Steven Whitehead, Law’78, and Lynne Golding, Law’87, of Faskens outside the newly upgraded Fasken Martineau DuMoulin Moot Court Room on Jan. 20.
Steven Whitehead, Law’78, and Lynne Golding, Law’87, of Faskens outside the newly upgraded Fasken Martineau DuMoulin Moot Court Room on Jan. 20.

Students, faculty and staff joined alumni representatives from Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP on Jan. 20 to celebrate the re-opening of the moot court room in the firm’s name. A vital part of the law school infrastructure, the moot facility has been modernized thanks to generous support from Queen’s Law graduates now with Faskens.

“Students love mooting,” said Dean Bill Flanagan in his opening remarks. “It’s such an important part of the program here at Queen’s.”

The moot court room is where students practice the oral advocacy that is such an integral part of many lawyers’ careers. The re-launch occurred right in the middle of mooting season for students and the amount of time and dedication that law students give to mooting is apparent in the results Queen’s sees at competitions. As one student said to the Dean, who asked what courses he was taking that semester, “I think the only thing I’m doing right now is the Gale Moot!”

Given the school’s dedication to mooting, the recent renovations will go a long way to enhancing students’ training. The room had not been updated for about 12 years so a renewal was necessary to best support student learning. The latest renovations updated the décor of the space with mobile tables and chairs, as well as updating the technological tools available to students. These tools include state-of-the-art projectors and cameras to film mooters as they practice for later review. Also added to the room is a transportable Skype cart, set up to enable connectivity around the world from anywhere in the law school.

The renovation was supported by a gift totaling more than $50,000 from 10 alumni practising with Faskens, one of the biggest law firms in the country, with six offices in Canada, as well as in London and Johannesburg. Flanagan noted that the firm has been very generous and longtime supporter of the law school over the years. Lynne Golding, Law’87, who took the lead on the campaign, Steven Whitehead, Law’78, and John Turner, Law’86, who appeared via Skype, all attended the re-launch.

“We really value a good education in litigation,” Golding said. “We know that if you are in rooms like this, you are going to get great training to be a good litigator, judge or lawmaker in the future. It was our privilege to contribute to the refurbishment of this room.”

The school’s Minute Moot Club has already made good use of the upgraded facility, hosting moots and sessions like one on Jan. 28, featuring special guest Justice David Stratas, Law'84, of the Federal Court of Appeal. Stratas heard nine students, providing valuable feedback on both technique and content, with the profound thanks of the students he came by to help. Video of the sessions will be used to further help students review technique and improve their mooting form.