Sharyne Hamm emerged as vice president in regulator’s recent elections
The Law Society of Manitoba has announced that its benchers have elected new executive members Ken Mandzuik as the 106th president and Sharyne Hamm as vice president, both of whom will assume their official duties at this month’s bencher meeting.
Sharing its recent election results, the law society congratulated the new benchers and expressed eagerness to see their leadership and diverse perspectives in action.
“Thank you to all the nominees who put their names forward,” the law society said in its news release. “Your commitment to a strong, independent legal profession helps ensure the public interest is well served.”
Of 2,445 eligible voters, the law society recorded 1,075 ballots cast. Apart from Hamm, the others newly elected in the City of Winnipeg electoral district were:
- Kathrine Basarab
- Jason B. Gisser
- Maria M. Mitousis
- Ian B. Scarth
- Leah Unruh
- Josh Weinstein
Simon Jack was the only newly elected bencher for the Northern electoral district.
Those elected by acclamation were Kassy Baker for the Dauphin central electoral district, Mathieu R. Lafrenière for the Eastern electoral district, and Trent Sholdice for the Western electoral district.
Ken Mandzuik
Mandzuik’s biography on Tradition Law LLP’s website provided more information regarding his legal practice and organizational involvement. At that firm, he serves as a partner focusing on trust and estate litigation.
His practice has also encompassed all aspects of civil and commercial litigation, including representing Indian residential school survivors. He has appeared before the Supreme Court of Canada, all court levels in Manitoba, administrative tribunals, arbitrators, and mediators.
Since 2020, Mandzuik has served as the legal member of the Manitoba Judicial Inquiry Board. At the Manitoba law society, Mandzuik has chaired or belonged to committees on access to justice, discipline, equity, and Indigenous advisory matters.
At the Manitoba Bar Association, he has been its president, a life council member, a co-chair of its sexual orientation and gender identity committee, and a member of its wills section executive.
At the Canadian Bar Association, Mandzuik has been the Manitoba representative of its board and chair of its legislation and law reform committee.
He has also acted as chair of the Insurance Agents’ and Adjusters’ Licensing Appeal Board and as an alternate chair of the Criminal Code Review Board of Manitoba.
Mandzuik has been a director of nonprofit or not-for-profit organizations such as the Canadian Bar Insurance Association/Lawyer’s Financial, the Legal Help Centre, the Manitoba Association for Rights and Liberties, the Kidney Foundation of Manitoba, and West Broadway Youth Outreach.
He earned a King’s Counsel designation in 2023 and admission to the Manitoba bar in 1997. He obtained his BA in philosophy and his LLB from the University of Manitoba.
Sharyne Hamm
According to Hamm’s bencher nominee profile, she is a litigation partner at Thompson Dorfman Sweatman LLP who works across administrative, commercial, and construction law. Her administrative law practice covers professional regulation and governance for self-regulated professions.
Alongside two colleagues at the firm, she received the Manitoba Bar Association’s Pro Bono Award for participating in an intervention before the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal.
At the Manitoba law society, Hamm has served as a bencher elected in 2022, as a student bencher for 2016/2017, and as its representative on the Manitoba Law Foundation.
She has also belonged to the law society’s committees on admissions and education, complaints and investigation (as chair), access to justice (as vice chair), strategic planning, practice and ethics, and the regulation of legal entities.
Hamm has volunteered as a law student at the Legal Help Centre and as a coach for the Davies Corporate Securities Moot from 2017–23. She also volunteered with Swimmingly, of which she was president.
She joined the Manitoba bar in 2017.
