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Law Faculty to Host Prestigious Laskin Moot

Bilingual appellate moot engages administrative and constitutional law students from across Canada

February 22, 2019 — 

Robson Hall, Faculty of Law at the University of Manitoba is pleased to host the prestigious bilingual appellate Laskin Moot, March 1 and 2, 2019. Robson Hall will welcome judges, practitioners, and 19 teams of law students from across Canada for three days of lively competition and networking. Last winter, the Faculty of Law hosted the Western / MacIntyre Moot, which was won by the Robson Hall team of Yassir A-Naji and Ben Johnson.

The Laskin Moot was named in honour of the late Right Honourable Bora Laskin, Chief Justice of Canada from 1973 to 1984. The Moot focuses on two areas of law which were especially important to Chief Justice Laskin: administrative and constitutional law.

The Laskin is a bilingual appellate moot, with a requirement that at least one mooter from each team making both oral and written submissions in each official language. The Laskin is now in its 33rdyear, with 2019 being the second time that the U of M has hosted, the first being in 2008.

“Hosting the Laskin Moot competition is really an honour for us at Robson Hall,” said Dr. Jonathan Black-Branch, Dean of the Faculty of Law at the U of M. “Given that Manitoba is a bilingual province with a significant French-speaking community, we hope the experience of participating in this moot annually, and especially in having a hand in organizing the moot this year, will encourage many of our students to consider becoming advocates for the French-speaking population, and in the areas of Administrative and Constitutional Law. We are especially looking forward to sharing Manitoba’s legacy of innovative legal research and precedent-setting decisions with other law students in Canada.”

Natalie Copps, a third-year law student helping to coordinate the Moot, said, “The Laskin moot is a unique and wonderful opportunity for students at Robson Hall. It provides a chance for law students to make connections, gain experience and build relationships with other students and practitioners from across Canada.” Copps explained, “As the host team, a large number of Robson students will not only have the chance to participate in a national competition but also experience first-hand the importance of bilingual legal work.”

Through the efforts and commitment of the Chief Justices of the Manitoba courts and their staff, the competition will take place at the Law Courts building in downtown Winnipeg. The Faculty of Law wishes to acknowledge the kind support and generosity of Bob and Deirdre Kozminski and other Robson Hall Alumni whose contributions have made the Faculty of Law’s Moot Program possible.

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