About Us

About the Desautels

Business Law Accelerator

The Desautels Business Law Accelerator is an initiative of the Marcel A. Desautels Centre for Private Enterprise and the Law at the University of Manitoba’s Faculty of Law. We advance excellence in business law education by creating transformative learning opportunities, supporting leading scholarship, and connecting academic insight with the practical needs of the business community in Manitoba and beyond. Our work is grounded in the belief that students and scholars achieve more when they have strong foundations to stand on.

Projects

Networks that support local businesses and enhance access to justice

Major Initiatives

Led through national and regional partnerships

National Forums

The Canadian Forum for Business and Human Rights & Prairie Business Law Collaboration

Student Researchers

Students engaged through DBLA programs and research roles

What

We Do



Create hands-on learning opportunities for law students through research assistantships, clinics, case competitions, and more



Support innovative research in business law, technology, and private enterprise



Connect academic knowledge with real-world legal practice



Strengthen Prairie business communities, including rural and Indigenous economies



Encourage principled, community-minded approaches to business law

Our

pillars

Students

We prepare future lawyers through real-world experiences—from the L. Kerry Vickar Business Law Clinic to case competitions and the Business Law Group.

Get Involved

Scholars

We support cutting-edge research across business law, including labour, negotiation, technology, and AI, and we help scholars kickstart new projects and ideas that strengthen business law in Manitoba.

Submit an Idea

Support

We strengthen community networks through national competitions, major conferences, and partnerships that connect the Prairies with business law professionals across Canada.

opportunities for engagement