Each year, the Common Law Section sends advocacy teams across Canada and around the world to compete in a wide range of moot court competitions. Students and coaches from the law school have succeeded in establishing the University of Ottawa as a leading institution in some of the most prestigious competitions at home and abroad.
Many competitors have also distinguished themselves with individual awards, demonstrating first-class advocacy skills and strong abilities in trial and arbitration scenarios. The law school takes great pride in the performance and achievements of each of its teams and salutes the hard work, dedication and team spirit of all coaches and competitors.
Tryouts for the 2023-2024 year will take place September 20-23, 2023.
To reserve a tryout spot (Vis, Family Law, Competition Law, Corporate Securities, Tax Law, Tort Law, Gale Cup) please follow this link. Once all spots are filled, we will add more spots.
For the French moots (on September 23: Refugee and Immigration moot, Laskin, Rousseau, Bastarache, Moncton, Guy Guerin), please follow this link.
Upload your tryout documents here.
Our Walsh Competition team has a sterling track record and would love to have you become a part of it. Tryouts (via the BLG Negotiation Competition) will be held on Saturday, November 4, 2023. To register send your CV and cover letter to Prof. Rockman at [email protected]. Registration deadline is Monday, October 23, 2023. Seven winners of the BLG Negotiation Competition comprise the Walsh Negotiation competitive team.
The Walsh Negotiation Competition will be held in Toronto on Saturday, March 9, 2023.
Please view the Walsh Negotiation Competition Tryout Information Video: https://youtu.be/uE8AoLWpTRs
General Moot tryout problem for 2023-2024
Le problème d'essai 2023-2024
English Moots
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FMC GALE CUP MOOT – Simulation of Recent SCC Case
The Fraser Milner Casgrain LLP Gale Cup Moot brings together students and coaches from law schools across Canada to simulate appellate court level hearings. Held annually in Toronto at Osgoode Hall Law School in late February or early March, the two-day moot draws its simulated problems from recent decisions of the Supreme Court of Canada. Teams consist of four students, two arguing for the Appellant and two arguing for the Respondent, and simultaneous translation is provided to allow for bilingual competition. The moot is named in honour of former Chief Justice of Ontario George Gale.
Click here to learn more about the FMC Gale Cup Moot.
- HAROLD G. FOX MOOT – Intellectual Property Law
The Harold G. Fox Moot focuses on intellectual property law and offers competitors a chance to interact with jurists from the Supreme, Ontario and Federal Courts, as well as experienced practitioners of intellectual property law. Taking place annually in Toronto, the moot is sponsored by Dimock Stratton LLP and is administered by a committee of jurists, practitioners, academics and students. The competition is named in honour of the late Harold G. Fox, one of Canada’s leading intellectual property scholars and advocates.
Click here to learn more about the Harold G. Fox Moot.
- RIDOUT & MAYBEE OTTAWA INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MOOT COURT
Ridout & Maybee, one of Canada’s oldest and top ranking intellectual property law firms, has generously agreed to be the exclusive sponsor of the University of Ottawa’s Intellectual Property Moot Team, and to assist the team in preparation.
Ridout & Maybee’s sponsorship is recognition of the depth and breadth of the IP and information technology programs offered by the University of Ottawa.
- ICC INTERNATIONAL COMMERCIAL MEDIATION COMPETITION – ICC Amicable Dispute Resolution
The International Chamber of Commerce Commercial Mediation Competition annually gathers teams from universities from around the world for a written and oral advocacy competition that applies the ICC’s Amicable Dispute Resolution (ADR) rules to solve problems devised by international mediation experts. Organized by the ICC ADR Secretariat, the competition emphasizes learning and networking, offering a special training day where professionals are invited to share their experiences and best practices. The competition takes place in Paris, France.
Click here for more information on the ICC International Commercial Mediation Competition.
- KAWASKIMHON LAW MOOT – National Aboriginal Law
The Kawaskimhon Law Moot annually invites students from law schools across Canada to participate in a consensus decision-making approach to dispute resolution that relies on Indigenous legal traditions, laws and customs. Open to both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal students, the moot may involve the use of a talking circle or other Indigenous processes to resolve the legal issues arising from the selected topic. The host school, which changes every year, decides the moot format.
- WILSON MOOT – Equality Issues
The Wilson Moot promotes justice for those traditionally disempowered within the legal system with a particular focus on legal issues concerning women and minorities. Each participating school fields a team of two Appellant’s counsel and two Respondent’s counsel, and some schools include a fifth student as a researcher for the team. Founded in 1992, the competition is named in honour of the late Madam Justice Bertha Wilson and is held annually in Toronto.
- WILLEM C. VIS INTERNATIONAL COMMERCIAL ARBITRATION MOOT – International Commercial Law and Arbitration
The Annual Vis Arbitral Moot promotes the study of international commercial law and the use of arbitration for resolving international business disputes. Moot problems are based on concrete cases and teams are expected to write memoranda for claimant and respondent and present oral arguments based on those memoranda. Efforts are made to have common law schools compete against civil law schools so that competitors may learn from opponents trained in a different legal culture. The moot is held every year at the Law Faculty of the University of Vienna in Austria.
Click here to learn more about the Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot.
- ELSA MOOT COURT COMPETITION – WTO Dispute Settlement System
The ELSA World Trade Organization Moot Court Competition is an annual international moot court competition involving law schools from around the world. Four students will be selected to represent the University of Ottawa Common Law team at competitive tryouts to be held in September. Information and the timeline for each year is available in the summer on the ELSA website. The case problem is posted in early September, and students will prepare written submissions for the complainant and respondent in the Fall and January Terms to be submitted in January. Students will then participate in the oral competition in the All Americas Regional Round involving teams from North America, South America, Central America and the Caribbean. The Final Round, involving the top teams from the regional rounds in Europe, Asia, Latin America, North America, and Africa will be held in May in Geneva.
Click here to learn more about the ELSA Moot Court Competition.
- WALSH FAMILY LAW MOOT
The Walsh Family Law Moot Competition was established to foster relations between law schools and practitioners, to encourage the study of family law, and to increase knowledge among law students. All law schools are invited to take part in the national moot.
Bilingual Moots
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ARNUP CUP / SOPINKA CUP – Criminal Law
Devoted to the area of criminal law, this series of moot competitions serves as one of the premier trial advocacy competitions in Canada. The six Ontario law schools vie for the Arnup Cup in February of each year, with the top two schools moving on to the national round, the Sopinka Cup, in March to face the best law schools from across Canada.
- PHILIP C. JESSUP INTERNATIONAL LAW MOOT COURT COMPETITION – International Court of Justice Simulation
With participants from over 500 schools in more than 80 countries, the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot is the world’s largest moot court competition. The moot simulates a fictional dispute between countries before the International Court of Justice, the judicial branch of the United Nations. Most schools must compete in regional and national competitions between January and March before advancing to the White & Case International Rounds held each year in Washington, D.C. in the spring. The moot is named after Philip C. Jessup, the United States representative to the International Court of Justice, who was elected by the United Nations to serve a nine-year term in 1961. He played a key role in the formation of the International Law Commission.
Click here to learn more about the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot.
French Moots
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CHARLES ROUSSEAU MOOT COURT COMPETITION IN INTERNATIONAL LAW – Public International Law
This French-language competition comprises a national competition, which takes place in March of each year, followed by an international competition that takes place in late April or early May. More than 65 schools from 29 countries have competed in the competition in the past. Four-member teams are required to prepare a factum and oral argument for two fictitious parties defending their position before an international body. The moot is named after Charles Rousseau, one of the most eminent authors of post-war French doctrine on international law. The competition’s organizing committee is based in Brussels, however the international round of the competition may take place anywhere in Europe or Quebec.
Click here for more information on the Charles Rousseau Moot.
Not all competitive moots are offered every year due to budgetary constraints.
If you have questions, email Professor Anthony Daimsis at [email protected].
