The Gift is in the Giving

Giving back to the community that nurtured and educated you is part of Richard Leipsic’s [BA/71, LLB/75] 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 will be awarded annually 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; and has excelled in corporate law courses.

 

Leipsic (pictured right) 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 Leipsic 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.”

 

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.

 

Leipsic 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.”