Pillars include creating knowledge, reimagining engagement, empowering learners
Through its recently launched 2026–29 strategic map, the University of Manitoba’s Faculty of Law seeks to position itself not only as a law school, but also as a connected legal ecosystem comprising education, research, professional practice, and community engagement.
“It reflects our conviction that a law faculty must do more than transmit legal knowledge,” said Dr. Richard Jochelson, law dean. “We must create knowledge that responds to pressing legal and social challenges, prepare students to use that knowledge with skill and judgment, and work alongside communities and partners to translate ideas into meaningful change.”
According to Jochelson, with the strategic map, the law school aims to help its students get ready to practise within a swiftly evolving legal environment.
Three strategic pillars
According to the strategic map titled “MomentUM: The Architecture of Impact,” three pillars support the faculty’s strategy:
- creating knowledge that matters: identifying solutions through diverse disciplines, Indigenous knowledge, and quick mobilization
- reimagining engagement: promoting reconciliation and closing the gap between the campus and the community with the help of external partners
- empowering learners: turning theory into practice via innovative clinics and community-informed course delivery
“Faculty research informs teaching and professional practice; experiential learning places students in clinics, courts, community organizations, competitions, and public-facing projects; and those experiences generate new questions for scholarship, policy development, and law reform,” Jochelson said.
Jochelson acknowledged the role of academic publications, research centres, clinical programs, judicial and community partnerships, and alumni networks in aiding the law school’s efforts to engage with the judiciary, the legal profession, and the communities served.
“Through MomentUM, we affirm that the Faculty of Law is not simply observing changes in law and society,” Jochelson said. “We are building the relationships, knowledge, and institutional capacity needed to help shape them.”
Specific matters addressed by strategic map
The 2026–29 strategic map touches upon the following topics:
- the publishing network, including peer-reviewed publications and rapid-access digital blogs
- the Legal Research Institute, the MB Law Reform Commission, forums, and professional exchanges
- legal clinics and centres
- the classroom-to-courthouse experiential pipeline
- externship and field placement programs
“Reconciliation, access to justice, equity, and public service are woven throughout this work rather than treated as separate initiatives,” Jochelson said.
The law school announced the launch of the strategic map in a news release.
More stories on University of Manitoba’s law school
Here are some previous stories on the University of Manitoba’s Faculty of Law.
The law school announced Professor Brenda Gunn as the inaugural appointee of its recently launched Phil Fontaine Professorship in Indigenous Law and Economic Reconciliation, effective last July 1.
In 2022, the law school shared that Murray Sinclair and Wendy Whitecloud had rejoined as “elders-in-residence.” That year, the law school also announced the launch of the Rights Clinic as a pro bono clinic.
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