Desautels RA Alumni

Justin Papoff graduated from the University of Manitoba’s Robson Hall Faculty of Law in 2024 and is now an Associate in the corporate and commercial group at MLT Aikins LLP in Winnipeg.

His practice spans several areas, including intellectual property, privacy, data and technology, commercial real estate, and financing. His involvement with the Desautels Centre was one of the highlights of his legal education.

While at Robson Hall, he managed the social media presence for the Marcel A. Desautels Centre for Private Enterprise and the Law. The Desautels Centre also supported him in presenting his paper, “Holding the Kids Hostage: What Family Lawyers Can Learn from Hostage Negotiators,” at the 17th Annual Canadian Law Student Conference in Windsor, Ontario. He later reflected on this experience in a Desautels Centre blog post titled “Reflections on the 17th Annual Canadian Law Student Conference”, which highlights the conference’s impact and featured speakers, including The Honourable Malcolm Rowe.

Luke Bossuyt is a 2025 graduate of Robson Hall and is currently articling with D’Arcy & Deacon LLP in Winnipeg. His work focuses primarily on corporate and commercial matters, with a particular interest in the agriculture industry.

He served as a research assistant for the Prairie Business Law Collaboration (PBLC), an initiative of Desautels. In this role, he participated in meetings to help define the PBLC’s goals and determine strategies for achieving them. His research examined the economic and social structures of rural communities across Western Canada to identify trends and their underlying causes.

Having witnessed structural changes in rural Western Canada throughout his lifetime, he found the work of the PBLC especially meaningful. As a result, he is encouraged by the Centre’s efforts to address these challenges and is proud to have contributed to work that supports rural communities.

Gilad Stitz is a Juris Doctor candidate at Robson Hall and will graduate in 2026. During his time with the Desautels Centre, he published a report on franchising as part of the State of Business Law reports.

He is also completing a paper focused on cultivating success as an e-commerce entrepreneur. Through this work, he gained valuable experience researching topics at the intersection of business and law. Developing the ability to analyze information and deliver research that benefits the public has been especially meaningful, and he is grateful for the opportunity to build these skills through the Centre.

Dena Aminzadeh is a 2026 Juris Doctor candidate at the University of Manitoba, Faculty of Law. Her work with the Desautels Accelerator included research on Indigenous economic development and business law in Manitoba, as well as assisting with event planning.

Prior to law school, she earned a Bachelor of Arts with a major in Sociology. Outside of her studies, Dena enjoys hiking, photography, and travelling.