Dean Kristen Boon says "Our students demonstrate extraordinary skill, determination, and professionalism in advocacy. They carry forward a proud tradition, joining generations of uOttawa Common Law alumni who are nationally recognized for their excellence as advocates and leaders in the profession."
The 2026 mooting season is another exceptional year, with our teams earning top honours across a wide range of prestigious competitions. Mooting—simulated court or dispute resolution competitions where students argue cases before judges—offers a powerful, hands-on way to develop advocacy, research, and strategic thinking skills. These results reflect not only the talent and dedication of our students, but also the strength of our advocacy training and mentorship. We are proud to highlight their achievements below, listed in reverse chronological order.
Manfred Lachs Space Law Moot (March 26-27, 2026)
Quarter-finals
Since its inception by the International Institute of Space Law (IISL) in 1992, the Manfred Lachs Space Law Moot Court Competition has grown to cover five world regions: North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Africa. More than 60 teams participate annually in this competition. This year, the North American regional rounds were held in Washington, DC. uOttawa students Cory Kelly (3L) and Max Christie (2L) advanced to the quarter-finals, marking another strong showing in just the University’s second year of participation. Supported by Professor Aram Kerkonian, Professor Anthony Daimsis, and student coach Ola Mirzoeva, the team demonstrated impressive advocacy skills in a highly specialized and competitive field of international law.
John H. Jackson Moot Court Competition – Americas Round (March 24-27, 2026)
Champions, Best respondent’s written submission, Best overall written submission, Best Oralist
Formerly called the ELSA Moot Court Competition, the John H. Jackson Moot is an international competition with rounds on five continents gathering students from the entire globe to practice WTO Law in front of a panel of experts.
At the 2026 Americas round of the John H. Jackson Moot Court Competition, held in Lima, Peru, the University of Ottawa team of Chris Ma, Rahma Faisal, Justin Weir, and Madalina Fetescu delivered an outstanding performance, capturing the top prize for the fourth consecutive year.
In addition to winning the Americas round, the team earned awards for Best Respondent’s Written Submission and Best Overall Written Submissions, while Justin Weir was named Best Oralist in the final round. The team will go on to represent the Americas region at the global finals in Geneva this June, continuing uOttawa’s strong presence on the international stage.
Adam F. Fanaki Competition Law Moot (March 27-28, 2026)
Best Team, Best Factum, Best Oralist-Runner Up
Organized by the Competition Bureau, the Competition Tribunal and the Canadian Bar Association, this annual event gives Canadian law students the chance to tackle timely, complex civil or criminal issues in a growing field of law that strives to balance private economic incentives with the public interest.
The 2026 uOttawa Fanaki Moot team was comprised of Christine Yang, Alex Chadwick, Adamo Crescenzi and Daniel Sidlofsky. For the second consecutive year, uOttawa was named Best Overall Faculty, winning the top prize and trophy. Christine and Alex were named Best Team. The team brought home another incredible five awards:
- Best Team – Appellant (Christine & Alex)
- Best Factum – Appellant
- Runner-Up Best Team – Respondent (Adamo & Daniel)
- Runner-Up Best Factum – Respondent
- 2nd Runner-Up Best Oralist – Christine Yang
Christine and Alex’s award-winning factum will be published in the Canadian Competition Law Review by the Canadian Bar Association.
Notably, coaches Rhiannon Szewczyk, Tyler Li and Daniel Kim, were on the 2025 Fanaki Moot team, at which they ALSO WON Best Faculty!
Gowlings WLG Moot Competition (March 21, 2026)
Each year, every student in the French Common Law Program (PCLF) takes part in the Gowlings WLG Moot Competition. It is a true rite of passage. Working in teams, students draft a factum and present oral arguments, building essential advocacy skills.
This year’s competition was a tremendous success. To close the event, students were welcomed at the offices of Gowlings WLG, where they had the opportunity to hear from PCLF alum, the Honourable Marlyse Dumel, LLB ‘00. Congratulations to all students who took part, and a special shout-out to those who received awards!
Michel-Bastarache Moot Court Competition (March 20-21, 2026)
Best Advocate, Best Advocate Pair, Pierre-Foucher Award
The 8th annual Michel-Bastarache Moot Court Competition was hosted right here at Fauteux. The French-language competition is named after the Honorable Michel Bastarache, former Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada and is organized every year by the University of Ottawa. The Moot welcomes French-speaking law students from six universities across Canada.
The uOttawa team, made up of students from the Programme de common law en français (PCLF): Catherine Couturier, Valérie Bisson, Ethan Dubeau and Allison Arcand earned an impressive list of achievements:
- Best Individual Advocate (1st place): Catherine Couturier
- Best Advocate Pair (1st place): Catherine Couturier and Valérie Bisson
- Pierre-Foucher Award – Best Written Submission (2nd place): PCLF Team
- Best Individual Advocates (tied for 4th place): Ethan Dubeau and Allison Arcand
Walsh Family Law Moot (March 7, 2026)
Best Appellant Factum, Second place- Overall Team
The Walsh Family Law Moot is a competitive moot for 2nd and 3rd year law students. This year’s uOttawa team, Hammad Syed, Jessica Lim, Rocky Wong, and Megan Starchuk, gave an outstanding performance, earning second place overall, while Hammad and Jessica won for Best Appellant Factum.
Walsh Family Law Negotiation Competition (March 7, 2026)
Grand Champions, 2nd place – Individual, 3rd place – Individual, 3rd place – Best Written Plan
The Walsh Family Negotiation Competition is a competition for 2nd and 3rd-year law students. Working in teams of two, using facts for each partner in a family law dispute, the law students will negotiate with opposing teams in three successive rounds of increasing complexity. This year’s team was made up of students Claire Dans (3L), Alexandra Goldenshtein (2L), Madeline Meilun (3L), Analise Stich (2L), Saamiyah Syed (3L), and Alexis Zorad (2L). In the Best Team category, Claire and Madeline won 1st place, earning them the Walsh Negotiation Cup, while 3rd place was awarded to teammates Analise and Saamiyah. The team took home several other top awards, including 2nd and 3rd place in Best Individual Student for Madeline and Saamiyah respectively, and Best Written Plan, for which Alexandra and Saamiyah were awarded third place.
Special mention to student coach, Dimitra Papadakis (3L), one of last year’s Walsh Negotiation Cup winners, who was instrumental in the team’s success.
Immigration, Refugee, and Citizenship Law Moot (February 27-28, 2026)
Grand Champions, 1st Runner-up – Oral Argument, 1st Runner-up – Best Oralist
The Immigration, Refugee and Citizenship Law Moot is a national, bilingual event that brings together law students, lawyers, and judges from across the country to advance legal education related to issues of migration.
The uOttawa team , comprised of Miriam Abdalla, Rayan Ibrahim, Gérick Girard et Joelle Wehbé, gave a remarkable performance. Miriam and Rayan were named Champion Group, making uOttawa the only university to have won the competition twice since its creation in 2021. Additionally, the whole team was awarded second place for Top Law School, and second place for Top Oralist Team. Additionally, Miriam tied for second place for Top Oralist Mooter.
Harold G. Fox Moot (February 20-21, 2026)
Top Appellant Factum, Top Respondent Factum, Runner-Up Top Oralist, Top 2L Mooter
The Harold G. Fox Moot is intended to promote the furtherance of education in the intellectual property field, and to provide participants with the opportunity to interact with jurists of the Supreme, Ontario, and Federal Courts and experienced practitioners of intellectual property law. It is named in honour of the late Harold G. Fox, one of Canada’s leading intellectual property scholars and advocates.
The uOttawa team performances. Team captain Maryam Safi, along with students Farai Munyurwa and Uday Bahal, (Respondents) and Zoe Pekos and Danielle St. Jean (Appellants), qualified for the semi-finals, and so ended up mooting against each another.
The Appellant team (Zoe and Danielle) advanced to the finals, but ultimately 1st place was awarded to the University of Manitoba. However, the team took home a number of impressive awards:
- Top Appellant Factum: Zoe Pekos, Danielle St. Jean
- Top Respondent Factum: Farai Munyurwa, Uday Bahal
- Runner-Up Top Oralist: Farai Munyurwa
- Honourable Mention Top Oralist Danielle St. Jean
- Top 2L Mooter: Farai Munyurwa
As top 2L, Farai earned uOttawa automatic entry to the Oxford International IP moot next year.
Philip C. Jessup Moot (February 19-21, 2026)
National Champions, Top Speaker, 2nd place respondent memo and 1st place combined memos
The Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition is the world’s largest moot court competition, with participants from roughly 700 law schools in 100 countries.
The uOttawa team, comprised of Cameron Bailey, Meredith Daly, Hunter Lupal, Henry Powis, and Emily Spagrud, gave an extraordinary performance at the Canadian National Rounds at the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition.
The team went undefeated in the preliminary rounds, ranking first in wins and earning the highest scores. Ultimately, they defeated all opponents and emerged as Canadian National Champions. Cameron Bailey won top speaker in Canada, and the team also took home 2nd place respondent memo and 1st place combined memos.
In April the team will travel to Washington, D.C., where the mooters will represent Canada at the Global Finals! What an honour.
Willms & Shier Environmental Law Moot (February 14, 2026)
Distinguished Oralists
Founded by York University’s Osgoode Hall Law School, in partnership with Willms & Shier Environmental Lawyers LLP, the goal of the Willms & Shier Environmental Law Moot is to promote awareness of the growing role of environmental issues in contemporary legal practice and public life, while enhancing law students’ written and oral advocacy skills.
Congratulations to Matthew Patten and Rhiannon Szewczyk on their performance at the Willms & Shier Environmental Law Moot, where both earned Distinguished Oralist awards, thanks in no small part to valuable research support provided by Anuja Purohit.
Behind each result are countless hours of preparation, teamwork, and determination. We celebrate our students for their outstanding achievements and thank the coaches, faculty, and alumni whose guidance makes these successes possible. Their collective efforts continue to elevate advocacy at uOttawa and inspire future cohorts to aim even higher.