Nelligan O’Brien Payne First-Year Moot Court Competition 2009
On Saturday, November 7, 2008, almost 140 first-year students participated in the preliminary round of the Nelligan O’Brien Payne First-Year Moot Court Competition.The case under appeal was Paxton v. Ramji, a 2008 decision of the Ontario Court of Appeal. The issue under appeal concerned whether or not a physician owes a duty of care to the potential future child of a female patient.
Over 45 judges were present at the preliminary round, including large contingents of lawyers and articling students from the Nelligan O’Brien Payne LLP and the legal community in Ottawa, Common Law professors, upper-year students as well as student law clerks from the Supreme Court of Canada and the Superior Court of Justice.
At the final round of the competition, held on November 9, 2009, the presiding judges included the Honourable Mr. Justice Thomas Cromwell from the Supreme Court of Canada and the Honourable Madam Justices Jennifer Mackinnon and Giovanna Rocammo Toscano ('83) from the Ontario Superior Court of Justice.
Mr. John Nelligan presented the winning team of Lars Brusven and Jon Khan with the John P. Nelligan Cup. He also presented a certificate of honourable mention to the runners-up, William Pellerin and Joyce Faria.
Mr. Steve Gaon from the County of Carleton Law Association (CCLA) presented the best factum plaque to William Webber and Niklas Holmberg. Certificates of honourable mention were presented to the following runners-up for best factum: Ara Basmadjian and Dee Pham; William Pellerin and Joyce Faria; and Brandon Chase and Sarah Hahn.
The best oralist plaque, presented by Janice Payne ('74), went to Jon Khan. Certificates of honourable mention were also presented to the following teams: Javairia Junaid and Alexandra Maceachern; Michael Beaulne and Zachary Gaulin; and Nathan Kruger and Joel Kom.