Queen's places second in national labour moot competition

Photo courtesy of Jeffrey H. Waugh, Canada Law Book

Patti Metcalfe of Canada Law Book presents the second place prize to oralists Adam Epstein and Jim McKeown of Law '10, and team researcher Alexandra Manthorpe,Law '10, at the Mathews, Dinsdale & Clark LLP Canadian Labour Arbitration Competition on January 25, 2009.

For the second year in a row, Queen's Law placed second at the Mathews, Dinsdale & Clark LLP Canadian Labour Arbitration Competition, held annually in Toronto.  This year's team, led by oralists Jim McKeown and Adam Epstein of Law '10, were narrowly beaten by the University of Toronto team in the final, which took place on Sunday, January 25, 2009, in the Ontario Labour Relations Board Building. 

"I was extremely impressed with Jim and Adam," said Alexandra Manthorpe, Law '10, the team researcher, "They did an amazing job this weekend.  They deserved the high praise they received from all the arbitrators, particularly the Honourable Eileen Gillese of the Ontario Court of Appeal."

Jim and Adam also received invaluable support from student coach J.B. Peikes, Law '09, one of last year's oralists, and faculty coach Professor Kevin Banks.  Banks was a particularly important asset to the team, with his broad background and valuable insight into labour law.

"Our performance was a total team effort.  Both oralists, our researcher, our student coach, and our coach should all feel equally proud of our performance at the competition," said Adam.  "The competition itself embodies the character of the labour law community - collegial, friendly, relaxed."

The oralists represented the union in the final and dealt with three grievances stemming from a failed disability accommodation, harassment in the workplace and a long-term service bonus dispute.  On Saturday, January 24, Queen's faced UBC in the morning and stiff competition from last year's champion, Dalhousie, in the afternoon.  For their efforts, both Adam and Jim were presented with their own copies of Brown & Beatty's Canadian Labour Arbitration by Canada Law Book at the conclusion of the moot.

The weekend was an important hands-on learning opportunity for the entire team, especially since many of the arbitrators were prominent figures in the Ontario labour and employment bar.

"This has been the most useful work I've done so far as a law student," said Jim.  "The weekend itself was a lot of fun, having the opportunity to rub shoulders with many influential people at the labour bar.  Being only a few points away from a championship is a real testament to all the hard work put in by the team."

The Queen's Law team thanks Professor Emeritus Bernie Adell, Professor Emeritus Don Carter, Law '66, local lawyers Carol MacKillop, Law ‘94, Colin Youngman, Law ‘05 and Dennis Buchanan, Law '08, and Law '09 students Anas Youssef and Jon Keslassy for their advice while acting as arbitrators during the practice rounds.  They also thank the Law Foundation of Ontario for their financial support.

"The experience was a nice preview of the life of a litigator, and how strong teamwork and mental preparedness are absolutely crucial while putting together a case," said Jim.  "I highly recommend that anyone interested in litigation try out for a moot."