News

When: February 18-20, 2021
Where: Zoom 
Team members: Anthony Buckland and Elizabeth Matheson
Coaches: Jeremy Smith, Brian Casey QC, and Michael Scott

Congratulations to Schulich Law mooters Anthony Buckland and Elizabeth Matheson who took home first place at the 20^th annual McKelvey Cup Moot. Their victory marks the fourth win for Schulich Law in the last six years. They will now represent the region at the national Sopinka Cup competition that will be held virtually in Ottawa this March.

Schulich Law student Eliza Richardson also received the award for best cross examination, as she and her partner Justin Monahan defeated a team from Université de Moncton.

The Schulich Law team was judged by a jury which included four judges from the Quebec and New Brunswick courts. A special thanks to supporters John Buhlman from Weir Foulds who is head of the national Sopinka Cup committee along with seven others, as well as the sponsors of the McKelvey Cup, Stewart McKelvey and the American College of Trial Lawyers. 

"It is always satisfying to watch students master new skills that they first had to struggle with," says coach Brian Casey. "This year we had the chance to do that together, because we all needed to learn the skills to transition from a real world to a virtual one."

When: February 19-20, 2021
Where: Zoom 
Team members: Tiffany Leung, Sarah Vooys, Caitlin Schropp, and Haley MacLean
Coaches: Anthony Rosborough 

Mooters Tiffany Leung, Sarah Vooys, Caitlin Schropp, and Haley MacLean represented the Schulich School of Law at the 13^th annual Harold G. Fox Intellectual Property Moot. This year’s moot problem focused on trademarks, and particularly, the entitlement to official marks; an oddity in Canadian law. The Schulich Law team performed extraordinarily well under pressure. Even though they did not advance to the finals, they were complimented for their deliberate, professional and approachable style. Congratulations to the University of Toronto on their win.

Our team was supported by intellectual property practitioners within law firms across Canada, faculty and alumni of the Fox Moot. We are thankful for their time and energy in contributing to this effort.

“As the Team’s coach, I could not be more proud of their enthusiasm, hard work and dedication over the past many months and weeks. They are an incredible group of advocates which individually show much promise for the future of the legal profession," says Anthony Rosborough. "I can only hope that their aspirations are to remain connected to the world of intellectual property law and practice in some way.”

When: January 30-31, 2021
Where: Zoom meetings for participants and bespoke web-streaming software for audience members
Team members: Erika Hertz and Ben Mosher
Coaches: Professor Liam McHugh-Russell and Eric Slone

Mooters Erika Hertz and Ben Mosher represented the Schulich School of Law at the 23^rd annual National Labour Arbitration Competition. Although the Schulich Law team performed admirably, the top prize ultimately went to the University of British Columbia.

Our team is very thankful for the support from lawyers at the Halifax firms Pink Larkin and McInnes Cooper, whose feedback in the final stretch helped the team sharpen their arguments.

“Mooting through Zoom presented a novel challenge this year. But many of the lawyers, arbitrators and adjudicators who helped run the moot this year made clear that online adjudication is not going away any time soon. So despite the downsides, the team gained some skills they wouldn’t have been able to practice in other years," says Professor McHugh-Russell. "Overall, we were both impressed by the work they put into their preparation and proud of their performance in these challenging circumstances.”