Michael Swanburg (2L) and Fraser Genuis (2L) talk Brimacombe Selection Moot win

Michael Swanburg (2L)

1. Please describe your Brimacombe Moot experience (in the run-up to and during the moot)?

   Us 2Ls were fortunate to moot on the same problem we did for our 1L LRW moot, so the preparation was not too intensive. I decided to argue the same position I argued in 1L, and spent most of my preparation time reviewing the relevant case law.

   On the day of the moot, the 1L volunteers did a great job keeping everyone on schedule and ushering mooters in and out of the courtroom efficiently. My moot went by very quickly - seven minutes does not leave much time to make a point. Most of my time was spent responding to Justice Sankoff's questions, so I had to think on my feet to link answers back to my main argument.

2. What did you learn from your moot experience, and how do you think you will use this learning experience in your law education and future career

   I learned that reviewing case law is more important than rehearsing a prepared speech. It really helped to be able to link specific judicial decisions to questions as they came up. I also felt more confident with the material and did not feel derailed when I deviated from my prepared notes.

3. Please describe the feeling of winning the moot? Which moot will you be competing in in the 2014-2015 Mooting season?

   I certainly wasn't expecting to win, so the announcement came as a big surprise to me! I will be competing in the Wilson Moot in Toronto, which will deal with a Charter issue.

4. What advice would you offer to next year's Brimacombe Moot law student competitors?

   Become familiar with the top three or four leading decisions and/or statutes for your position, and come prepared to present those cases to the judges. You won't have time to get through a prepared speech, so it is better to be ready to respond to specific questions.

Fraser Genuis (2L)

1. Please describe your Brimacombe Moot experience (in the run-up to and during the moot)?

   It was an honour and a privilege to participate in the Brimacombe Moot competition this year. The factums prepared by the professors were very helpful as they identified a number of useful cases. It was essential to keep my argument concise as there is a strict 7 minute time limit.

2. Please describe the feeling of winning the moot? Which moot will you be competing in in the 2014-2015 Mooting season?

   I am thrilled to have done well in this moot, and I'm even more excited to participate in the Gale Cup later on the year. On the whole, participating in the Brimacombe Moot was an excellent experience and I thank the Faculty of Law for putting on this event.

3. What advice would you offer to next year's Brimacombe Moot law student competitors?

   Integrating case law into my argument was very helpful and I would advise students participating next year to do the same.