News

When: January 9-10, 2025
Where: Online, hosted virtually
Team Members: Hannah Arsenault-Gallant, Ann Nightingale, and Emma Peckham
Coach: Professor Sara Seck

Congratulations to the Schulich School of Law team on a strong showing at the North American Regional Rounds of the Stetson International Environmental Moot Court Competition, hosted virtually from January 9-10, 2025.

The Stetson International Environmental Law Moot is the foremost international moot which focuses exclusively on global environmental challenges such as conservation, sustainability, and climate change. The students are tasked with mooting before a simulated panel of the International Court of Justice which is made up of a combination of members, esteemed judges, and practitioners.

The problem for this year’s moot concerned questions relating to subsistence use and trophy hunting and raised questions under the Convention on Migratory Species, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, WTO appellate body jurisprudence, and Indigenous rights under UNDRIP, ILO 169 and the CESCR.    

Unlike most moots, students were required to argue both sides of the fact scenario. Schulich Law students Hannah Arsenault-Gallant, Ann Nightingale, and Emma Peckham enthusiastically took on this challenge and performed commendably.  

The University of Chicago was ultimately named the winning team and will compete in the international rounds at Florida's Stetson University Faculty of Law in April.

When: January 29-February 1, 2025
Where: Toronto, Ontario
Team Members: Nicole Basran, Joshua Langston, and Chantal Peng
Coaches: Professor Maria Dugas, Brandon Rolle, and Lee Seshagiri

Congratulations to the Schulich School of Law team on their showing at the Julius Alexander Isaac Moot in Toronto on January 29-February 1, 2025.

The Isaac Moot is named after Julius Alexander Isaac, the first Black judge to sit on the Federal Court of Canada. It was established by the Black Law Students’ Association of Canada and focuses on areas of law in which equity, diversity, and racism issues arise, often incorporating elements of critical race theory (CRT) into the problem.  

This year's problem addressed the legal test for racial profiling from a critical race perspective. The Schulich Law team of Nicole Basran, Joshua Langston, and Chantal Peng submitted a thoughtful and compelling factum, proposing a novel test for racial profiling aimed at addressing systemic racism and the mass incarceration of racialized groups. They represented the law school with integrity and professionalism, earning high praise from the judges and opposing counsel throughout the competition.  

Despite impressive performances in the preliminary rounds, including navigating a very ‘hot bench’, they did not advance to the final. Basran was presented with the Spirit of the Moot Award for her exceptional advocacy and commitment to CRT.

“I am proud of this team – as a CRT scholar, their coach, and an African Nova Scotian,” says coach Maria Dugas. “I am particularly impressed by the collegiality and support they showed each other throughout the entire moot process. They encouraged each other, lifted each other up, and were committed to understanding and raising compelling arguments rooted in CRT.”

A special thanks to Professors Steve Coughlan and Melisa Marsman who served as guest judges, and to coaches Brandon Rolle and Lee Seshagiri for the support and guidance they showed the students.

When: January 31-February 2, 2025
Where: Toronto, Ontario
Team Members: Mina Ali, Isabella Harris, and Kaley Kennedy
Coaches: Professor Liam McHugh-Russell and Gus Richardson

The 27th National Labour Arbitration Competition, hosted by Mathews Dinsdale and Clarke LLP, took place from January 31-February 2 at the offices of the Ontario Labour Relations Board in Toronto.

The moot requires teams to participate in two rounds of mock arbitration, arguing once for both the union and the employer sides.

The scenario grounding this year’s moot concerned the dismissal of a teacher with strong religious views and touched on a variety of issues, including the regulation of speech by employers, the protection of equality in the workplace, and the relevance of procedural standards in collective agreements to the adjudication of substantive worker rights. It also required engagement with the Supreme Court’s recent guidance in York Region District School Board v. Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario about how the Charter should be applied to the interpretation of collective agreements in public workplaces such as schools.

Schulich Law students Mina Ali and Isabella Harris put in a superlative performance. Their presentations made a significant impression on both the judges drawn from the union- and employer-side labour bar and practicing arbitrators, as well as members of the audience. Although it was close, they were not chosen to participate in the final round, and the competition victory went to the University of Alberta’s team.

A special thanks to student Kaley Kennedy, who put significant work into helping the team prepare but was unable to participate in the moot, and for the continuing support of labour and employment lawyers from Pink Larkin, who watched a run through of the union-side argument and provided invaluable feedback.

When: February 14-15, 2025
Where: Halifax, Nova Scotia
Team Members: David Cruz, Adrienne Graham, Leily Farman-Farmaian, and Aleida Whidden
Coaches: Brian Casey, KC, Kathryn Piché and Jeremy Smith

Congratulations to Schulich Law students David Cruz and Aleida Whidden who were named the winners of the 26^th McKelvey Cup after defeating the team from the University of New Brunswick in the final.

The McKelvey Cup is a trial moot in which students do a mock jury trial. Each student does a direct examination and a cross-examination, as well as a jury address. The competition is then judged by that jury, which this year included Madame Justice Cindy Bourgeois of the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal and trial lawyers from throughout Nova Scotia.

Coached by Brian Casey, KC, Kathryn Piché, and Jeremy Smith, Schulich Law sent two teams to this year’s competition; its Crown team of Adrienne Graham and Leily Farman-Farmaian competed against the defence team from Université de Moncton while Schulich Law’s defence team of Cruz and Whidden took on the University of New Brunswick. Cruz also earned the James E. Lockyer Award for Best Overall Advocate.

“David and Aleida did an outstanding job presenting the defence in their case,” says Casey. “The judges shared that they were impressed with the students’ skills and very much enjoyed watching them perform.”

The McKelvey Cup is the regional competition for the Sopinka Cup. Cruz and Whidden will go on to represent Atlantic Canada in Ottawa at the national moot in March.

When: February 21-22, 2025
Where: Toronto, Ontario
Team Members: Isaac Cain, Katherine Silins, Liam Sherlock, and Juliet Watts
Coach: Brendan Peters

The Schulich School of Law continued its streak of excellence at this year’s Harold G. Fox Intellectual Property (IP) Moot with outstanding performances by Isaac Cain and Juliet Watts, who represented the appellants, and Katherine Silins and Liam Sherlock for the respondent.

The 17^th annual Harold G. Fox IP Moot problem focused on issues of copyright and moral rights in a painting, engaging traditionally under-litigated provisions of the Copyright Act.

Cain and Watts advanced to the final round, delivering submissions before a distinguished panel of judges, including the Honourable Justice Malcolm Rowe of the Supreme Court of Canada. They skillfully fielded questions from the bench and secured the hard-fought runner-up position for Best Mooting Team in addition to their honourable mention for their work on the appellants’ factum.

Silins and Sherlock won the Gordon F. Henderson Award for Best Respondent Factum, an incredible achievement given the centrality of written advocacy to modern appellate litigation. From comments made by practice judges to feedback by preliminary round panelists, the strength of this factum was emphasized and celebrated throughout the course of the moot.

“I am so incredibly proud of how this team took agency over the subject matter as well as the preparation schedule. They approached this file like true litigators, making great efforts to budget their time, energy, and resources to get the job done in the most effective way possible,” says coach Brendan Peters. “It has been said many times by many seasoned litigators over the past several months, but it bears repeating: this team has a very bright future in litigation.”

When: February 20-22, 2025
Where: Ottawa, Ontario
Team Members: Alexandra Doane, David Dorrian, Asia Murphy, and Mira Stephenson
Coaches: Sarah Douglas and Sarah MacLeod

The Canadian rounds of the 2025 Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition were held in Ottawa from February 20-22 and hosted by the Canadian Council on International Law. The competition featured a hypothetical public international law case between two countries that had various legal disputes.

Applicants Alexandra Doane and Asia Murphy mooted against students from three other law schools, while David Dorrian and Mira Stephenson did the same as respondents. All four demonstrated terrific written and oral advocacy skills and received many comments on the high quality of their advocacy from the judges they faced and the coaches from opposing teams, many of whom are international law practitioners or scholars.

While they did not advance to the final rounds, they did win prizes for Third Place Applicant Memorials and Fifth Place Memorials overall.

"We are so proud of the team’s showing at this year’s Jessup Moot. They demonstrated stellar teamwork and resilience, as well as exceptional skills in advocacy,” says coaches Sarah Douglas and Sarah MacLeod. “We wish them the biggest congratulations on this accomplishment as they set out on their legal careers.”

The team would like to thank the many practice judges who donated their time in the weeks leading up to the competition: Schulich Law and Jessup Moot alumni Bruce MacGregor, Jennie Pick, Taline Salsmen, Julia Hiltz, Alex Eddy, Caleb MacDonald, and Victoria Bryce; Professors Rob Currie, Aldo Chircop, and Sara Seck; and their friends from Stewart McKelvey, Boyne Clarke, Burchell Wickwire Bryson, and the Halifax office of the Judge Advocate General. A special thanks to Elizabeth Sanford and Professors Phillip Saunders and Jodi Lazare, who also provided invaluable assistance to the team.
 

When: February 28-March 1, 2025
Where: Toronto, Ontario
Team Members: Alison Balcom, Patricia Doiron, Beck Traversa, and Matthew Williams
Coach: Professor Colin Jackson

Congratulations to the Schulich School of Law team on an impressive showing at the Donald G.H. Bowman National Tax Moot at the Federal Courts Building in Toronto from February 28-March 1.

This year’s moot problem was an appeal of the Federal Court of Appeal’s decision in Glencore Canada (2024 FCA 3) about the tax treatment of two fees received as part of a failed merger bid.

Schulich Law students Beck Traversa and Matthew Williams, represented the appellant corporation, while Alison Balcom and Patricia Doiron, represented the Crown. They had the opportunity to moot in front of Tax Court of Canada and Federal Court of Appeal judges Perry Derksen, David Graham, John Sorensen, Siobhan Monaghan, and David Stratas. They performed extremely well but ultimately, the team from the University of Calgary was named the winner.

“I’m delighted with the hard work our team put in and grateful to my colleagues from the local tax bar who were so helpful in the team’s preparation,” says coach Colin Jackson.

A sincere thanks to President Kim Brooks, retired Tax Court Justice Steven D’Arcy, and many members of the local tax bar for their help along the way, as well as the family and friends who made the trip to Toronto, and the faculty for its support of this excellent, formative experience.

When: February 28-March 1, 2025
Where: Toronto, Ontario
Team Members: Alex Harrison, Kayla Jackman, Gavin Jolly, and Anu Sidhu
Coaches: Erica Koresawa and Kristyn Stevens

The Gale Cup Moot is Canada’s premier bilingual law school mooting competition. Each year, a Supreme Court of Canada case is mooted to the Gale Cup Moot Court, composed of sitting and retired judges. The 52^nd Gale Cup Moot took place in Toronto from February 28-March 1, 2025.

This year, 19 law schools mooted the case of R v Bykovets at the Ontario Court of Justice. This case was particularly challenging as the facts themselves were technically complex in addition to the legal issues at play.  

Schulich Law students Alex Harrison and Gavin Jolly represented the Appellant Crown and mooted before Justice Knickle (Court of Appeal of Newfoundland and Labrador), Justice Gage (Ontario Court of Justice and veteran Gale Cup Moot judge), and Justice Verner (Superior Court of Ontario).

Kayla Jackman and Anu Sidhu represented the Appellant and mooted before Justice Mainella (Manitoba Court of Appeal), Justice Woodley (Ontario Court of Justice), and Justice Chapman (Ontario Court of Justice).  

The University of British Columbia took home first place in the moot and while the Schulich Law teams did not advance to the finals, Jackman and Sidhu were awarded the prize for Best (Anglophone) Team Not Advancing to Finals. This is the third consecutive year the law school has ranked in the top five in the Gale Cup.

“A lot of unseen work goes into preparation for this moot – research, writing, and constant edits of the factum in the fall ahead of a series of practice moots in front of criminal law practitioners in the winter, ending with a practice moot with the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal,” says coaches Erica Koresawa and Kristyn Stevens. “The judges consistently say that the level of advocacy at the Gale Cup is always of the highest calibre, and the performances of our students show they are amongst the country’s brightest. We are very proud of the 2025 team!”

A special thanks to the practice judges for their time and feedback, especially Justice Van den Eynden, Justice Beaton, and Justice Gogan.

When: March 14-15, 2025
Where: Ottawa, Ontario
Team Members: David Cruz and Aleida Whidden
Coaches: Brian Casey, KC, Kathryn Piché, and Jeremy Smith 

Congratulations to Schulich Law students David Cruz and Aleida Whidden on an excellent showing at the 2025 Sopinka Cup Moot which took place in Ottawa from March 14-15, 2025.

The Sopinka Cup is an annual trial advocacy competition in Canada organized by the Advocates' Society and sponsored by the American College of Trial Lawyers. Established in 1999, it honours the late Supreme Court of Canada Justice John Sopinka who was a long-time fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers.

The competition requires students to perform a criminal trial, in which each student does a jury address, a direct examination, and a cross-examination. In addition to the trial, students are invited to a reception hosted at the Supreme Court of Canada.  

In this year’s competition, Schulich Law faced Osgoode Hall Law School. Cruz and Whidden acted as Crown in the prosecution of Mark Johnston in front of a jury of distinguished lawyers and judges.  

While the Schulich Law team did not advance to the finals, Cruz received the award for the best closing address. The University of Alberta went on to defeat the University of Windsor in the final to win the Sopinka Cup. 

When: February 27-March 1, 2025
Where: Montreal, Quebec
Team Members: Emma Archibald, Andrée Comeau, David Gouws, and Machel Maxwell
Coach: Manon Landry

Congratulations to the Schulich Law team on their excellent showing at the 2025 Laskin Moot Court Competition which took place in Montreal from February 27-March 1, 2025.

The Laskin Moot is an annual national bilingual moot court competition in Canadian administrative and constitutional law. This year’s problem focused on Constitutional Law and Administrative Law issues, addressing the validity of the Climate Emergency Act and its regulations. In particular, the team had to grapple with the constitutionality of the Act under the division of powers analysis and the reasonableness of the regulations which set greenhouse gas emissions standards.

Schulich Law students Emma Archibald and Andrée Comeau (who spoke in French) represented the appellants and David Gouws and Machel Maxwell represented the respondents in two rounds. The pairs addressed tough but fair questions from the bench with poise, including questions from The Honourable Elizabeth Walker of the Federal Court of Appeal and The Honourable John Laskin, formerly of the Ontario Court of Appeal. Practitioners from across the country served as the other judges.

Based on their impressive performances, the team from the Schulich School of Law placed in the top 10, ranking eighth overall among the 19 participating schools and sixth for factums.

“The team displayed exceptional advocacy skills and collegiality, despite the Montreal cold and multiday snowfall,” says coach Manon Landry. “I am blown away by the students’ hard work and commitment to excellence.”

When: March 7-8, 2025
Where: Thunder Bay, Ontario
Team Members: Danielle Hargreaves, Rachel Ivey, Sky Shin, and Ana Speranza
Coaches: Ashley Hamp-Gonsalves and Roy Stewart

Congratulations to the Schulich Law team on their strong performance at the 2025 Kawaskimhon National Aboriginal Moot which took place at the Bora Laskin Faculty of Law at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay from March 7-8, 2025.

The Kawaskimhon Moot is a consensus-based, non-adversarial moot that incorporates Indigenous legal traditions alongside federal, provincial, and international law, and concepts of dispute resolution. Teams may represent a variety of parties (depending on the nature of the moot problem) such as First Nations, Band Councils, traditional Chiefs’ organizations, government agencies, and industry.

Mooters participate in roundtable negotiations on a particular topic in Indigenous law, representing their assigned party’s positions to their circles. Facilitators guide the discussions with the goal of reaching a consensus. There are no competitive awards. Instead, students work to deepen their understanding of Indigenous legal issues and Aboriginal law.

This year, teams represented a variety of parties in negotiations to develop aspects of a coordination agreement addressing collective governance and stewardship of waterways across Turtle Island through the application of certain Indigenous legal orders.

The Schulich Law team, comprised of Danielle Hargreaves, Rachel Ivey, Sky Shin, and Ana Speranza, represented a First Nation and Indigenous women’s advocacy organization and successfully negotiated on behalf of their clients.   

“This year’s Kawaskimhon Moot invited students to focus on Indigenous Laws among Nations,” says coach Ashley Hamp-Gonsalves. “The teams representing the Schulich School of Law were valuable contributors at the negotiation table and upheld the collaborative and non-adversarial spirit of the moot. Great job!”

When: March 7-8, 2025
Where: Toronto, Ontario
Team Members: Hannah Ferrara, Elliot Hernandez, Cayne Lander, and Daniel Reid
Coaches: John Boyle and Brianne Rudderham

Congratulations to Schulich Law students Hannah Ferrara, Elliot Hernandez, Cayne Lander, and Daniel Reid who participated in the 34^th annual Davies Corporate/Securities Law Moot in Toronto on March 7-8, 2025.

Recognized as the leading event of its kind in the country, the Davies Moot provides an opportunity for top students from Canadian law schools to debate current legal issues in corporate and securities law with senior practitioners from Toronto law firms and corporations, regulators from the Ontario Securities Commission, and judges from several courts.

This year’s problem explored a variety of issues, including material adverse effect, compliance with interim covenants, and ‘time of the essence’ clauses. While the Schulich Law students had an excellent showing, the top prize ultimately went to Osgoode Hall Law School after defeating the team from the University of Ottawa in the final.

“We were so impressed by the calibre of the students participating in the competition,” says coach John Boyle. “Everyone involved put in an incredible amount of time and energy and they should be proud of their efforts.”