Former Canadian Law School Dean Stripped of Legal Credentials in U.K. Following Major Financial Misconduct
Jonathan Black-Branch, the former dean of the University of Manitoba's law school, has been officially disbarred from practicing law in his native United Kingdom. This disciplinary action comes after he was found to have misappropriated more than $600,000 from publicly-funded university accounts and remains the subject of a Canada-wide arrest warrant issued by Winnipeg police.
Regulatory Bodies Take Coordinated Action Against Professional Misconduct
The Law Society of Manitoba initially disbarred Black-Branch in 2024 following an extensive internal investigation that revealed significant professional misconduct. Subsequently, the Bar Standards Board for England and Wales conducted its own disciplinary tribunal in February, determining that Black-Branch had failed to report any of the Canadian proceedings when he returned to England.
The British regulatory body heavily relied on the Manitoba law society's 2023 conduct hearing findings, concluding that disbarment represented the only appropriate sanction for what they characterized as "blatant and sustained dishonesty." The tribunal emphasized that such conduct seriously jeopardized public trust in the legal profession and warranted severe consequences.
Financial Penalties and Legal Proceedings Mount
In addition to the disbarment, Black-Branch faces substantial financial penalties from both jurisdictions. The Bar Standards Board imposed a fine of £2,670 (approximately CAD$4,961), while the Law Society of Manitoba had previously levied a $36,000 penalty against him.
The University of Manitoba initiated legal action against Black-Branch in 2024, with the Court of King's Bench of Manitoba subsequently granting a summary judgment ordering him to repay the institution $679,269.98. This civil judgment followed detailed findings from the law society's conduct hearing, which documented how Black-Branch had improperly utilized university funds.
Pattern of Misuse and Ongoing Criminal Investigation
According to affidavits filed during the Law Society of Manitoba's complaints committee investigation, Black-Branch primarily directed misappropriated funds through the Marcel A. Desautels Centre for Private Enterprise and the Law. An internal audit revealed that between April 2017 and February 2020, he spent $518,723 on non-degree programs at Harvard and Yale universities, with over $472,000 of these expenses improperly charged to the Desautels Centre.
The three-member Manitoba law society discipline committee panel determined that these expenditures violated the fund's specific terms, the university's conflict-of-interest policy, and fundamental principles of professional integrity.
Following concerns raised by other law faculty members, the University of Manitoba requested police involvement in 2023. Winnipeg Police Service confirmed that their criminal investigation remains active, with Black-Branch wanted for alleged fraud exceeding $5,000.
Career Trajectory and Professional Background
Black-Branch, first called to the Bar in England in 1998, previously taught at the University of Oxford before relocating to Canada in 2016 to assume leadership of the University of Manitoba's Robson Hall. The following year, he became chair and director of the Marcel A. Desautels Centre for Private Enterprise and the Law, the entity through which much of the financial misconduct occurred.
The Law Society of Manitoba issued a statement supporting the British disciplinary action, noting that "to maintain confidence in the regulation of the legal profession, such conduct should result in significant consequences." This international coordination between regulatory bodies underscores the seriousness with which legal authorities view breaches of professional ethics and financial misconduct within academic institutions.
