Tuesday, October 29, 2024
Event Information:
Join us for a 90-minute seminar on Prison Law in Manitoba. Geared to practicing lawyers and students, this session will present an overview as to what different organizations are doing, parole and record suspensions, resources for clients who are, or may be, incarcerated, and an overview of issues related to prison libraries and literature in provincial prisons.
Panelists:
Allison Fenske, The University of Manitoba, Faculty of Law (Moderator)
Allison Fenske is Clinical Counsel at the University of Manitoba’s Faculty of Law and Director of the University of Manitoba Community Law Centre – a long-standing partnership with Legal Aid Manitoba providing law students with the opportunity to represent individuals who would not otherwise receive legal aid. Recently, the UMCLC launched Manitoba’s first Prison Law Clinic.
Called to the bar in 2008, Allison has appeared at all levels of court and before a variety of administrative tribunals. Her legal work has focused on defending and advancing the rights of people and communities marginalized through state and systemic oppression.
Leif Jensen, University of Manitoba Community Law Centre
Called to the Bar in 2015, Leif Jensen has practiced in Saskatchewan, British Columbia, and Manitoba. He has represented clients, including protestors, nonprofits, Indigenous Government, and advocacy organizations, on Charter and constitutions issues at all levels of Court. He has worked with hundreds of inmates on a variety of matters including judicial reviews, grievances, disciplinary matters, gender identity, human rights, civil claims, prerogative writs, and other matters relating to carceral accountability. Leif has a JD from the University of Saskatchewan (2014) and an LLM from the University of Victoria (2024).
Marc Kruse, The University of Manitoba, Faculty of Law
Marc Kruse, JD, is the Director of Indigenous Legal Learning and Services at Robson Hall. He is also an associate with Rees Dyck Rogala Law Offices, where he practices criminal defence representing youth and adult clients. His research interests focus on the relationship between philosophical ethics, political philosophy, and law, with special focus on the ways educational institutions can ameliorate or exacerbate legal problems.
Elizabeth McCandless, The University of Manitoba, Faculty of Law
Liz McCandless is a Senior Instructor and the Director of Clinical Programming at the Faculty of Law, University of Manitoba. She joined the faculty in 2022.
Prior to the faculty, Liz served as director and legal counsel for the Manitoba Law Reform Commission (MLRC). She also served as the legal research support for civil and public interest litigation primarily in the areas of human rights, constitutional, and Aboriginal law.
Kirsten Wurmann, Manitoba Law Library, Manitoba Library Association
Kirsten Wurmann is a librarian, an art lover, a walker, and a former hostel owner. She is passionate about social justice and creating access to information for all. To that end, she has volunteered inside carceral institutions for 17 years, and is the founder of the Manitoba Library Association – Prison Libraries Committee.