Faculty of Law 2026 Alumni Award recipients announced

To celebrate the achievements of graduates, the Faculty of Law created the Faculty of Law Alumni Awards which are presented annually. This year, winners were selected in the categories of: Outstanding Alumni Award, Emerging Leader Award, and Trailblazer Award. Congratulations to the winners of the 2026 UM Law Alumni Awards:

• Frank Lavitt, K.C. [B.Comm/76; LLB/79] , Outstanding Alumni Award
• Raven-Dominique Gobeil [BA/16; JD/19], Emerging Leader Award
• Evan Johnston [B.Comm/98; LLB/02], Trailblazer Award

The Outstanding Alumni Award honours a UM Law alum recognized for outstanding professional achievement in their legal career and who has shown dedication and commitment to the betterment of the legal profession while exhibiting the qualities of integrity and professionalism.

The Emerging Leader Award honours a UM Law alum who has graduated within the last 10 years. This alum has shown dedication and commitment to the legal profession, and has the qualities of integrity, professionalism, and leadership in their time practicing law.

The Trailblazer Award honours a UM Law alum who has excelled in a career outside the traditional practice of law.  This alum is a person of integrity and has demonstrated leadership and service to the community.

The awards will be presented at the annual UM Law Spring reception on May 13, 2026.

Outstanding Alumni Award– Frank Lavitt, K.C. [B.Comm/76; LLB/79]

Frank Lavitt, K.C. holds a Bachelor of Commerce (1976) and a Bachelor of Laws (1979) from the University of Manitoba. He is a partner at Thompson Dorfman Sweatman who practices primarily in the area of corporate and commercial tax, tax dispute resolution, corporate governance, wills, estates and trust law. He received the King’s Counsel designation in recognition of his outstanding practice, integrity and leadership as a lawyer who fosters excellence in the legal profession. He was also an inaugural appointee as a member of the Jurists of Robson Hall which the Faculty of Law initiated as a way of honouring and recognizing extraordinary service and commitment of members of the legal profession to the Faculty.

Beyond Robson Hall, Lavitt has also taught taxation law for the Law Society of Manitoba, the Asper School of Business, the Chartered Professional Accountants of Manitoba, Certified General Accountants, Canadian Tax Foundation, the Manitoba Bar Association, Tax Video News and elsewhere. He currently teaches the third-year corporate tax course and second-year introductory income tax and policy course at the Faculty of Law. 

Lavitt holds designations of CPA (Hon) and CGA (Hon) in addition to his Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Laws degrees, as well as a TEP (Trust and Estate Practitioner) designation. 

Apart from receiving the “Best Lawyers” Tax Lawyer of the Year award in 2012, 2016 and 2018, Frank has also been recognized in his community, receiving the Islamic Social Services Association ISSA Award in 2015, the City of Winnipeg Community Service Award in 2019, and becoming a Sarah Sommer Chai Folk Ensemble Concert Honouree in 2017.

One of Lavitt’s nominators, Jim Ripley, a colleague at TDS and law school classmate, attested to Lavitt’s contributions to education in his chosen fields of tax and estates as being “exceptional.”

“Frank is well known as an imaginative and effective lawyer,” Ripley said. “He is remarkably knowledgeable in the areas of tax, wills and estates and trusts. His reputation has deservedly brought him many loyal clients and numerous high-ranking designations from the lawyer rating agencies.”

Ripley emphasised Lavitt’s kindness and career-long dedication to the betterment of the legal profession, concluding that, “he is manifestly deserving of the Outstanding Alumni Award.”

Emerging Leader Award - Raven-Dominique Gobeil [BA/16; JD/19]

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Raven-Dominique Gobeil is an Anishinaabe lawyer from the Poplar River First Nation in Treaty 5. She graduated from the University of Manitoba Faculty of Law in 2019, was called to the Manitoba Bar in 2020 and is currently an Associate at the law firm of DD West LLP. Her areas of practice include Municipal law, Indigenous law. Aboriginal law and child protection. 

Several boards and committees she serves on in the Winnipeg community include the University of Manitoba Faculty of Law Indigenous Category Admissions panel, the University of Manitoba Faculty of Law Truth and Reconciliation Action Team, and the Manitoba Teachers Professional Conduct Review panel.

In addition to her legal practice, she serves as a negotiator for the National Children’s Chief Commission assisting in the long-term reform agreement for Jordan’s Principle and the First Nations Child and Family Services program. Gobeil’s former instructor Allison Fenske, Director of the University of Manitoba Community Law Centre, described this as “One of the most compelling components of her legal work,” adding, “Her work in this arena is deeply connected to her own integrity and professionalism and her place as a leader in our profession.”

Further, Gobeil has spoken out publicly, electing to have herself named in a recently reported provincial court decision as a survivor of childhood sexual abuse, breaking a barrier of shame and silence. In choosing to be named, and in making a victim impact statement, Fenske said, “she has made visible the trauma that so many survivors carry in private and helped shift the culture of law and justice toward greater openness, inclusion and healing.”

Trailblazer Award - Evan Johnston [B.Comm/98; LLB/02]

With a Bachelor of Commerce (1998) and a Bachelor of Laws (2002) from the University of Manitoba, Evan Johnston began his career as a corporate lawyer in Vancouver, focusing on technology. He earned his CFA designation and after spending two summers at the United Nations in New York City, he joined a securitization practice at Clifford Chance in London, England, the world’s largest international law firm. Johnston joined Blakes’ Securities practice in Calgary upon returning to Canada, and in 2016, joined Wawanesa as its Senior Vice President and Chief Legal Officer. He stepped into the role of President and CEO of The Wawanesa Mutual Insurance Company on January 1, 2025.

Since his years as a law student at Robson Hall where he received multiple academic awards including making the Dean’s Honour List and achieving highest standing in Business and Finance Law, he was presented with the King Charles III Coronation Medal in 2025 for his impactful work with the Canada Games Movement, and a Transition to Business Award from the Canadian Corporate Counsel Association. He currently sits on numerous boards besides the Wawanesa Mutual Insurance Company, including the Insurance Bureau of Canada, and is a member of the Campaign Cabinet for the Unted Way, Winnipeg.

Johnston’s colleague, James Ludlow, President of True North Real Estate Development, described him as going above and beyond in his work to develop Wawanesa as a company, bringing “strategic foresight and a strong moral compass in upholding the highest ethical standards to the profession, Wawanesa and its employees.” 

Ludlow shared, “To me, Evan exemplifies the qualities of an inspiring leader and a dedicated professional. His efforts not only enhance the reputation of legal professionals but also reflect the critical role of a legal education in driving broader organizational success.”

Reflecting back on his career path, Johnston shared some thoughts for current law students to consider: “Your career won’t be linear - focus on your values, serve your community, build real relationships, and stay open to opportunities beyond your original plan.”