Faculty of Law alumna’s path from moot courtroom to the International Court of Justice

Alumna Cyndy Nelson’s career took a distinctly international direction from the start, thanks in part to competing in the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition while a student at the University of Alberta Faculty of Law.

Now living in Ottawa, she is a diplomat with Global Affairs Canada, and a part of Canada’s International Courts and Tribunals team in the department’s public International Law Bureau.

Nelson was born in British Columbia and pursued an undergraduate degree in international relations at the University of British Columnia, ultimately graduating in 1998. For two years after that, she taught English language classes in Japan before returning to her studies. 

She recalls having a keen interest in law for many years. “I think some of it came from watching reruns of Matlock on TV,” she says, with a laugh. 

Considering this interest carried on from her youth through her undergraduate studies, it seemed a natural decision to complete her law degree at the U of A. As a student, Nelson, ‘03 LLB, was drawn to international law. She actively took advantage of Faculty of Law classes in the field. She recalls in particular one professor, Linda Reif, who provided her with encouragement, and fostered her enthusiasm for international law. 

Taking the stage

Another boost to her career came in 2002, when she took part in the Jessup moot, the world’s largest moot court competition that regularly draws teams from around 700 different schools from across the globe. The case they argued involved a fictitious cyber security event in which a hacker caused the derailing of a train.

“Looking back, it was super innovative at the time,” she says. “Now, with newer technologies, this is even more of a potential reality. But it was interesting to be able to think about this kind of thing in its early stages, just as the law was adapting to these new concepts.”

Nelson — who was then in her second year — and her team won, a feat which she credits in part to the experienced third-year students who worked alongside her. “I was fortunate to be on a team with a bunch of veterans,” she says. “They had done quite well the year before and were working to repeat their performance.”

The team competed in the national round of the Jessup moot competition and advanced to Washington, DC, for the international round, which ultimately went to the team from University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa.

“It was a great experience. It was nice to be able to practice litigation skills — and to do this in regard to an international case.”

"It has been a pleasure to see Cyndy's interest and expertise in international law develop over the years since she graduated. It is not easy to have a career in international law so it has been wonderful to follow Cyndy's work as a diplomat and legal officer with Global Affairs Canada,” Reif says. “It is particularly exciting to see the trajectory of her litigation experience, starting in law school with a moot before the mock International Court of Justice and progressing to work on cases before the International Court of Justice and other international tribunals."

After seeing success in the notable moot competition, Nelson graduated from the Faculty of Law in 2003. With her credentials in-hand, she began working as an articling student, and later clerked at Court of Appeal of Alberta and the Court of Queen's Bench of Alberta. Soon after this, she did a master of laws degree at Leiden University in the Netherlands, a one-year program from which she graduated in 2006. 

Throughout her education and career, her passion for international law remained constant. As such, she began working for Global Affairs Canada.

While she’s currently working in the world of international law, Nelson says that her time at the U of A and her success in the Jessup moot were important stepping stones for her career. 

“It was foundational to be able to take the coursework I did in international law and apply it. It kept that interest alive, and I was able to meld my previous experience in international relations,” she says. 

“I really enjoyed my time at the U of A. I had a very, very positive experience.”