Another year of excellent performances
Adam F. Fanaki Competition Law Moot
Mooters: Hudson Manning (4L), Gordon Milne (2L), Edmund Nilson (2L), and Max van der Weerd (2L)
Student Coaches: Grace Li (3L) and Kyra McAllister (3L)
Adjunct Coaches: Michael Laskey (Stikeman Elliott LLP) and Nathaniel Read-Ellis (Adair Goldblatt Bieber LLP)
The Fanaki Moot presents students with the opportunity to engage with civil and criminal issues in a growing area of law. This year’s participants dealt with a case of misleading advertising, where the impugned company, Pear, marketed the high-level privacy features of its new phone but subsequently suffered a security breach.
The Fanaki Moot took place on March 24 and 25 in Toronto. Max van der Weerd and Edmund Nilson were the winning pair and awarded best respondent team and best respondent factum. Van der Weerd likewise won third best respondent oralist. Gordon Milne and Hudson Manning won second-best appellant team and Milne was awarded second-place appellant oralist. U of T Law was awarded “best faculty” overall.
Arnup Cup Trial Advocacy Competition and Sopinka Cup National Trial Advocacy Competition
Arnup Mooters: Maia Caramanna (3L), Tom Russell (3L), Lauren Di Felice (2L), and Michel Hajjar (2L)
Sopinka Mooters: Maia Caramanna (3L) and Tom Russell (3L)
Adjunct Coaches: Corie Langdon (Toronto Region Crown Attorney’s Office), Emily Marrocco (Crown Law Office – Criminal, Ministry of the Attorney General), Royland Moriah (MacGregor Moriah Horic LLP), and Bev Richards (Toronto Region Crown Attorney’s Office)
The Arnup Cup is an annual trial advocacy competition for Ontario law schools. The first and second-place teams in the Arnup Cup will then participate in the Sopinka Cup National Trial Advocacy Competition. The problem involved a murder that took place in the fictional small town of Pointe Claire in the province of Sopinka. The accused, Thomas Pellerin Junior, was charged with first degree murder. During a Saint Patrick’s Day party at the Chris Rock Tavern, a bomb exploded in the parking lot, destroying Carl Benoit’s car and killing Dennis Parent, a known bomb-maker. This case involved a criminal organization, a series of hitmen collecting on unpaid debts, and an intense rivalry between Thomas Pellerin Junior’s father and Carl Benoit. Matters were complicated by multiple potential alternate suspects and forensic evidence open to multiple interpretations.
Lauren Di Felice and Michel Hajjar acted as the defence against Osgoode Hall Law School while Maia Caramanna and Tom Russell acted as the Crown against the University of Ottawa. Caramanna and Russell secured second place in the Arnup Cup and went on to represent Ontario in the Sopinka Cup, where they had the opportunity to switch roles and defend Thomas Pellerin Junior.
Callaghan Memorial Moot
Mooters: Jordyn Selznick (3L), Andrea Almeida-Pasko (2L), Genevieve Citron (2L), Gurratan Gill (2L), Rose Ghaedi (2L), Priti Gupta (2L), Emily Hean (2L), Hannah Im (2L), Justin Kim (2L), Rebekah Kim (2L), Ben Kitching (2L), Noa Levin (2L), Kyle MacDonald (2L), Ronan Mallovy (2L), Olivia O’Connor (2L), and Lucy Yang (2L)
Student Coaches: Myles Goodman-Vincent (3L), Kaitlyn Nelson (3L), Zachary Rosen (3L), Stefan Rus (3L), Alison Schwenk (3L), Cameron Somerville (3L), Emma Tomas (3L), and Bill Xu (3L)
Faculty Advisor: Diane Shnier (Polley Faith LLP)
The Callaghan is U of T Law’s in-house moot, focusing on issues in criminal and constitutional law. This year’s problem was loosely based on R v Canfield, 2020 ABCA 383, and provided the students with an opportunity to explore issues of stare decisis, s. 8 Charter violations, and the exclusion of evidence under s. 24(2) of the Charter.
This year’s winning pair was Olivia O’Connor and Ben Kitching, with Ronan Mallovy and Hannah Im as the runners up. Noa Levin and Gurratan Gill were awarded best appellant’s factum, while Mallovy and Im submitted the top respondent factum. O’Connor was selected as the top oralist, Lucy Yang as the second best, and Mallovy third.
Canadian Labour Arbitration Competition
Mooters: Clare Murray (2L) and Sang Park (2L)
Student Coaches: Jacqueline Huang (3L) and Victoria Purdy (3L)Adjunct Coaches: Kathryn Bird (Ogletree Deakins PC), Amanda Lawrence-Patel (Hicks Morley Hamilton Stewart Storie LLP), Lauren Pearce (Jones Pearce LLP), Kate Shao (Paliare Roland Rosenberg Rothstein LLP), and Stephen Shore (Ogletree Deakins PC)
The Canadian Labour Arbitration Competition is a unique opportunity for students to engage in a simulated grievance arbitration hearing. This year’s problem arose out of a dispute between a long-haul truckers’ union and its employer: students dealt with the privacy implications of police requiring in-cab cameras in all trucks and the termination of an employee who consumed medical cannabis to treat symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. The competition took place on February 4 and 5 at the Ontario Labour Relations Board in Toronto.
Cassels Cup Moot (Baby Gale)
Mooters (all 1L): Micheal Antifaoff, Hannah Beltran, Daniel Fogel, Ivan Hsieh, Emily Jin, Suhwa Jo, Kailyn Johnson, Daniel Kiesman, Henry Mann, Jason Ruggeberg, Rebecca Tyli, and Alessia Woolfe
Student Coaches: Mackenzie Faulkner (3L), Adrianna Mills (3L), Emma Danaher (2L), and Benjamin MacLean-Max (2L)
The Cassels Cup, also known as the Baby Gale, is a competition between U of T Law and Osgoode Hall Law School. It shares the same moot problem as the Gale Cup, which can be found below.
Unfortunately, for the first time since 2018, U of T lost the Cassels Cup to Osgoode. It was incredibly close—3936 cumulative points for Osgoode to 3932 points for us! Suhwa Jo took home the Top Oralist award, and Daniel Kiesman tied for second-place oralist. Together, Jo and Kiesman were awarded the top respondent team. Overall, it was a great event and all the U of T mooters were excellent.
Davies Corporate/Securities Law Moot
Mooters: Lien Shi (4L), Ben Grondin (2L), Isaac Jonker (2L), and Evan Morin (2L)
Student Coaches: Robin Chang (3L) and Rose Ma (3L)
Adjunct Coaches: Shane D’Souza (McCarthy Tétrault LLP) and Andrew Matheson (McCarthy Tétrault LLP)
The Davies Corporate/Securities Law Moot is a unique experience that allows teams to argue both sides of the argument of a securities law problem. This year’s problem, loosely based on the Court of Appeal for Ontario’s decision in Wong v Pretium Resources, 2022 ONCA 549, explored a secondary market liability misrepresentation claim arising out of an alleged failure to disclose material information.
U of T Law students participated on March 13 in Toronto. Congratulations on winning best factum and third-best team overall!
Donald G. Bowman National Tax Moot
Mooters: Lillian Liu (3L), John Metzger (3L), Matthew McGreer (2L), and Christian Wigger (2L)
Student Coaches: Zoey Chau (3L) and Chuxi Wang (3L)
Adjunct Coaches: Benjamin Alarie (U of T Law), Andrew Boyd (Baker & McKenzie LLP), and Martha MacDonald (Torys LLP)
U of T Law students competed online on March 3 and 4 in Canada’s National Tax Moot. The problem involved an appeal of the recent Supreme Court decision in Canada v Collins Family Trust, 2022 SCC 26. Mooters were tasked with grappling with the Court’s interpretation of the availability of equitable rescission for mistakes with tax consequences.
Gale Cup Moot
Mooters: Mackenzie Faulkner (3L), Adrianna Mills (3L), Emma Danaher (2L), and Benjamin MacLean-Max (2L)
Student Coaches: Laura Goldfarb (3L), Charles Ma (3L), and Benjamin Zolf (3L)
Adjunct Coaches: Sinziana Hennig (Stikeman Elliott LLP), Ema Ibrakovic (Superior Court of Justice), and Paul-Erik Veel (Lenczner Slaght LLP)
U of T Law saw great success during the competition in Ottawa on March 3 and 4 for the competition’s 50th edition. Mackenzie Faulkner and Benjamin McLean-Max were chosen as winners, while also receiving the award for second-best factum. McLean-Max was further selected as the best oralist in the final rounds.
Hamish Stewart Cup Moot (Baby Callaghan)
Mooters (all 1L): Emma Baliat, Matthew Beamish, Alison Borch, Matthew Chasmar, Emily Chu, Abby Craswell, Carson Cook, Brynne Dalmao, Emma Davies, Vidit Desai, Ben Eisen, Damian Fitz, Chelsea Gordon, Elizabeth Hicks, Alex Horbal, Sherry Li, Julianna Lyon, Justin Lyon, Liza Markova, Alice Min, Mahnoor Noor, Alex Nyikos, Arik Portnov, Madison Regan, Olivia Schenk, Joshua Schwartz, Joel Seifert, Riya Thomas, Nina Varghese, Bjorn Wagenpfeil, Kristina Wolff, and Helen Wu
Student Coaches: David Baldridge (3L), Ben Grondin (2L), Emily Hean (2L), Laura Hunter (2L), Hannah Im (2L), Rebekah Kim (2L), Ben Kitching (2L), Benjamin MacLean-Max (2L), Shelby Martin (2L), Matthew McGreer (2L), Olivia O’Connor (2L), Ryan Reid (2L), Roya Shidfar (2L), Ayushi Thakur (2L), Christine Wang (2L), and Lucy Yang (2L)
The Stewart Cup, also known as the Baby Callaghan, is an intramural moot for 1L students. It shares the same problem as the Callaghan Cup, which can be found above.
Madison Regan and Carson Cook were the first-place appellants, with Nina Varghese and Joshua Schwartz coming in second place. For the respondents, Emily Chu and Kristina Wolff came in first place and Helen Wu and Vidit Desai were awarded second place. The Top Oralist award went to Schwartz, with Cook and Joel Seifert awarded second and third-place oralist, respectively.
Harold G. Fox Intellectual Property Moot
Mooters: Sabrina Macklai (3L), Christopher Black (2L), Sarah McLaughlin (2L), and Ayushi Thakur (2L)
Student Coaches: Annie Chan (3L), Megan Chan (3L), and Amy Yun (3L)
Adjunct Coaches: Dominique Hussey (Bennett Jones LLP) and Andy Shaughnessy (Torys LLP)
The Fox Intellectual Property Moot problem challenged competitors to deal with issues posed by cutting-edge technologies in telecommunications. The problem featured an action for patent infringement against SpaceNext Canada, the operator of a satellite network servicing Canadian communities. An aspirant competitor, RF Access, sought an injunction claiming that the network infringed on the technology they used in their cellular networks.
U of T Law mooters competed on February 24 and 25, with Christopher Black and Sarah McLaughlin securing a second-place finish.
Immigration, Refugee, and Citizenship Law Moot
Mooters: Ikram Handulle (3L), Fatima Aamir (2L), Shae MacPherson (2L), and Daryn Tyndale (2L)
Student Coaches: Lauren Cao (3L), Jane Fallis Cooper (3L), and Gina Kwon (3L)
Adjunct Coaches: Kes Posgate (Battista Migration Law Group) and Nicholas Woodward (Battista Migration Law Group)
The moot problem tasked competitors with an appeal concerning a mother and two children from Brazil seeking refugee protection on the basis of domestic violence. The administrative tribunal relied heavily on unsolicited evidence from the father to deny refugee status to the claimants.
The competition took place virtually on March 2 and 3, with U of T securing the award for the top overall law school, reflective of receiving the top oral and facta scores.
Julius Alexander Isaac Moot
Mooters: Duncan Crabtree (2L), Erica Fox (2L), Alexandra Guerra (2L), and Amy Kwong (2L)
Student Coaches: Laura Goldfarb (3L), Katarina Kusic (3L), and Ivy Xu (3L)
Adjunct Coach: Joseph Cheng (National Litigation Sector, Department of Justice Canada)
This year mooters dealt with an appeal from the Ontario Court of Appeal’s decision in R v Morris, 2021 ONCA 680, a case where the Court considered the role of anti-black racism in sentencing. Mooters were tasked with a doctrinal issue regarding how trial judges should take anti-black racism into account during sentencing and were challenged to consider wider theoretical grounds of appeal, such as whether the Criminal Code should formally recognize over-incarceration of black offenders. Mooters competed between February 2–4 at Osgoode Hall.
Laskin Moot
Mooters: Madeline Eskandari (2L), Milana Grahovac (2L), Hye-Seon Jung (2L), and Irene Li (2L)
Student Coaches: Faisal Bhabha (3L) and Maguid Nicholas (3L)
Adjunct Coaches: Lauren Pearce (Jones Pearce LLP) and Stephen Shore (Ogletree Deakins PC)
This year’s moot was an appeal from a fictional decision of the Federal Court and Federal Court of Appeal in Citizens for Democracy v Canada (Attorney General). This year’s topic concerned the cancellation of the federal election by the Governor-in-Council because of protests by a group that had occupied cities and towns and destroyed sources of artificial light across the country. Students dealt with whether the public authority exceeded its statutory power and violated Canadian citizens’ s. 3 Charter rights—the right to vote—by cancelling the election.
The Laskin was hosted by Dalhousie University in Halifax between February 23–25. U of T Law placed 10th in the competition, with Madeline Eskandari being selected as 20th best oralist.
Kawaskimhon National Aboriginal Law Moot
Mooters: Adam Iggers (3L), Tomas Jirousek (3L), Troy Klassen (3L), Harry Myles (3L), Lauren Paparousis (3L), and Hayley VandePol (2L)
Adjunct Coaches: Bryce Edwards (Olthuis Kleer Townshend LLP) and David Walders (Grand Challenges Canada)
The Kawaskimhon Moot took place at the University of Victoria this year on March 10 and 11. The fact pattern was based on the ongoing pipeline conflict between the Wet’suwet’en people, Coastal GasLink, and the provincial and federal governments.
The Kawaskimhon is a negotiation and participants do not receive awards, unlike other moot competitions. Rather, law students from across the country are given a fact pattern and assigned a role to play. The parties then work through the problem and hopefully come to some kind of resolution, considering both the common law and Indigenous law. The Kawaskimhon is a fantastic alternative to the traditional moot format; it invites participants to interrogate the colonial nature of the common law and emphasizes the necessity of Indigenous law in the Canadian legal system.
Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition
Mooters: Julia Cappellacci (2L), Jeffrey Ma (2L), Jack Stewart (2L), and Nicolas Williams (2L)
Student Coach: Mishail Adeel (3L)
Adjunct Coaches: Misha Boutillier (Canadian Centre for the Responsibility to Protect), Jonathan Hou (Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario), Daniel Sisgoreo (Quinn Emanuel LLP), and Maureen Whelton (Stevenson Whelton LLP)
This year’s problem centred on the Clarent Belt, a small sliver of coastal land leased by one country to another. Mooters were challenged with issues of war, including self-defence and international humanitarian law, as well as the lawfulness of sanctions and liability for causing environmental harm.
U of T Law students competed in Winnipeg between February 23–25, and came fourth place overall. Julia Cappellacci and Nicolas Williams secured second-best applicant memorial, while the team as a whole was awarded the prize for third-best memorial. Jack Stewart was ranked as the second-place oralist.
Walsh Family Law Moot
Mooters: Niema Mohammad (3L), Hamza Naim (3L), Fievel Lim (2L), and Emily Rand (2L)
Student Coach: Tommy Ritthaler (3L)
Adjunct Coaches: Richard Glennie (Beaton Burke Young LLP), Heather Hansen (McCarthy Hansen & Company LLP), and Martha McCarthy (McCarthy Hansen & Company LLP)
The Walsh Family Law Moot allows students to engage with hot topics in family law, and a chance to meet judges and practitioners alike in the family law bar. This year’s topic was a case of divorced parents disagreeing on whether their children should receive the COVID-19 vaccination or not.
U of T Law students participated on March 4 at the Ontario Court of Appeal in front of many family law judges from across the province. Congratulations to Niema Mohammad for winning best oralist!
Walsh Family Law Negotiation Competition
Competitors: Zoey Chau (3L), Carissa De Marinis (3L), Jasveen Singh (3L), and Anna Welch (2L)
Student Coach: Tommy Ritthaler (3L)
Adjunct Coaches: Samantha Eisen (Gillian Hnatiw & Co.) and Judith Huddart (Ontario Association of Collaborative Professionals)
The Walsh Family Law Negotiation Competition is a unique opportunity for the students to draft a representation plan and participate in a real-time negotiation with the opposing counsel.
U of T students participated in this competition on March 4 and did so with flying colours! One team won the award for the best-written representation plan, while the other won first place for the negotiation itself.
Warren K. Winkler Class Actions Moot
Mooters: Appollonia Mastrogiacomo (3L), Caeleb “Rae” Goff (2L), Ryan Reid (2L), and Roya Shidfar (2L)
Student Coaches: Mackenzie Faulkner (3L) and Griffin Murphy (3L)
Adjunct Coaches: Joseph Blinick (Bennett Jones LLP) and Cheryl Woodin (Bennett Jones LLP)
The Winkler Class Actions Moot gives students a unique opportunity to participate in a class certification proceeding. The moot problem for class actions is unique because it is a motion for class certification. The moot problem this year was whether plaintiffs impacted by the sale of their data through the application “QuickClips” had a certifiable class on the common issues of breach of PIPEDA and the tort of intrusion upon seclusion.
This year’s team saw great success in the competition, held in mid-March in Toronto. Ryan Reid and Caeleb “Rae” Goff were the winning pair, while Ryan Reid and Roya Shidfar were chosen as the first and second-best oralists, respectively.
Wilson Moot
Mooters: David Côté (3L), Nicholas Heinrich (2L), Laura Henderson-Cameron (2L), and Caitlin Salvino (2L)
Student Coaches: Katarina Kusic (3L), Haya Sardar (3L), and Ivy Xu (3L)
Adjunct Coaches: Joseph Cheng (National Litigation Sector, Department of Justice Canada) and Cheryl Milne (Asper Centre for Constitutional Rights)
This year, mooters dealt with a claim brought by Daniel Nakashima, a city planner who was terminated by the Cape Breton Regional Municipality after struggling to return to in-person work after the COVID-19 pandemic. Nakashima made claims that the policy violated his rights under both ss. 7 and 15 of the Charter.
U of T Law’s mooters were highly successful in the oral rounds in Toronto, winning the competition and being awarded the best facta. Caitlin Salvino was also selected as second-best oralist.
Editor’s Note: The online version of this article has been updated to reflect the complete list of adjunct coaches for the Gale Cup Moot, and to add the Arnup and Sopinka Cups, the Cassels Cup, the Stewart Cup, and the Kawaskimhon Moot.
