UAlberta Law students gearing up for the moot season.
L to R: Julie Trohimchuk, Robert Marquette, Chelsea Flintoff, Shaheer Meenai, Michael Cantwell, Jeff Bengry, Calvin Patterson, and Emilie-Claire Draper.
Students selected to compete at this year's moot competitions won't have much longer to wait for their chance to shine in the courtroom.
This year, UAlberta Law is hosting two high profile moots.
The MacIntyre Cup, a criminal trial competition, will run in Edmonton February 9-11. This competition is reserved for the seven law schools in western Canada, of which the top two teams advance to the Sopinka Cup, an annual competition held in Ottawa. The two-day event honours the late Supreme Court of Canada Justice John Sopinka and includes students from across Canada who made it through their own regional competitions. UAlberta Law emerged victorious last year, for the first time in the Sopinka Cup's 18-year history.
The Canadian qualifying round for the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition, the world's largest - and oldest - moot competition dedicated to public international law, will be held in Edmonton March 2-4. Named after Philip Jessup, who once served on the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the Jessup moot is a simulation of a fictional dispute between nations brought before the ICJ and sees participation from more than 550 law schools in more than 87 countries. Preparation for the Jessup begins in September, when students write memorials and begin to practice arguing sides for both the applicant and respondent in the case. The purpose of the qualifying round is to elect the best team(s) to move on to the international competition in Washington, D.C. The Canadian qualifying round for 2017 is being administrated by David Quayat, a criminal defence lawyer at Edward H. Royle & Associates in Toronto.
Emilie-Claire Draper is competing on the MacIntyre moot team. She said preparing for the moot has sparked her interest in litigation.
"The moot has given me a snapshot of the collegiality that exists in the Edmonton criminal bar," she said.
Michael Cantwell, who will compete on the Jessup team, said being on a moot team involves a lot of late nights and long hours.
"You make a lot of connections and it's a really good networking opportunity. Having moots on your resume speak to your ability to get outside of the classroom and into practice," he said.
UAlberta Law students are also competing - for the first time - in the 2017 Willms & Shier Environmental Law Moot Court Competition, which will be held March 4 in Toronto at Osgoode Hall. As Canada's first and only national moot competition dedicated to environmental law, the moot is intended to promote awareness of the growing role of environmental issues in the legal world, as well as enhance students' advocacy skills. The competition is set in a Canadian court-of-last-resort appeals format, with this year's participants examining Midwest v. Thordarson, a case heard by the Ontario Court of Appeal in which the Court expanded the scope of recoverable damages in contaminated sites cases.
"Mooting is a unique part of the law school experience and a significant source of pride for UAlberta Law," said Dean Paul Paton. "We are honoured to be hosting the MacIntyre Cup and Canadian qualifying round for the Jessup Moot this year. It has been a long while since we hosted such important and large scale events, and I am excited for the opportunity to showcase our students' talent, energy, and enthusiasm.
Support for the moot program has been a signature priority for me. The revitalization of the moot program over the last two years is nothing short of phenomenal and is a direct consequence of the commitment of students, staff, faculty, coaches, sponsors and so many external supporters from the legal community who dedicate time, energy, effort, and funds to ensuring that our moot program is successful."
More than 100 UAlberta Law students tried out for the 2016-17 competitive moot season.