Former University of Manitoba law dean subject of Canada-wide arrest warrant

A Canada-wide arrest warrant has been issued for Jonathan Black-Branch, a former dean of the U of M's faculty of law.

A Canada-wide arrest warrant has been issued for a former dean of the Faculty of Law at the University of Manitoba, following allegations of financial misconduct during his tenure.

The warrant for Jonathan Black-Branch was issued March 30 on a charge of fraud over $5,000, according to Winnipeg Police Service Const. Claude Chancy.

Black-Branch served as law dean from 2016 to 2020, in a role originally intended as a five-year term. An internal investigation, prompted by a complaint, concluded that more than $600,000 in university funds had been misappropriated during that period, including expenditures on university programs, membership fees, accommodations, and meals.

Court records indicate the largest portion — more than $518,000 — was spent on professional development programs between December 2017 and July 2019, at institutions including Harvard University and the University of Cambridge.

Black-Branch’s employment was terminated in July 2020, and at some point, he left the country. Court documents filed in 2024 list his last known address as Oxford, England, and suggest he may be residing in Switzerland.

The University of Manitoba sued Black-Branch in the Court of King’s Bench of Manitoba and was granted default judgment in May 2025 for $679,269.98 plus legal costs, bearing interest at three per cent per year.

A university spokesperson said efforts to recover the funds are ongoing.

“Accountability is very important to the university, and UM intends to pursue all available collection remedies to secure payment,” the statement read in part.

Disbarred again

In February, Black-Branch was disbarred by the Bar Standards Board for England and Wales after he was found guilty on five charges of professional misconduct.

The tribunal concluded that Black-Branch, called to the bar in England and Wales in 1998, had “on many occasions breached his duty of integrity and has therefore committed professional misconduct and/or engaged in conduct unbecoming of a lawyer.”

That decision followed an earlier disbarment by the Law Society of Manitoba in February 2024, after a months-long hearing in fall 2023 that Black-Branch did not attend. A 28-page filing from the society noted he had sought multiple adjournments on medical grounds.

The Bar Tribunals and Adjudication Service noted that Black-Branch was also absent from its proceedings. It found he had failed to cooperate with the Bar Standards Board and “did not report promptly or at all” that he was subject to disciplinary action by the Law Society of Manitoba.

Black-Branch may apply for a new hearing on the basis of his absence, it adds.

The University of Manitoba has told CTV News that additional measures have since been put in place to prevent fraud and financial irregularities, including a new university policy and a course on financial stewardship and ethical conduct.

Const. Chancy confirmed the investigation into Black-Branch remains ongoing and said the Winnipeg Police Service could not provide further details.

CTV News has reached out to Black-Branch by email and is awaiting a response.

• RELATED STORY: Former U of M law dean ordered to pay university nearly $700K: Default judgment