

“As an out-of-province student, my decision to study at Robson Hall was because of the bilingual program,” said Trusha Dash, a second-year law student. “The opportunity to continue and enhance my French language training in a legal capacity set the school apart…. Through the bilingual program, not only did I get to network and learn in French, but I also felt a part of this close-knit community with whom I found support, friendship, and understanding. These are people I can ask for help, and count on and the value of that is immeasurable.”

Law school is no easy feat to begin with, especially for students who undertake the additional challenge of a bilingual legal education. The A2JF program at Robson Hall is committed to student success, facilitating their entry to a bilingual education with pass/fail first year bilingual courses, optional French-language tutoring provided at no charge, and the possibility for entrance scholarships. As a result, students are welcomed into the community without the pressure of marks or bell curves, and can profit from a tight-knit community and an immersion into Franco-Manitoban culture.

“Since I finished high school 10 years ago my chances to speak in French and participate in the Franco-Manitoban community had been few and far between,” said Bradley Légaré, also in second year. “The bilingual program at Robson Hall gave me the opportunity to reintegrate into the Franco-Manitoban community by way of an accepting and encouraging environment. However, the benefits I received from this program were more than just personal. The program also gave me a sense of direction for my career.”

Legal education in Manitoba must reflect that we live in a nation and province where English and French versions of laws are equally authoritative and access to the courts is guaranteed in either language. While there are Francophone minority communities throughout Canada that desire and, in many circumstances, are entitled to legal services in French, there have been limited opportunities in many common law provinces to pursue a legal education in French. The official recognition of the A2JF Concentration is an important start towards meeting this need for students and to enhancing access to justice for the clients they will ultimately be able to serve.

Development of the A2JF Concentration would not have been possible without continuing support from Justice Canada’s Access to Justice in Both Official Languages Support Fund, Heritage Canada and our many community partners, including the Association des juristes d’expression française du Manitoba, InfoJustice, Université de Saint-Boniface, Centre canadien de français juridique and francophone lawyers, judges and community members.

Dr. Gerald Heckman

“Teaching is the most important thing we do at Robson Hall,” said Dr. Richard Jochelson, Dean of Law. “Being nominated and recognized by students and peers is one indicia of excellence and both Gerald Heckman and Liz McCandless bring passion, expertise, clarity and empathy to their classrooms.”

Heckman has taught administrative, constitutional law, advanced public law and language rights at the University of Manitoba since 2006. He is co-director with colleague Dr. Lorna Turnbull, of the Bilingual Certificate Program, and helps coach the Faculty’s French Language moot teams including the Laskin and the Bastarache. He also actively conducts research and regularly shares his expertise with the press either in editorials or media interviews, and occasionally appears before the Supreme Court of Canada on matters of administrative or constitutional law.

Upon receiving the award, Heckman said, “It felt wonderful to be recognized by my students, particularly after the challenging times professors and students have lived through in the past two years and the efforts we have all made to adapt our teaching and learning to a distance learning environment.”

While he had never met Barney Sneiderman personally, Heckman heard much about him when he arrived at Robson Hall as a new professor in 2006. “He was already the stuff of legend among his colleagues and former students, and I regret not having had the opportunity to come to know him.”

Heckman said that when preparing his lessons, he reflects on what he appreciated from his own law professors and tries to incorporate those best practices into his approach to teaching. “I think that it’s important to be respectful of students’ perspectives, experience and learning styles and remember that we are all members of a community of learners,” he explained. “We need to be patient and provide our students with as much feedback as we can.

“For example, it takes time – and many drafts and practices – for students participating in competitive moots to craft a persuasive written or oral legal argument. That process of creation offers so many wonderful learning opportunities and its rewarding to see my students grow into skilled advocates. It’s also important to convey our enthusiasm for what we teach to our students.”

 “My professors inspired me to focus my legal studies, practice and research in the area of public law. I hope to inspire some of my students to do the same!” – Dr. Gerald Heckman, Associate Professor

Elizabeth McCandless, Practicing Professional Instructor

Lawyer Elizabeth McCandless teaches Advanced Legal Research at the Faculty of Law, which she designs with the aim of giving students the practical knowledge and skills they will use as they enter the practice of law. She was recently hired to the full-time position of clinical Senior Instructor starting July 1, 2022. She holds a BA, LL.B., and LL.M.  from the University of Manitoba, and has practiced law since 2008, most recently as director and legal counsel at the Manitoba Law Reform Commission.

“It truly is an honour to be nominated by my students. I am grateful for the opportunity to work with students, and I will continue to learn how to be a better instructor.” – Elizabeth McCandless, Practicing Professional Instructor

“This award means a lot to me, particularly as I transition from being a practising professional to a full-time instructor in the Faculty of Law,” she said. “Every year I’m impressed by the range of abilities, interests, and passions of law students – it is energizing to be around students at this stage of their legal education and it is exciting see what comes next as they embark on their legal careers.”