Rielle Gagnon recognized with Mandy MacLeod Prize for Excellence in Mooting

The Celebration of Mooting in April — an annual gathering in which another season of mooting is capped and students, coaches and sponsors come together to reflect on the experience — had a welcome surprise for new graduate Rielle Gagnon, ʼ19 BSc(Hons), ’22 JD.

“I was shocked, honoured and very humbled to be selected. It was the perfect setting to receive the news, because I was surrounded by many of the incredible women who made my mooting experiences so special,” Gagnon said.

In a short time, Gagnon established herself as a leader in competitive moots. After her 2020 first-year moot was cancelled due to pandemic restrictions, she competed in the Brimacombe Selection Round in her second and third year (the latter of which she received honourable mention).

“When I started law school I heard about the Brimacombe Selection Round and several of my professors spoke excitedly to my class about mooting, which then prompted me to participate in the Brimacombe Selection Round myself when I became eligible as a second-year law student,” she said.

She went on, in her second year, to compete in the Alberta Court of Appeal Criminal Law moot, where her team won the criminal round and the University of Alberta won the overall competition. This year, Gagnon and her teammates at the Wilson Moot won first place for factums and placed second overall.

In addition to being an experienced moot competitor, Gagnon also had the opportunity to try out a new role as a mentor in her final two years of studying law.

“For each group I mentored, I read their written factums and came up with questions that I planned to ask them, hosted practice rounds for them and put together panels with my classmates as practice judges to help them prepare. It made me so proud to watch my students moot and handle tough questions from judges with such poise, skill and confidence,” she said.

Gagnon’s willingness to lend a helping hand is evident by her numerous volunteer experiences while studying at the Faculty of Law. She served as an editorial board member of the Editing Committee at the Alberta Law Review, held roles on the Faculty’s curriculum committee, Law Show, and Student Legal Services, was research assistant to Professor David Percy, QC, and a member of the Board of Governors and music minister at St. Joseph’s College.

Receiving the Mandy MacLeod Prize for Excellence in Mooting is the latest recognition Gagnon can add to a growing list of honours and awards she’s received to date, including the Edmonton Bar Association Award (based on academic achievement and contribution to student life) and the Master LD Hyndman Memorial Prize (awarded to the student with the highest mark in the Professional Responsibility course), both received in 2021.

A former summer student for Parlee McLaws LLP, she has now returned to the firm to begin her articles, the experience she gained from mooting well in tow.

“Prior to participating in moot competitions, I probably would have said that I would be happy to be a full-time solicitor. However, competitive mooting has shown me what an incredible art oral advocacy is, and it has given me a strong desire to pursue work in litigation (with some solicitor work thrown in too!)” she said.

Alumna Mandy MacLeod, ’14 JD, is a current crown prosecutor and former competitive moot student. The award in her name was established in 2020 to recognize a graduating student who has made the greatest contribution to the moot program during their time at UAlberta Law.