The University of Ottawa’s Common Law Section continues to stand out as a national leader in legal education and advocacy training. So far in 2025, our mooting teams have earned top accolades at prestigious competitions across Canada and around the world.
We are proud to highlight their success in the following competitions, listed in reverse chronological order.
Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot (April 11–17, 2025)
Quarterfinalists and tied for 5th in the world
uOttawa’s team achieved remarkable success at the 32nd Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot, held in Vienna, where 394 teams from around the globe competed. Barbara Attia, 3L, Sean Patton, 3L, and Arjun Gupta, 3L, coached by alum Emily McMurtry, JD '18, and Professor Anthony Daimsis, earned an Honourable Mention for their Claimant Memorandum. In the oral rounds, Barbara Attia and Sean Patton advanced to the quarterfinals, ultimately tying for 5th place worldwide.
International Client Consultation Competitions (April 9-12, 2025)
2nd in the world
After winning the Canadian Client Consultation Competition (CCCC) in March, Éadaoin O’Gorman, 2L, and Fionn Ferris, 3L, travelled to Glasgow to represent Canada in the International Client Consultation Competition. They placed second in the world, against the best mooters from 21 countries.
Fanaki Competition Law Moot (March 28-29, 2025)
First Place, Best Faculty, Best Oralist and Best Factum
In a competition first, both teams in the final were from the same school! uOttawa’s Respondent team of Jubilee Lambe, 3L, and Rhiannon Szewczyk, 2L, faced off against the Appellant team of Daniel Kim, 2L, and Tyler Li, 2L, with the Respondent team taking the win.
Collectively, the uOttawa team won the trophy for Best Faculty, and both the Appellant and Respondent teams won Best Factum for their written work. Their factums will be published in the Canadian Competition Law Record, Canada's leading competition law journal.
Additionally, Daniel Kim won Best Oralist (Appellant) and Jubilee Lambe won Best Oralist, second runner up (Respondent), and Tyler Li won Best Oralist, second runner up (Appellant). The team was coached by Irma Shaboian (Stikeman Elliott LLP, Toronto), Shane Barbeau (Competition Bureau, Ottawa) and Professor John Tyhurst.
Manfred Lachs Space Law Moot Court Competition (March 27–28, 2025)
Semi-Finalists & Best New Team Award
The Manfred Lachs Space Law Moot in Washington, D.C. saw uOttawa students Chelsea Wright, 3L, Ben Clarkson, 1L, and Ola Mirzoeva, 2L, reach the semi-finals in their first time participating in this international competition. The team was also honoured with the Best New Team Award, reflecting their promising debut on the global space law stage. The team was coached by Dr. Aram Kerkonian, Adjunct Professor (Space Law), with additional coaching support by Professor Anthony Daimsis. Their participation in this moot was made possible by financial support provided by the Common Law Student Society (AÉCLSS).
Michel Bastarache Moot Court Competition (March 21-23)
This was the 7th annual edition of the Michel-Bastarache Moot court Competition, hosted right here at Fauteux and welcoming French-speaking law students from six universities across Canada. The uOttawa team was made up of students from the Programme de common law en français (PCLF): Xavier Champagne (JD-BCom ’26), Natalie Comfort (3L), Victoria McDowall (2L), and Gabrielle Muzychka (JD-BSocSc ’26). Teams from the universities of Calgary and Saskatchewan also competed, through the French Common Law Certification Program (CCLF), which offers French-speaking students from other universities the opportunity to obtain a JD degree from the University of Ottawa.
The uOttawa team was coached by third-year student Martin Kreiner and Professor Marc Tremblay as well as Maxine Vincelette and Millie Lefebvre, lawyers at Power Law. The CCLF team from Calgary/Saskatchewan received 2nd place for the Pierre-Foucher Prize for Best Factum, while Lena Clayton, a CCLF student from the University of Calgary, came in 4th place for Best Litigant, oral proceedings.
John H. Jackson Moot Court Competition, All-American Round (March 18-21, 2025)
First Place + Best Written Submissions + Best Oralist
Held at Universidad Andina Simon Bolivar in Quito, Ecuador, this international competition brought together leading student advocates from across the Americas. uOttawa’s team of Aidan Reesor, LLM ’25, James Fernando Lapthorne, 3L, and Michelle Hennessey, JD-MA ’27, captured first place and also won Best Complainant’s Written Submission, Best Overall Written Submission, while Michelle Hennessey won Best oralist in the preliminary round.
Along with coaches Dean MacDougall and Kevin Gray from Global Affairs Canada, the team will travel to Geneva, Switzerland in June to compete in the Final Oral Round, which will be held at the World Trade Organization’s headquarters.
Canadian Client Consultation Competition (March 15-16, 2025)
First Place
Two teams competed in the Canadian Client Consultation Competition (CCCC): Éadaoin O’Gorman, 2L, Fionn Ferris, 3L, and Ashleigh Middleton, 2L, Saathana Karunakaran, 3L. The competition, which was held this year at Fauteux, simulates a law office consultation and showcases the students' client interviewing skills.
Both teams received praise from the judges for their demeanor, solid legal analysis, and practical solutions. O’Gorman and Ferris advanced to the semi-finals and earned their place as top Canadian team during the final round! They are invited to attend the International Client Consultation Competition (where 25 countries are expected to compete) in Glasgow, Scotland from April 9-12.
Gowling WLG moot court competition (March 15, 2025)
This French-language mooting competition is part of the mandatory first-year course “Compétences et habiletés juridiques”, taught by Professors Louise Bélanger-Hardy and Alain Roussy. The competition has two components: the preparation of a short appeal brief and an oral argument before judges, who are members of the local legal community.
All students in the French Common Law Programparticipate in the competition. This year first place went to the team comprised of Miriam Abdalla, Cloé Abou Assali, Arlynn Bélizaire, Sébastien Creuzenet-Mangroo, Sandra Kemzang, and Claudia Labrosse. The second-place team was Cédric Durand, Jade Fortin, Shaliz Haghighi, Fareedah Sadek, Chloé Tessier Joelle Wehbé.
Walsh Family Law Negotiation Competition (March 8, 2025)
Best Team + Best Individual Student + More
uOttawa made a dominant showing at the Walsh Negotiation Competition in Toronto. The team, comprised of Daisy Hamilton, 3L, Adriana Isskhak, 3L, Samuel Kroft, 3L, Dimitra Papadakis, 2L, Alexis Silverstein, 3L, and Natalie Urquhart, 2L, brought home multiple top honours. The team was trained by Professor Lynn Rockman.
Urquhart and Papadakis were crowned Walsh Negotiation Cup Champions, winning 1st Place Best Team. Hamilton earned 1st Place Best Individual Student, while Urquhart also captured 2nd Place Best Individual Student. Daisy Hamilton and Alexis Silverstein were awarded 3rd Place, Best Written Negotiation Plan.
Walsh Family Law Moot (March 8, 2025)
Best Overall Team + Epstein Award for Best Oralist + more
Held at the Court of Appeal for Ontario in Toronto, the Walsh Family Law Moot is Canada's only family law moot. This year’s team from uOttawa, made up of Itoro Ekanam, 3L, Hristina Djakovic, 3L (Appellants) and Olivia Stanton, 2L, and Addriana Reffo-Beaudet, 3L (Respondents), was named Best Overall Team.
Coached by 3L student, Raymarck Unera as well as Professors Vanessa Gruben and Natasha Bakht, the team brought home other honours as well. Itoro Ekanam won the Epstein Award for Best Oralist, Olivia Stanton was recognized as third-best oralist and the Respondent Team won second best factum.
Kawaskimhon National Aboriginal Moot (March 7-8, 2025)
The Kawaskimhon Moot brought together law students from across Canada for a unique, non-adversarial experience grounded in Indigenous legal orders. The moot focuses on consensus-building through roundtable negotiations.
Held at the Bora Laskin Faculty of Law at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, this year’s moot featured two uOttawa teams: Josie Renz, 2L, Earl Wadden, 3L, and Wolfgang Wuttke-Stanton, 3L on the English team, and Lauren Aussant (2L), Jacob Hare (2L), and Kaitlyn O’Bonsawin (3L) on the French team.
Derived from a Cree word roughly translated to “speaking with knowledge,” the Kawaskimhon Moot offers a space for students—particularly Indigenous students and those passionate about Indigenous law—to deepen their understanding of Indigenous legal systems while forging lasting connections. Since 1994 this moot has been hosted annually by a different law faculty. It remains a vital part of efforts to decolonize legal education in Canada.
Torts Law Moot (March 1, 2025)
Best Opening Statement
uOttawa’s team of Henry Powis, 2L, Kasia Knap, 3L, Sydney Sloane, 2L, Jarek Landori-Hoffmann, 2L, and Orian Israelsohn, 3L, delivered a strong performance at the 2025 Tort Law Moot. The competition, which promotes advocacy in tort, insurance and health law and connects students with experienced jurists and practitioners, was held entirely online.
Henry Powis earned the Lenczner Slaght Scholarship Award for Best Opening Statement, and, alongside co-council Kasia Knap, was runner-up for the Best Mooting Team Award sponsored by Lax O'Sullivan Lisus Gottlieb LLP. Additionally, Sydney Sloane and Jarek Landori-Hoffmann were runners-up for the Best Factum, sponsored by McCarthy Tétrault. The team was expertly coached by Maggie MacDonald, Associate at Cavanagh LLP, and Ashley Seely, Associate at Arkin Furrow Estate Law LLP.
Immigration, Refugee, and Citizenship Law Moot (IRC) (February 28 – March 1, 2025)
Top Law School + Top Oralist Team + more
uOttawa’s team of Katherine Girguis, 3L, Aye-Lama Bah, 3L, Agnès Chaudron, 3L, and Anne-Sophie Galton,3L, delivered a standout performance at this year’s Immigration, Refugee and Citizenship Law Moot, held in person at the Federal Court in Toronto.
Judged in the final round by members of the Supreme Court of Canada, Ontario Court of Appeal, and Federal Court, the team earned multiple top honours, including Top Law School (highest facta and oral scores), Top Oralist Team (preliminary rounds), and Top Facta (tied with Université de Sherbrooke). Agnès Chaudron was also named Top Oralist Mooter. The team was coached by alum Alex Dalcourt, JD ’22, Gabrielle Thiboutot, Associate at Bertrand Deslauriers Attorneys and alum Camille Bontems, JD ‘23.
Mooting is more than a competition—it's a cornerstone of experiential legal education here at Fauteux. It’s in our DNA! This year’s results show that uOttawa students are rising to the challenge with skill, confidence, and grace.
Congratulations to all of this year’s competitors—we are so proud of your achievements!
