Laskin Moot (Constitutional)

At least one oralist must argue in French

(Four Upper Year Students / 3 Credits in winter term)

At the discretion of the academic advisor, a researcher may be selected to earn credit through an individual supervised project.

Selection Process:  Student presents a ten minute oral argument before a panel of judges at general tryouts.

The Laskin Moot in constitutional and administrative law is a national moot named after the former Chief Justice of Canada. It is generally contested by at least sixteen of the twenty-one law schools in the country and involves a public law problem. Each team consists of four students (two appellants and two respondents) and it is required that there be at least one mooter pleading and arguing in each official language. The appellant and respondent teams each moot twice. The top appellant and respondent oralists then moot in a final generally presided over by five judges including a Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada. Schools are assessed overall on the basis of both the written factums and the oral arguments presented by the appellants and the respondents.

The moot problem is released in early October and the factums are due in January and February. It is expected that the teams will work together on both factums. The moot is held from Thursday to Saturday during the week before Reading Week. While students should plan for the most intense work in January and February preparation should begin as soon as possible after the receipt of the problem since there are competition deadlines that must be met during the fall term. The level of commitment required during the first six weeks of the winter term is very high.

While the Laskin organizers maintain a nice balance between the social and the competitive, the process of evaluation plays an essential role in the moot. There is generous feedback on the oral performances. Prizes are awarded to the top three schools, to the top three teams (appellant or respondent), to the three best individual oralists, and for the three best factums. It is possible for a school to win the overall prize without winning any of the individual awards.

Co-requisites:  Enrolled in Administrative Law (Law 427 ) by winter term.  A good mark in first year Constitutional Law is important. At least one Francophone mooter is required by the rules.

Course Evaluation: Letter grade based upon research, written factum, performance and participation during preparation and at the competition.

Participation is made possible through a Endowment Fund established by Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP.

2012 Team: Alexandre Blanchard, Ben Grant, Pam Hrick, Brooke Mackenzie, Andrea Campbell (researcher)
2012 Faculty Coach: Stanley Corbett
2012 Place/Date: Moncton, New Brunswick, February 16-18, 2012.

Participation History