News

Congratulations to Schulich Law students Eric Funk, Connor Knight, Sean Landry, and Austin Stein on their first-place finish at the 35th annual Davies Corporate/Securities Law Moot which took place in Toronto from March 6-7, 2026.

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 moot problem explored a variety of issues, including the duty of confidentiality, the meaning of “material change” after the Supreme Court of Canada’s Lundin decision, the regulation of shareholder rights plans, and the protection of minority security holders in special transactions.

The Schulich Law team competed against students from 13 other institutions, ultimately defeating UBC’s Peter A. Allard School of Law in the final round before a five-member panel comprised of the Honourable Justice Malcolm Rowe of the Supreme Court of Canada, the Honourable Justice Elizabeth Walker of the Federal Court of Appeal, the Honourable Justice Benjamin Zarnett of the Ontario Court of Appeal, the Honourable Justice Jane Dietrich of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, and Mr. Grant Vingoe, CEO of the Ontario Securities Commission.

Coached by John Boyle (JD ’15) from Cox & Palmer and Katelyn Ellins (JD ’15) from DLA Piper, Schulich Law was named top team and earned third place in the Top Factum award category. Funk also tied with a Queen’s University student to finish second for Overall Individual Oralist.

Competing in the moot had a lasting impact on the students who represented the law school. They took some time to reflect on this opportunity and what it meant to them.

	Eric Funk:  “The Davies Corporate/Securities Law Moot was a highlight of my time in law school. By conducting in-depth research on securities law subjects and then applying that research to a hypothetical scenario, we had a more practical learning experience than a typical class. The competition in Toronto was a great opportunity to meet people from law schools across Canada. Our team’s success is due in large part to the feedback our coaches provided along the way.”
	Connor Knight:  “This moot will be something I will look back on proudly. Having the opportunity to represent the Schulich School of Law, as well as Dalhousie University, at a prestigious national competition, and then seeing our efforts pay off in the end, was so rewarding.”
	Sean Landry: “The moot was a fantastic opportunity to improve my oral advocacy skills. The experience made me much more comfortable having my ideas challenged in real time, particularly when the judges pressed us with tough questions that required concise, on-the-spot answers."
	Austin Stein: “This was a truly unforgettable event that I’m honoured to have been a part of. It was an absolute privilege working with such dedicated and supportive teammates. We are thankful to our incredible coaches who were instrumental in preparing us to compete against the best teams and to appear before some of the country’s foremost legal minds on the Bench.”