C. FEATURE – OSGOODE PRE-LAW MOOTING PROGRAM – THE RESULTS
The March newsletter included a story about a great
pre-law initiative - the Osgoode Pre-Law mooting program. Here is the
follow-up.
York Team Wins Osgoode Cup Undergraduate Mooting Competition
by Virginia Corner
Communications
Manager Osgoode Hall Law School
York University students Ali Ayoub and Domenic Bianchi were the winning team
in the inaugural Osgoode Cup Undergraduate Mooting Competition held over the
weekend of March 5 and 6 at York University's Osgoode Hall Law School in
Toronto.
Ten four-member teams of undergraduate students from a number of Ontario
universities participated in the Competition, which was sponsored by the law
firm of Beard Winter LLP. York students Navdeep Gill and Gurpreet Singh, who
were members of a joint U of T/York team, placed second. Two teams tied for
third place: Manraj Rai and Gurminder Singh from U of T, and Katie Mahon and Jeff
Culp from Carleton.
Ayoub, 21, and Bianchi, 22, were also named top oralists, along with Jeff
Culp of Carleton, Dihim Emami of U of T, Navdeep Gill of U of T, and Daniel
Vertlieb of Queen's.
The Osgoode Cup is a fun way for students with an interest in law to get a
taste of what it is like to act as lawyers in an appeal before real judges. A
"moot" is a mock legal proceeding in which students argue an appeal
in a case specially designed to challenge and develop their oral and written
advocacy skills. This year's case
dealt with the responsibility of social hosts when their party guests consume
alcohol and Injure unrelated/innocent third parties.
"It was an awesome experience," said Ayoub, a third-year psychology
student at York who is also a member of York's Pre-Law Society for
undergraduate students who have an interest in law. "I definitely
recommend the competition to anyone considering law or interested in public
speaking.".
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For Saturday's two preliminary rounds,
judges included upper-year Osgoode students, Osgoode faculty members and
members of the Ontario Bar. As well, Osgoode alumni served as coaches for
each team. For Sunday's semi-final and final rounds, the judges were Madam
Justice Rose Boyko, Madam Justice Andromache Karakatsanis and Madam Justice
June Maresca of the Superior Court of Justice of Ontario; David Jarvis, a
partner with Beard Winter; and Osgoode Dean Patrick Monahan.
"Everyone had a huge amount of fun and it was a great learning experience
for the students," Monahan said. "The judges commented on how
impressed they were with the calibre of argument, given that the competitors
were undergraduate students who had never attended law school."
In 2006, the Osgoode Cup will become a national competition and, thanks to
the generosity of sponsors, students from outside Ontario will receive travel
bursaries to enable them to participate in next year's competition.
For more information about the Osgoode Cup, please contact
Osgoode's Admissions Office at
416-736-5712 or admissions@osgoode.yorku.ca.
For a picture of the winning team:
http://www.osgoode.yorku.ca
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