Giving back to the community that nurtured and educated you is part of Richard Leipsic’s deeply ingrained philosophy and he’s putting that value into practice with his decision to donate $25,000 to Robson Hall to establish in perpetuity, the ZSA – National Post/Richard Leipsic Prize.
The prize’s income is given to a student who has completed the second or third year of full-time study; has achieved a minimum degree grade point average of 3.0; has completed a minimum of nine hours of – and excelled in – corporate law courses which include: Debtors’ and Creditors’ Rights, Commercial Law, Securities Law, International Business Law, and/or Corporations II.
Richard was honoured when awarded the 2008 ZSA – National Post Canadian General Counsel of the Year. The National Post & ZSA General Counsel Awards is the only event of its kind in North America – recognizing in-house counsel, who otherwise may go unnoticed by the business community. The award comes with $25,000 that can be donated to any Canadian Law School and Richard chose Robson Hall because he says the faculty taught him to think critically and logically and to analyze situations carefully, looking at them from different points of view and considering the “on the other hand” contrarian arguments.
“It was only natural for me to donate the prize money to the University of Manitoba, Faculty of Law,” he says. “I was educated here, I work here and my family is here. I also think it’s very important to give back to your community. Robson Hall and its faculty have a stellar reputation and have had a profound impact on my career. I was very pleased to direct the prize in its favour.”
Mr. Leipsic is General Counsel and Senior Vice President with CanWest Global Communications Corp. Before assuming his current position in January 1999 he was a partner in the Winnipeg law firm, Pitblado LLP. He is a member of the Law Society of Manitoba and is a former Chair of St. John’s Ravenscourt School. He is also on the board of the Asper Jewish Community Campus of Winnipeg. He has lectured and written extensively on corporate law matters.
Richard says he is happy to support the faculty with the gift. Asked why he chose a career in Law he had a simple answer: “I always had an idea that I wanted to acquire the knowledge and the tools in terms of business expertise to be successful in my life – and a law degree was the answer. One might assume that certain knowledge about the law is commonplace in society but it really only comes with a law degree. That’s why I chose Law.”
Robson Hall’s Frank Lavitt and his wife, Ahava Halpern, established an endowment fund at the University of Manitoba, with an initial gift of $25,000. Using flow through shares they are going to increase the fund to $50,000 by the end of the year. Frank Lavitt is a partner and Head of the Tax Group with Taylor McCaffrey LLP.
The purpose of the fund is to support students entering the Faculty of Law. Income from the fund will be used to offer one scholarship annually to a student who is admitted under the “Individual Consideration Category.” The category is open to mature applicants with the objectives of: enriching the law school by creating greater diversity in the student body, producing graduates who can make a significant or special contribution, and providing greater access for applicants who have encountered barriers to education.
Frank says he decided to donate to the Law Faculty after realizing the campus had changed a lot in the three decades since he studied there.
“I realized the Law School was tight for cash and being run on the proverbial shoe string. We needed to help for the sake of the Law School and for the sake of the Law Firms that depend on the Law School for top talent,” he says.
He established a scholarship for Law students because he wanted to see good quality lawyers graduate. He particularly wants to encourage students needing special consideration – such as mature students who’ve worked as paralegals but want to become lawyers. He also supports part-time study programs to help those challenged by financial barriers or family commitments.
Lavitt originally wanted to be a tax accountant but found he got no joy from doing audits during a summer accounting job. As a result he entered the Faculty of Law after completing his original business degree.
He agreed to be a sessional lecturer when approached by Dean Harvey Secter. “I had been teaching other courses and had, starting in my articling year, gone to tax courses and conferences and kept up my professional reading,” he says. “Teaching actually helps me do formal, structured reading. I also support using sessional lecturers because they help keep university costs down.”
He recalls his law school days with pleasure and says it was always harder to get an A in a Law School than it was in to get an A at Business School. “Law School was like a holiday for me because I enjoyed what I was doing.”
His father Joseph, a pharmacist and son of a milkman, who also established an endowment fund at the Faculty of Pharmacy, believed in balancing work and home life. He encouraged Frank’s studies, saying three years of sacrifice at university would help Frank achieve a wonderful life.
Long a lover of books and libraries, Frank says he and his wife are involved with several charities and they are both strong believers in giving back to the community.
His bottom line: alumni should actively support their faculties. The Law School needs to be well funded if it is to remain a highly regarded & prestigious place which alumni can be proud of. It needs gifts and sound funding if alumni want it to adapt to changing times, offer courses in new areas, grow, prosper and remain highly regarded.
“If the Law School loses its prestige and quality reputation, the academic currency is devalued and, along with that, the great credentials of its graduates,” he adds.
