Category: Cups

 

This year’s tournament champions along with the judges of the final bench (from left): Andrew Monkhouse ’12 (Chief Justice of the 8th Osgoode Cup), Shirley Wales (Deputy Judge – Ontario Small Claims Court), Markus Liik (Champion, Richard Ivey School of Business), Osgoode Professor Stepan Wood (Chief Justice of the final bench), Evan Reiter (Champion, Richard Ivey School of Business), Bernard Aron (Deputy Judge – Ontario Small Claims Court), Ian Perry ’13 (Tournament Director).

 

 

 

The moot, which is a joint effort of the Osgoode Mooting Society and the Osgoode Debate Society, would not have been possible without the help of 65 volunteer judges made up of law students, lawyers, professors and judges.

*In no particular order

• Michael De Luca
• Allison Medjuck
• Alexander Miller
• Aoife Quinn
• Michael Soo
• Colin Stevens
• Kaisha Thompson
• Nicholas Valsamis
• Stephen Wellman

• Micheal Soo and Thazheni Sivarajah (York University – York Debate)
• Alexander Miller and Stephen Wellman (Richard Ivey School of Business – Ivey Law Club)

Evan Reiter and Marcus Liik (Richard Ivey School of Business – Ivey Law Club)

Final results broken down by team and speaker can be found here

Video of the final can be found here

We would like to thank all participants of the 2011 Osgoode Cup.

Winning Team: Meghan Bridges and Omar Madhany (Ivey of Western Ontario)

Finalists: Emily Gilmour and Chris Yeretsian (Ivey of Western Ontario)

• Evan Reiter and Markus Liik (Ivey)
• Martin Pineda and Steven Bodi (Sir Wilfrid Laurier)

Press release:

•     Brahm Clar (Western)
•     Sheldon McCormick (Queens)
•     Christine Wadsworth (Queens)
•     Ian Perry (UOIT)
•     Fariya Walji (U of T)
•     Meghan Bridges (Western)
•     Omar Madhany (Western)
•     Michael Potner-Gartke (Queens)
•     Matthew Rendely (Western)
•     Drew Jarisz (McGill)

Results:

Winner: Valerie Stiso and Marcel Malfitano

Finalist: Jason Yarmolinsky and Christopher Im (Schulich, York)

Semi-Finalist:

• Garenee Mahseredjian and Peter Mahseredjian (University of Toronto)
• Michael Tersigni and Sarah Hussaini (University of Toronto)

Top Oralists:

• Jeff Li (York)
• Anna Marina Guirguis (York)
• Pamela Liang (York)
• Jeremy Larkins (York
• Garene Mahseredjian (U of T)
• Sarah Hussaini (U of T)
• Sian Lea (York)
• Valerie Stiso (U of T)
• Peter Mahseredjian (U of T)
• Matt Kopysh (McMaster)

Right: Osgoode Cup 2009 winners Marcel Malfitano and Valerie Stiso of the University of Toronto with David Delagran of Beard Winter LLP, the cup sponsor

Left: The second-place team from Schulich School of Business: Jason Yarmolinsky, left, and Christopher Im, right, with Justice Karen Weiler of the Ontario Court of Appeal

Right: Jason Yarmolinsky appears for the “respondents” before the judges in Osgoode’s Moot Court Room

Left: The two teams in the final round, left to right, Valerie Stiso and Marcel Malfitano of the University of Toronto, and Jason Yarmolinsky and Christopher Im of the Schulich School of Business

Top oralist awards were also given to Marek Broniewski (University of Calgary), Aaron Christoff (University of Toronto), Joseph Dixon (York University), Dhananjay Ghildyal (University of Ontario Institute of Technology), Brent Kettles (University of Calgary), Jeremy Larkins (York University), Jack Maslen (University of Calgary), Whitney Skinner (University of Calgary), Valerie Stiso (University of Toronto) and Fariya Walji (University of Toronto).

“All 16 teams performed remarkably well and, in addition to enjoying themselves, had a wonderful learning experience,” Monahan said. “It is amazing how students who are not in law school are able to deal with these matters as ably as senior litigators.”

The Osgoode Cup National Undergraduate Mooting Competition, which has been held at the Law School every year since 2005, is designed to provide undergraduate students from across Canada who have an interest in mooting with an opportunity to develop their advocacy skills in an atmosphere of friendly competition, and to meet with professors and lawyers to receive feedback, advice and encouragement.

Sponsored by Beard Winter LLP and the Law Foundation of Ontario, which provides travel bursaries for out-of-town competitors, the competition enlists the help of Osgoode students and alumni (who act as both coaches and judges) as well as volunteers from Humber College’s Bachelor of Applied Arts (Paralegal Studies) Program.

Osgoode Cup entrants are given a case in advance so they can prepare their oral argument. This year’s case dealt with the issue of whether a limitation period precludes the plaintiff from starting a civil action against the defendant. Each two-member team argues both sides of the case during two preliminary rounds and the four highest-ranking two-member teams move on to the semi-final round. The final round is between the two winning teams from the semi-finals.

Judges in this year’s final round included two “real” judges – Madam Justice Rose Boyko of the Superior Court of Justice and Mr. Justice Peter Tetley of the Ontario Court of Justice as well as Osgoode Visiting Professor Janet Leiper, Osgoode Dean Patrick Monahan and John Olah of Beard Winter LLP. Preliminary round judges included Madam Justice Sally Marin of the Ontario Court of Justice, as well as numerous alumni lawyers of Osgoode Hall Law School.

 

Osgoode Cup participant Annamaria Perruccio, a law and culture student at York’s Glendon College, described the weekend competition as “a lot of fun and an excellent learning experience.” Dhananjay Ghildyal from the University of Ontario Institute of Technology called this year’s Osgoode Cup “a very successful event” and extended his congratulations to the organizers.

Results

Winner: Lenci Kadavil and Peter Phua (York)

Finalist: Josephine Comegna and Natalie Kertes (U of T)

Semi-Finalists:

• Michael Payton and Ian Johnsrude (York)
• Stephanie Bono and Elena Davies (Carleton)

Top Oralists: 

Announcement: By Virginia Corner, the communications manager at Osgoode Hall Law School.

“York Teams Shine in Osgoode Cup”

Thirteen teams of university students from across Canada participated in last weekend’s Osgoode Cup National Undergraduate Mooting Competition – and teams from York walked away with the first and third prizes.

The York champions – first-year biology student Peter Phua and fourth-year philosophy student Lenci Kadavil – only had Friday to prepare for the weekend competition but they were determined to work hard, if not long.

“We really cracked open the books and went over the arguments,” said Kadavil, referring to the “fact problem” in the competition, which was a Motion before the Supreme Court of Osgoode – the highest court possible – in proceedings involving the issue of conflict of interest in a solicitor-client relationship. “It’s a good feeling to win.”

The Osgoode Cup National Undergraduate Mooting Competition, which has been held at the Law School every year since 2005, is designed to provide undergraduate students from across Canada who have an interest in mooting with an opportunity to develop their advocacy skills in an atmosphere of friendly competition, and to meet with professors and lawyers to receive feedback, advice and encouragement.

This year’s competition saw the University of Toronto team of Josephine Comegna and Natalie Kertes finish second. Third-place trophies went to Michael Payton and Ian Johnsrude of York, and Stephanie Bono and Elena Davies of Carleton University. Ten top oralist awards were also handed out.

Sponsored by Beard Winter LLP, the Law Foundation of Ontario and the Royal Bank of Canada, the Osgoode Cup enlists the help of Osgoode alumni and current students who serve as judges of the various rounds leading up to the Final Round on Sunday morning.

Judges in this year’s Final Round included two real judges – Madam Justice Rose Boyko of the Superior Court of Justice and Mr. Justice Peter Tetley of the Ontario Court of Justice – along with Christopher Bialkowski and Mark L.J. Edwards of Beard Winter LLP, and Osgoode Dean Patrick Monahan.”

“Queen’s University Team Wins 2006 Osgoode CupSarah Charles and Nathaniel Erskine-Smith of Queen’s University, pictured here with Osgoode Hall Law School Dean Patrick Monahan, won the final round of the second annual Osgoode Cup National Undergraduate Mooting Competition held March 4 and 5 at Osgoode Hall Law School on the campus of York University in Toronto. Another team from Queen’s (Jeremy Opolsky and Steve Dickie) placed second. Teams from the University of Toronto (Josephine Linanne Comegna and Alana Victoria Shephard) and York University (Michael Sefcik and Sonny Jaggi) achieved third-place finishes.”It was an absolute pleasure to participate in the Osgoode Cup,” Charles said. “It was thrilling to get a taste of life in the courtroom and reap the benefits of outstanding feedback from all the judges. I learned so much and reaffirmed my desire to pursue a career in law. The opportunity for Nathaniel and I to present our case to such a distinguished panel of judges in the final round was the high point for me; winning the cup was just the icing on the cake.”More than a dozen teams of undergraduate students from 10 Canadian universities in Hamilton, Kingston, Kitchener, Ottawa, St. Catharine’s, Thunder Bay, Toronto, Vancouver and Waterloo participated in this year’s competition, which was sponsored by Beard Winter LLP, the Law Foundation of Ontario, Royal Bank of Canada and Emond Montgomery Publications.

Students from outside Ontario received travel bursaries to enable them to participate in the competition, which was judged by a panel of real-life judges and Osgoode Dean Patrick Monahan. In addition, students from Humber College’s Bachelor of Applied Arts Paralegal Studies Program played the role of bailiffs/court clerks in the proceedings.

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 involved the legal issue of waiver of liability arising from a skiing accident at a ski resort.