Laurier Moot Court team earns first place at Osgoode Cup

March 19, 2024

A Wilfrid Laurier University student team took home the championship at the Osgoode Cup, the largest moot court competition in Canada, where 108 competing teams represented different sides of real Supreme Court of Canada cases.

Fourth-year Business student Rehana Lalani and second-year Political Science student Jonathan Kagal entered the playoffs of the two-day competition in third place, ultimately taking home the first-place title March 10 after facing a team from the University of Guelph-Humber in the finals. It is the first-ever championship for Laurier at the Osgoode Cup.

In addition to Lalani and Kagal’s win, two other Laurier teams qualified for one of 16 playoff spots after the first day of competition: fifth-year Political Science student Madeline Di Re and second-year Philosophy student Aliya Syed qualified in ninth place, while third-year Business student Jack Newby and fourth-year Political Science student Tamara Djuknic entered the playoffs in first place.

In advance of the competition, teams were provided details of the court case, for which they were asked to prepare arguments from both the appellant’s and respondent’s sides. They learned which side they would be representing only a few minutes before each round.

“I am so proud of all 15 teams of Laurier students, not only for their competition performances and results, but also for their incredible amount of work and dedication to prepare for the competition,” says Jeff Boich (BA ’88), a practicing lawyer and contract faculty member at Laurier who has worked with the student Moot Court club since it was created in 2017. “I have had many opportunities to argue appeal-level cases over the years, so I try to help the students prepare as I would for a real appeal.”

Four of Laurier’s finalists were also recognized individually for their top scores with outstanding oralist awards: Newby (second), Kagal (fourth), Djuknic (sixth) and Lalani (ninth).

“I am overjoyed by the level of teamwork and dedication displayed by all competitors at the Osgoode Cup,” says Djuknic, president of Laurier’s Moot Court club (LMC). “This championship continues to solidify Laurier’s name in the undergraduate mooting scene. Leading this team has truly been a life-changing experience and I cannot wait to see LMC continue to succeed.”

The 20^th annual Osgoode Cup competition was held at Osgoode Hall Law School on March 9 and 10. The Osgoode Cup is the longest-running undergraduate moot court competition in the country and widely regarded as the national championship. The judging panel of lawyers, law students and legal professionals assessed student teams from across Canada on their understanding of the law, oral advocacy and ability to answer questions.

Most members of Laurier’s Moot Court club are interested in studying law after graduation or are already studying law through the university’s joint arts and law degree program with the University of Sussex in the U.K. Alumni of the club are studying or have been accepted to study at top law schools in Canada and the United States.

Laurier’s Moot Court club accepts new members every fall term, from September to early October. To find out more, visit the Laurier Moot Court club Instagram page.