The Honourable Ryan Rolston [LLB/99], Chief Judge of the provincial court of Manitoba presents awards to second-place MacIntyre Cup finalists, Maria Garcia Manzano (3L) and Harlan Morris (3L). Photo by Jenna Chemerika.
Moot Report 2025: Manitoba takes second place in MacIntyre Cup, represents Manitoba at Sopinka Cup
Hosted at Robson Hall, entire Manitoba legal community supported Western Canada Trial Advocacy Moot
This term, the University of Manitoba Faculty of Law was proud to host the MacIntyre Cup (also known as the Western Canada Trial Advocacy Moot competition) on February 14 – 15, 2025, and even more proud of the Robson Hall team’s second-place finish.
Team members Maria Garcia Manzano (3L) who won Robson Hall’s Solomon Greenberg intramural trial advocacy competition on November 16, 2024, and co-counsel Harlan Morris (3L), were runners-up to the University of Alberta first-place team at the Western moot. Both teams went on to represent Western Canada at the Sopinka Cup, held in Ottawa, Ontario, on March 14 – 15, 2025.
Team Manitoba was coached by Laura Robinson [LLB/09] and Evan Roitenberg [LLB/91] of Wolson Roitenberg Robinson Wolson, and Adam Gingera [BA/10; JD/16] of Manitoba Justice Prosecutions Service.
The Honourable Douglas Abra [LLB/72], retired Justice of the Manitoba Court of King’s Bench (and a past winner of the MacIntyre Cup himself), presided over the trials, with a team of six assessors deciding the winners. The Honourable Ryan Rolston [LLB/99], Chief Judge of the Provincial Court of Manitoba presented the prizes at the awards dinner following the competition’s conclusion.
The University of Manitoba Faculty of Law hosted the 2025 Western (MacIntyre) Cup at Robson Hall. Members of the Manitoba practicing legal community generously contributed their time and skills to act as assessors and coaches. Photo by Jenna Chemerika.
The MacIntyre Cup awards dinner coincided with the Canada-US Four Nations Cup hockey game, so in true Canadian form, Robson Hall organizers ensured the game was played on a large screen in the room, much to the relief of many Moot competitors and coaches who are also irredeemable hockey fans. It was “a very Canadian moment,” said Elizabeth McCandless [LLB/07; LLM/20], Director of Clinics at Robson Hall.
McCandless extended special thanks to Faculty of Law administrative staff person Jenna Chemerika who worked very hard to organize all logistics and details of the MacIntyre Cup to make the competition a success.
Sopinka Cup
The final leg of the Trial Advocacy competition journey for Team Manitoba was at the Sopinka Cup, which is where East meets West. The winning eight teams from four regional competitions in Canada meet in Ottawa each year. These competitions include the Western (MacIntyre) Cup, the Arnup Cup (for Ontario Universities), the Guy Guérin Cup (Quebec), and the McKelvey Cup (New Brunswick and Nova Scotia).
Garcia Manzano and Morris shared some of their experiences at the national event, where all 16 students competing were presented with plaques to commemorate reaching the national level – “a remarkable accomplishment in itself,” Garcia Manzano explained. “It was an incredible experience to compete against some of the most talented advocacy teams in the country, and we’re proud to have represented the University of Manitoba on the national stage.”
She added, “We were fortunate to be guided by outstanding coaches whose mentorship was unparalleled for both the MacIntyre and the Sopinka Cup. They pushed us to grow, challenged us constantly, and – even though they tried to convince me to pursue a career in litigation – I know the advocacy skills they taught me will serve me will in the corporate-commercial practice I plan to build.”
“Competing in the MacIntyre and Sopinka Cups were undoubtedly the highlight of my time in law school,” said Morris. “Seeing the final product after the countless hours we put into preparing for our trials was by far the most rewarding experience in my three years at Robson Hall.”
Garcia Manzano will be articling at Fillmore Riley LLP throughout the next 12 months, while Morris will article with the Crown at Manitoba Justice, Public Prosecutions.
The Sopinka Cup was established in 1999 in honour of late Supreme Court of Canada Justice John Sopinka, a long-time Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, which runs the competition. In 2018, MacIntyre Cup winners Yassir Al-Naji [JD/18] and Ben Johnson [JD/18] took second place and won “Best Closing Argument” at the Sopinka Cup. Kevin Toyne [BA/00; LLB/03] and Jennifer Malabar [LLB/03] won the Sopinka Cup in 2003.