Transformational
Leadership for Legal Professionals

May 5 – June 13

Working team
This is not your typical leadership course. This course starts with the bold promise that any participant, whatever their background, position or inclination, will emerge being a leader and exercising leadership as their natural self-expression. Enroll in our six-week Transformational Leadership for Legal Professionals program and equip yourself to lead effectively in today’s evolving legal landscape.

Program Overview

Following the successful model of the Leadership Academy at the University of Ottawa, this unique program evolves through a series of structured dialogues designed to bring about leadership mastery in any situation. Drawing on insights from a range of fields, including neuroscience, linguistics and philosophy, the course shows that leadership is not simply an intrinsic quality that leaders possess; it is a way of being that is open to all of us and which can be brought to any leadership challenge. Participants will be led through a series of interactive sessions exploring a broad range of experiences, from ethical decision-making and inclusivity to ways of being and acting that will enable meaningful impact in legal settings.

This unique hybrid certificate program, accredited by the Law Society of Ontario (LSO), combines in-person and online learning to create a dynamic and engaging leadership experience. The curriculum emphasizes both personal development and professional growth, helping you build confidence and essential leadership competencies.

Through this program, you will:

  • Gain access to a new approach to leadership as a way of being and action (and not as a product of charisma, characteristics, title or authority);
  • Achieve significant breakthroughs in your professional and personal life — in any environment, under any circumstances;
  • Identify ways of being that are interfering with the possibility of your exercising leadership effectively;
  • Reconnect with your power to make things happen, and with the source of aliveness that generates the desire to make noteworthy contributions to others;
  • Discover how to deal with personal or organizational inertia and lack of motivation in teams while working in a way that speaks to every member of a team.

Our six-session program uses a combination of in-person and online learning divided across three in-person classes (grouped as one session) and five separate online sessions. This format allows for deep learning and real-time interaction while offering flexibility for busy professionals. By the end of this immersive leadership program, you will be equipped to drive meaningful change in your practice, lead with integrity, and collaborate effectively across disciplines.

Join us to develop yourself as a leader and experience a transformation that will leave you exercising leadership effectively as you navigate today’s legal landscape.

Session Breakdown

Session 1: In-Person Intensive (May 5, 6, 7)

  • Location: Ottawa, Ontario
  • Duration: 6 hours per day
  • Engage in immersive leadership training, interactive discussions, and hands-on activities to establish a strong foundation for the program.

Sessions 2–6: Live Online sessions (May 16, 23 and 30, June 6 and 13, from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.)

  • Duration: 3.5 hours per session
  • Delivered virtually, these sessions build on key leadership concepts, providing tools, strategies, and real-world applications to help you lead effectively.

Total Program Hours: 35.5 (13 EDI, 22.5 Professionalism)

Price: $2500 (CAD)

Law society of Ontario accredited logo

Law society of Ontario - Accredited

This organization has been approved as an Accredited Provider of Professionalism Content by the Law Society of Ontario.

Meet the Instructors

Margarida Gracia

Margarida Gracia

Margarida Garcia is a jurist, criminologist and sociologist. She is a Full Professor at the Faculty of Law and the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Ottawa (Canada), and served as the Vice-Dean of Research at the Faculty of Law’s Civil Law Section from 2017 to 2021. Professor Garcia co-founded the Leadership Academy at the University of Ottawa and currently serves as its co-director. She teaches leadership, epistemology and the methodology of research in law. Her interdisciplinary work focuses on the theme of innovation and the obstacles to innovation in law reform (especially in the area of criminal law and human rights) and in institutional change. Her research focuses on the concept of human rights and relies on the contributions and active participation of Canadian, European and South American judicial actors (especially judges and crown prosecutors). She is currently undertaking research on leadership in times of crisis and on the concept of failure. Her work explores social and normative innovation at the crossroads of the legal and non-legal knowledge produced by law and by the social sciences. This is an approach that Professor Garcia considers essential for understanding the development of standards in a multicultural, pluralistic and diverse world.

Richard Dubé

Richard Dubé

Richard Dubé is a Full Professor in the Department of Criminology of the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Ottawa. His current research focuses on reform of the criminal justice system, its fundamental principles and objectives, modern theories of punishment, and the conditions necessary for the emergence of innovative ideas in the field of criminal justice. His work has been the subject of several publications, notably in the journals Les Cahiers de droit, Droit et Société, Champ pénal and Déviance et Société. He has also co-edited a book on the topic of sentencing entitled Modern Criminal Rationality: Theoretical Reflections and Empirical Explorations, published in 2013 by the University of Ottawa Press. He is currently working on the development of a sociological theory of dysfunctional social systems. A founding member of the Leadership Academy, he is committed to making leadership available to those who choose to exercise it in the transformation of organizational structures, placing an emphasis on individuals’ self-realization and well being.

Marc Dubé

Marc Dubé

Marc Dubé is a Professor in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, cross-appointed to the School of Engineering Design and Teaching Innovation, at the University of Ottawa. He is the former Vice-Dean of Research for his Faculty (2015-2020) and is currently serving as uOttawa’s Associate Vice-Provost, Graduate and Post-Doctoral Studies (Interim, January-June 2025). He is a Fellow of both the Engineering Institute of Canada and the Chemical Institute of Canada. He performs research in sustainable polymer reaction engineering: making polymers from renewable materials such as starch, cellulose, lignin, limonene and glycerol to make coatings and adhesives that have a lower impact on the environment. As co-director of the Leadership Academy, Professor Dubé is committed to mentoring his uOttawa colleagues to help them achieve their top performance in not only teaching, research and academic service, but in living balanced, happy and fulfilling lives.