First-year competitions
Nelligan O’Brien Payne Moot Court Competition
The Nelligan O’ Brien Payne Moot Court Competition for first-year students of the English program enables students to develop their advocacy skills at an early stage in law school. The winning team receives the John P. Nelligan Cup, named in honour of John Nelligan, Q.C., an outstanding and celebrated advocate for over half a century. He founded Nelligan O’Brien Payne (formerly Nelligan Power), a leading law firm specializing in all aspects of advocacy.
Participation in the competition is voluntary and no academic credit will be granted. Working in teams of two, students act for the appellant or respondent side and argue an appeal from a recent Ontario Court of Appeal decision.
The competition will be judged by panels of three moot court judges drawn from the ranks of “real” judges, practicing lawyers, faculty members and upper year students.
Heenan Blaikie Moot Competition
The Heenan Blaikie Moot Competition in tort law has proven to be a stimulating experience for first-year students of the French Common Law Program and Programme de droit canadien, giving them the opportunity not only to expand their knowledge, but also to evaluate whether they have the ability and interest to take part in a moot court competition. Moreover, they get the chance to meet French-speaking jurists – many of them graduates of the French Common Law Program – and to connect with the legal community in the Ottawa area.Hosted in a less formal manner for the past few years, the competition has become an integral part of the curriculum as each student’s oral presentation and written memorandum contribute to 15% of their final grade in the Tort Law and Legal Drafting course.
In an effort to contribute to the training of students in the French Common Law Program and the Programme de droit canadien, the Ottawa law firm Heenan Blaikie LLP has committed to sponsoring this moot competition for first-year law students until 2012.