LASKIN MOOT

The Laskin Moot is a national competition in Canadian administrative and constitutional law, founded in 1985-86 named in honour of former Chief Justice Bora Laskin. The moot is bilingual: each team's presentation must include the use of both English and French. The team has four students, though a fifth is sometimes added as researcher. It is not necessary that all members of the team be able to speak French, but it is an advantage to understand some French even if a particular team member is mooting in English.  At least one team member must present his or her oral argument in French and write the corresponding part of the factum in that language.  Simultaneous translation is possible for the benefit of unilingual mooters.

The problem is set each year by a scholar of administrative and/or constitutional law and concerns a subject of timely interest in these fields, within the jurisdiction of the Federal Court of Canada. The problem is made available in October and students begin research immediately. The moot itself is held late in February or early March following delivery of the appellant's factum in late January and the respondent's factum by the middle of February. The moot in 2010 will be in Montreal.  In 2008-09, the UBC team was generously sponsored by McCarthy Tétrault and the faculty advisors were Professor Emeritus Bill Black and Professor Mary Liston.