Ex-dean hired in U.K. despite U of M concerns

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This article was published 24/08/2020 (1867 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The former University of Manitoba dean accused of misusing faculty funds is now overseeing operations at a law school in the United Kingdom.

Jonathan Black-Branch, who abruptly left his position as dean of U of M’s Robson Hall in the spring — ending his five-year term early by upwards of one year, without public explanation — has been appointed head of the Southampton Law School.

In a university article published on Aug. 18, Black-Branch said he was honoured to take on the new role and to be named a professor of international and comparative law at the research-intensive University of Southampton.

“My vision is to further support our faculty and students, to enhance teaching innovation and to foster research collaborations as well as to engage a wide range of external partnerships to raise Southampton’s reputation for delivering high-quality programmes and research excellence,” he said.

Black-Branch’s international scholarly profile and managerial experience make him “exceptionally well-qualified” to lead, one of his new colleagues said in the post.

The announcement was made days after a Free Press report revealed six U of M-affiliated lawyers penned a letter to the Law Society of Manitoba to raise questions about Black-Branch’s capacity to provide professional services and his “honesty, trustworthiness and competency as a lawyer.”

The signatories alerted the society about their all-but-certain belief Black-Branch was the senior employee found to have committed wrongdoing in a July U of M report.

The Winnipeg institution’s 2019-20 whistleblower report indicates a single internal investigation during the last academic year found an employee had committed wrongdoing related to the purchase of goods and services, conflict of interest, and the mismanagement and misuse of funds. The findings also indicate the unnamed employee directed others to commit wrongdoing.

The U of M-affiliated lawyers who suggested the employee is Black-Branch in the confidential Aug. 14 letter cited him mentioning U of M administration was looking into his management last fall, and his sudden and unexplained departure.

Black-Branch went on leave in early May, which is when the then-associate dean in the faculty assumed the role as acting dean. On July 1, prominent lawyer and businessman David Asper took over the post. Asper has been mum on the circumstances surrounding his new title; meantime, the U of M continues to provide vague statements on the matter, citing privacy interests.

On Aug. 17, Asper wrote to faculty community members to address the Free Press’ report about the allegations levelled against Black-Branch. In his email, Asper wrote that while he recognizes many community members have legitimate questions about his predecessor’s departure, he cannot answer them.

“Lawyers often have to function in a world of confidentiality to respect the relationship with our clients, institutions or the law. Sometimes, there are competing imperatives about what is, and should remain confidential, and what is in the public interest … This can create very complex issues for lawyers,” he wrote.

“We have to live with ourselves and the ethical choices we make, and I simply do not believe we should be drawn into the public discussion. There are profound interests at stake — those of Jonathan Black-Branch, the whistleblower legislation and its purposes and protections, our faculty, our university, and indeed the public interest.”

Sources told the Free Press Black-Branch recently sold his Tuxedo home and left the province.

Sometime during the last 10 days, Black-Branch’s contact information on the Law Society of Manitoba registry was updated. A phone number with an Oxford, United Kingdom area code has replaced his 204 number. He is still listed as a practising lawyer. (It is unclear if the law society is investigating the complaint since investigations are confidential.)

Neither Black-Branch nor a University of Southampton spokesperson responded to a request for comment before deadline Monday.

maggie.macintosh@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @macintoshmaggie