UM Now | School of Law

January 27, 2023 — 

To rejoice the achievements of graduates, the College of Regulation designed the College of Law Alumni Awards to be presented annually. Nominees reveal criteria of inspiring professionalism in a person of a few groups including Outstanding Alumni Award, Rising Chief Award, and the Trailblazer Award.

The Fantastic Alumni Award honours a UM Law alum identified for exceptional experienced accomplishment in their lawful career and who has shown devotion and commitment to the betterment of the lawful job though exhibiting the traits of integrity and professionalism. The Emerging Chief Award honours a UM Law alum who has graduated inside of the last 10 decades. This alum has shown devotion and dedication to the legal profession, and has the attributes of integrity, professionalism, and leadership in their time practicing regulation. Last but not least, the Trailblazer Award honours a UM Law alum who has excelled in a vocation outside the house the standard practice of law. This alum is a man or woman of integrity and has demonstrated leadership and service to the community.

The School of Regulation is pleased to announce the winners of the 2022 College of Law Alumni Awards as follows:

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

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

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

 

Fantastic Alumni Award – Sherri Walsh [LLB/1985]

A litigator, adjudicator and arbitrator, Sherri Walsh is the Managing Lover of Winnipeg regulation agency Hill Sokalski Walsh. Substantially of her authorized career has been invested serving the public curiosity and her work has experienced sizeable affect in the promotion of human legal rights and social justice in Manitoba with repercussions across Canada.

Notably, from 2011 to 2013, she acted as Fee Counsel to the Fee of Inquiry into the Circumstances Bordering the Dying of Phoenix Sinclair, which was the premier general public inquiry at any time held in Manitoba. The ensuing report from that Inquiry produced sixty-two suggestions to greater secure kids in Manitoba.

From 2009 to 2019, she served as an adjudicator below the Human Legal rights Code, serving as Main Adjudicator from 2012 to 2019. In that part, she shipped decisions about issues which include employers’ obligations to maintain workplaces that are totally free from discrimination and harassment. These selections are now adopted by companies across Canada.

Prior to serving as an adjudicator, she acted for the Human Legal rights Commission on problems that resulted in beneficial systemic improvements to Provincial laws and guidelines.

Walsh was an arbitrator on The Manitoba Framework Arrangement – Treaty Land Entitlement, signed in 1997, where by she sent conclusions which solved land disputes that had been excellent for 150 a long time.

Commonly acting professional bono as an intervenor for general public fascination teams, she has ensured that perspectives of teams this kind of as the Manitoba League of People with Disabilities, the HIV AIDS Legal Community and the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs, have been set in advance of the Court docket on issues which include the unilateral imposition of DNR Orders, criminalization of HIV status, and the about-representation of To start with Nation little ones in the boy or girl welfare technique.

Walsh has also returned to her roots at Robson Hall instructing Civil Process for nine yrs, and sitting on many committees. Outdoors of authorized observe, she volunteers for neighborhood-based mostly companies like Harvest Manitoba and at present sits on the boards of the University of Winnipeg and the Manito Ahbee Pageant.

Through her career, Walsh has realized quite a few firsts, which include currently being the 1st girl in Manitoba to act as Commission Counsel to a big community inquiry, 1st particular person to execute the part of Main Adjudicator less than the Human Rights Code, very first Integrity Commissioner for the Town of Winnipeg, and initially Municipal Codes of Carry out Appeals Director for the Province of Manitoba. She serves as a mentor to several youthful lawyers, specially females in the authorized occupation and is one particular of only a number of gals in the position of Controlling Partner of their business.

Explained by her nominator as “honest, honourable and compassionate,” she willingly shares a couple of text of wisdom listed here with recent legislation college students:

I am so honoured to be getting this award and to be recognized by the skilled school that released my profession.

 A legal training is a gift – a person that will influence you for good and will give you a framework by way of which to navigate the earth, in your own and expert lives.

 You are moving into a upcoming which is in lots of ways unknowable and uncertain but the education and learning which you are working so difficult to obtain will give you the potential to get action and impact results – to go after and realize just benefits.

 As you look for the correct occupation path, be genuine to oneself and abide by what interests and evokes you.

 Seem for mentors. Be a mentor.

 Locate colleagues with whom you share sensibilities and perspectives.

 Consider critically.

 Keep a perception of curiosity and really do not end learning.

 Have faith in your instincts.

 Keep hopeful and be courageous. Really don’t wait when confronted with a problem.

 Issue big but know that by taking even the smallest motion you can make a variance.

 Have interaction with community and be compassionate in that engagement.

 At last, bear in mind to preserve your sense of humour.

 Never just take you far too severely and have a good time!

 I wish you all the greatest in your foreseeable future endeavours.

 

Rising Chief Award – Dayna Steinfeld [JD/2012]

Dayna Steinfeld is the Winnipeg Direct Attorney at RavenLaw LLP. Termed to the bar in each Manitoba and Ontario, she is committed to advancing the legal rights of doing work men and women, specializing in union-facet labour regulation, staff-facet employment law, lengthy-time period incapacity gains, human legal rights and whistleblower security.

In her everyday observe, Steinfeld signifies personnel in all regions of the legislation that contact the workplace, like terminations and wrongful dismissals, human rights and the obligation to accommodate, deal and severance deal testimonials, qualified self-control, office investigations and harassment grievances. She is effective to progress the rights of staff in human rights proceedings, grievance arbitrations, labour board hearings, civil courtroom steps, and judicial critique proceedings. She signifies each individuals and unions and has appeared right before labour and arbitration boards, administrative tribunals, and all amounts of court docket.

Steinfeld has been identified as a Lexpert Rising Star and a CBC Manitoba 40 Less than 40. In 2019, she was awarded the Manitoba Bar Association Professional Bono Award for her perform symbolizing a coalition of poverty and mental health and fitness businesses on significant constitutional privacy challenges just before the Supreme Courtroom of Canada.

Owning started out her authorized career as an articling university student at RavenLaw’s Ottawa office, she clerked for the Honourable Justice Marshall Rothstein at the Supreme Court docket of Canada in advance of returning to Winnipeg to perform at a massive agency in administrative, regulatory, labour and employment legislation.

Her nominator factors out that Steinfeld demonstrates that commitment and tough perform can assist individuals achieve terrific items even though advertising ideas of entry to justice and equality. Her willingness to aid some others reach their goals is apparent in the perform she has finished with the Manitoba Bar Association’s Women Lawyer’s Forum to progress the bring about of equality for attorneys pinpointing as females functioning in the authorized job in Manitoba.

Steinfeld delivers the subsequent tips to current law pupils:

As a legislation college student, law firm or legal professional, in no way suppose you are the expert due to the fact you are the man or woman in the home with legal training. Be humble and curious. Just take each and every opportunity to understand from, and be guided by, your purchasers and all those people with whom you function and collaborate.

 

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

Dr. Jennifer Schulz is a Professor at the College of Regulation, College of Manitoba and the present Associate Dean of the Juris Medical doctor software.

Though still a regulation college student, Schulz had her initial publication, publishing a chapter in Professors Barney Sneiderman and John Irvine’s general public wellness law text e-book.  She graduated from Robson Hall in 1994.

After pursuing graduate experiments at Cambridge and the University of Toronto, she began her vocation as a regulation professor at the University of Windsor, ultimately returning to the College of Manitoba by way of the College of Toronto, Osgoode Hall and Harvard. She has taught at Robson Corridor since 2004, educating and conducting analysis in the areas of Option Dispute Resolution, Mediation and Cultural Lawful Scientific tests. Dr. Schulz has served as equally Associate Dean JD and Affiliate Dean of Exploration and Graduate Research.

Dr. Schulz’s training capabilities have been identified multiple instances: she was named Professor of the 12 months (2002) at the College of Windsor Excellent Trainer – twice (2015 and 2017) at the College of Manitoba’s Students’ Trainer Recognition Reception and she received the Barney Sneiderman Training Award in 2019 from the College of Manitoba.

For her operate in ADR, she was acknowledged with the Lionel J. McGowan Regional Award of Excellence in Dispute Resolution (2015) by the ADR Institute of Canada. Dr. Schulz routinely provides on the matter of ADR to the Manitoba Bar Association, the Canadian Bar Association, and at tutorial conferences across North The us and Europe.

She authored the Schulz Report, an professional evaluation of Manitoba’s Car Personal injury Mediation system, and finished a 3-yr specialist analysis of the University of Hong Kong’s LLM application in ADR.

To her learners, she delivers the law alive and has been instrumental in inspiring students to excel in their possess occupations. She serves as an inspiration to female legislation pupils, and is approachable and inclined to advocate for the retention of ladies in the lawful career.

Dr. Schulz shares these phrases upon getting acknowledged with the Trailblazer Award:

I am genuinely honoured to have gained this award. It implies a good deal to me since it is from my alma mater and employer, the U of M, and especially its amazing law college, Robson Corridor. My fellow professors and our pupils are what make Robson Hall a amazing location to be each working day. I in particular hope our college students know that not only can they come across fulfilling occupations as lawyers as a result of graduating from Robson Corridor, but they can also locate a myriad of other intriguing and enjoyable professions – like remaining a regulation prof – since they graduated from U of M.

 

The inaugural Regulation Faculty Alumni Awards will be introduced at the future Practising Gurus Reception to be held in March.

Tale submitted by College of Law.