Former law school dean filed fake expense claims, racked up charges at Winnipeg café, disciplinary panel told

A former University of Manitoba law school dean is accused of misappropriating close to half a million dollars from a university endowment fund and racking up dozens of charges at a Winnipeg board game café on the school's dime. 

Jonathan Black-Branch left his position as dean of the U of M's faculty of law suddenly in July 2020, after going on leave in May. At the time, no explanation was given for his departure. 

However, in August 2020, a group of six law professors penned a letter to the Law Society of Manitoba, outlining their concerns about his tenure and the secrecy around his departure.

That month, the University of Southampton in the U.K. announced that Black-Branch had been hired as the head of its law school, but said a week after that "due to a change of circumstances," he would not be taking up the role.

He's now facing an accusation of breach of integrity from the Law Society of Manitoba. 

At a hearing Wednesday before an independent disciplinary panel, Rocky Kravetsky, a lawyer for the society, said Black-Branch spent close to $500,000 out of an endowment fund for the Marcel A. Desautels Centre for Private Enterprise and the Law on expenses that had "nothing to do" with the goals of the fund.

That includes about $150,000 to take courses at the Harvard Business School and $80,000 for courses at an adjunct school of Yale for his own personal development, Kravetsky said.

"Those things are, in my submission, a huge breach of integrity," Kravetsky told the panel. 

He also alleged that Black-Branch submitted 141 expense claims from the Manitoba Club — a private members-only venue in Winnipeg — under the guise of university business, all of which were fake.

Black-Branch wasn't present for the hearing. 

The law society also presented evidence that Black-Branch had filed expense claims for meals at the Across the Board Café in Winnipeg's Exchange District to the university. 

Nicholas Mann, the manager of the board game café, told the panel that Black-Branch used to come in on a weekly basis. He usually dined alone and would order food to go alongside his meals, Mann told the panel.

He said he didn't know Black-Branch worked for the university until after media reports about his departure. 

Adjournment denied 

Earlier in the day, the panel heard that Black-Branch had offered to resign his membership in the law society. But Kravetsky said in that case, he would have to admit he was guilty of the charge, which he has not done.

The disciplinary hearing was supposed to start Monday, but was delayed after Black-Branch requested an adjournment due to medical reasons.

Black-Branch, who now lives in the United Kingdom, wasn't present Monday but had sent the motion via email. 

That request was denied after Kravetsky argued that Black-Branch had known about the hearing for several months. 

During that time, Black-Branch hadn't provided any evidence of a medical condition that would prevent him from taking part in the hearing prior to Monday morning, Kravetsky said. 

However, the disciplinary panel decided to put the hearing on hold until Wednesday to give Black-Branch enough notice of their decision. 

Though he wasn't present, Black-Branch tried to have the hearing adjourned again Wednesday, submitting a doctor's note to the panel saying he was unable to work and also arguing via email that he hadn't had time to get a lawyer. 

But Kravetsky said the medical note lacked detail and didn't justify delaying the hearing further. 

"There is a public interest in knowing whether he is guilty of the very serious … ethical breaches he is accused of," he said. 

The hearing continues Thursday.