Competitive Mooting

On this page:
Program Overview
Objectives
Program
Structure & Support
Selection Criteria: Competitive Mooting
Expectations
Funding & Special Notes
Contact

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

The Mooting Program at McGill University’s Faculty of Law is designed to bridge the gap between theoretical legal studies and practical lawyering skills. It is an integral part of the Clinical Legal Education curriculum and encompasses both competitive and non-competitive mooting activities.

The program aims to provide students with opportunities to develop their advocacy skills, legal research capabilities, and courtroom etiquette by simulating real-world legal proceedings such as mock trials and appellate arguments.

Students are provided with opportunities to cultivate these skills starting in 1L, through various courses including the Integration Workshop (in 1L) and Advocacy (in 2L), as well as some external opportunities. Starting in their third year, selected students may represent the Faculty at Canadian and international mooting competitions. Competitive mooting is demanding, but exciting and rewarding, offering students the chance to develop advocacy skills and present a case before experienced judges.

OBJECTIVES

The Mooting Program aids Law students in the pursuit of several pedagogical objectives, including the following: 

• Development of legal research proficiency: Fosters the ability to conduct thorough and efficient legal research in various areas of the law and across legal traditions. 
• Strengthen analytical thinking: Enhances critical and analytical thinking through the application of legal principles to complex factual scenarios. 
• Enhancement of  advocacy skills: Improves students’ ability to present oral arguments and written submissions persuasively. 
• Improvement of skills in public speaking: Builds confidence and competence in public speaking. 
• Cultivating professionalism: Instill professional behaviour, including courtroom etiquette, ethical considerations, and adherence to procedural rules, as well as the ability to work in teams. 

Program Opportunities 

The Mooting program consists of various course-based or non-course opportunities. 

Course-based Opportunities 

1L Integration Workshop (LAWG 110)  

Integration Workshop (LAWG 110D1/D2), a full-year mandatory course, provides an introduction to law and legal studies that complements the other first-year courses using transversal and integrative approaches, , and is the very first exposure of students to advocacy and mooting is in their first-year. Beyond the substantive content, it is structured to provide students with opportunities to cultivate advocacy skills starting in their first year. 

• Current Instructor: Prof. Rosalie Jukier

• Term: Full-Year (Fall & Winter) 

• Current Course Description: The workshop aims to help students practice and reflect on different methods of legal research, analysis, and writing. Through plenary lectures and small group sessions led by upper-year Tutorial Leaders, students will learn about various forms and styles of legal reasoning and writing across multiple legal traditions, disciplines, and perspectives. By practicing legal writing through assignments like a case brief, legal memorandum, and factum, students will start developing their own analytical and writing styles as future legal professionals. They will also learn how to consider legal traditions, context, audience, objectives, strategy, and problem-solving in their writing.
   
  By practicing legal writing through assignments like a case brief, legal memorandum, and factum, students will start developing their own analytical and writing styles as future legal professionals. They will also learn how to consider legal traditions, context, audience, objectives, strategy, and problem-solving in their writing. 

• Current Method of Evaluation (MOE): The course is evaluated on a Pass/Fail basis. Students are required to complete three written assignments (a case brief, a legal memo, and a factum) in addition to participating in other in-class exercises.

• 𝗟𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘇𝗻𝗲𝗿 𝗦𝗹𝗮𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝘇𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗢𝘂𝘁𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗟𝗲𝗴𝗮𝗹 𝗪𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴, which recognizes the students who submit the best legal memos in our 1L Integration Workshop course.

The details of the course may vary depending on the year and instructor.

2L Advocacy Course (PRAC 200) 

The purpose of Advocacy, a mandatory second-year course, is to introduce students to legal advocacy, both oral and written, and to give them an opportunity to practice their legal advocacy skills in a range of settings.

The course typically begins with a short introduction on the nature and purpose of legal advocacy, after which it explores some of its most frequent expressions in civil and commercial litigation: demand letters, statements of claim, mediation sessions, and oral advocacy before a trial court or tribunal.

This course is taught over eight weeks in the Fall alternates between plenary lectures (4) and small tutorial groups (4). Each tutorial section is led by an upper-year tutorial leader (“TL”). The sections meet in person at different times of the week.

While the course details may vary depending on the year and instructor, they are currently as follows: 

• Current Instructor: M^e Bogdan-Alexandru (Alex) Dobrota (Woods LLP) 

• Term: Fall

Objectives: By the end of the course, students should be able to:  

• Explain the nature, purpose, and forms of legal advocacy;  

• Critically reflect on what makes a good advocate;  

• Identify relevant information to communicate effectively as an advocate; and 

• Present that information persuasively in different contexts, both orally and in writing.  

• Format: This course is taught over eight weeks in the Fall. It alternates between plenary lectures (4) and small tutorial groups (4). Each tutorial section is led by an upper-year tutorial leader (“TL”). The sections meet in person at different times of the week. Students are expected to attend each one of the four tutorial sessions and to prepare adequately by doing the preliminary work that has been assigned. 

• Evaluation: The course is evaluated on a Pass/Fail basis. To pass, students must successfully complete both the attendance and coursework requirements. Attendance and coursework will be assessed in a proportion of 50 % - 50 %, as follows: 

1. Attendance Requirement: Students must miss no more than one and a half (1.5) hours of tutorial sessions, unless absences are excused. Students who miss more than 1.5 hours are asked to complete a supplemental written assignment.  

2.  Coursework Requirement: There are four assignments, all evaluated on a Pass/Fail basis. To pass the coursework requirement (and the course), students must pass each assignment. Students who fail one of the assignments are asked to complete a supplemental written assignment. 

Competitive Moot Program Try-Outs in Advocacy

Since the 2024-2025 academic year, results of the Advocacy course pleading exercise take the place of mooting try-outs, the score of which is used as a selection criteria for the Competitive Mooting Program.

More specifically, students prepare a short oral pleading based on a fact pattern provided by the instructor, and then plead before a judge (often a practitioner or a teaching member of the Faculty of Law). Each student receives a grade out of 20, which they is included as part of their application to the Competitive Mooting Program.

Spirit of the Moot Award  (Woods LLP) 

The top two performing students from each group are selected for the Spirit of the Moot Award. While this award does not guarantee a spot in the Competitive Mooting Program, it does provide a significant advantage in the selection process. This award and its consideration as part of the competitive moot selection process also helps offset any differences between judges’ grading standards in the context of the Advocacy pleading exercise.

Upper-Year Courses (PROC 459 – Civil Litigation Workshop / PUB 420 – Trial Advocacy) 

Typically offered once a year by experienced practitioners to a limited number of students (in a seminar format), these two courses provide students with additional experience practicing their advocacy skills through mooting exercises, albeit not in a competitive context. 

• The Civil Litigation Workshop is a workshop on specialized problems in civil litigation and evidence, which involves preparing and managing a civil case, experiencing the conduct of discovery proceedings, producing the materials to be used at trial, and engaging in a mock trial experience, often before a judge of the Superior Court of Québec. This course may be of interest to students who are contemplating a litigation career, especially at first instance, as the course covers the phase of trial preparation which is typically not a part of competitive moots where most of the work focuses on legal arguments. 

• Trial Advocacy provides a similar experience, albeit often focused on criminal and statutory law, and on the specific phase of examinations and cross-examinations. The course aims to teach the basic techniques of examination of witnesses in the context of a series of simulated trials. The emphasis is on active participation and on practical exercises in the basic problem areas: the unfolding of the narrative; the use of suggestive questions and the aide-mémoire; cross-examination and contradiction with prior written and oral statements; the production of exhibits and documentary proof. 

The exact content and nature of these courses may vary from year to year, depending on the instructor. 

3L & 4L External Mooting Competitions (Competitive Mooting Program)  

The primary competitive mooting opportunities are available to students in their third and fourth year. Selection into the program is competitive (as discussed further below).  

Competitive moots are open to students who have completed two years of the program and who are interested in analyzing and researching complex legal problems, developing arguments and advocacy skills. A minimum CGPA of 2.7 is required, although most students who are selected will have a higher CGPA. 

Select moots have additional prerequisites: 

• For the Jessup International Law Moot: PUB2 105 Public International Law is required. 

• For the Kawaskimhon Aboriginal Moot: preference will be given to Indigenous students (please indicate this in your CV). If you are only interested in this moot, you need not try out, but you should submit a letter of intent c/o the SAO. 

• Julius Alexander Isaac Diversity Moot 

Participation in a competitive moot gives three credits during the Winter semester, although work may be required throughout the academic year. Students may request to register for the three (3) credits in the Fall semester by contacting the SAO. 

List of Moots 2025/2026

The Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition  (Prof. Frederic Megret & Marina Saporito JD)	Le Concours de plaidoirie Pierre-Basile  Mignault (Maître Camille Duguay & Maître Éliane Dupéré-Tremblay)
Davies Corporate/Securities Law Moot (Maître Graham Splawski & Maître Natalia Paunic)	Cup Guy- Guérin- The Sopinka Cup (Maître Philippe Knerr & Maître Claude Berlinguette-Auger)
Gale Cup Moot (Maître Clara Daviault & Maître Lauren Dahan)	Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot (Maître Claudette van Zyl & Maître Joshua Crowe)
Julius Alexander Isaac Diversity Moot (Maître Bianca Marcelin &  Maître Marie-Laure Saliah-Linteau)	Warren K. Winkler Class Action Moot (Maître Ariane Boyer & Maître Lex Gill)
Kawaskimhon National Aboriginal Moot (Maître Caroline Briand & Maître David Janzen)	Adam F. Fanaki Competition Law Moot (Maître Charles Dingley e & Maître Ines Bagaoui)
Laskin Moot (Maître Michelle Kellam &  Maître Amelia Couture)	Immigration, Refugees, Citizenship Law Moot (Maître Stéphane Duval & Maître Mariame Touré)
Concours Charles-Rousseau (Maître Dayeon Min and Yuri Alexander Romaña Rivas DCL candidate)	Oxford International Intellectual Property Law Moot (Maître Fortunat Nadima)
Le Concours de plaidoirie Michel Bastarache (Maître Marc Andre Roy & Maître Pierre Lermusieaux)	Wilson Moot (Maître Meaghan Daniel & Maître Molly Krishtalka)
Wilms & Shier Environmental Moot (Maître Erin Reimer & Maître Caroline Belair)	Canadian National Negotiation Competition (Maître Michael Luba & Maître Aleksander Godlewski )

The final list of updated offerings will be available on the SAO’s application form. 

Independent Moots 

Students may participate in mooting opportunities outside of the officially selected teams. No application is required, and students form their own teams, but these cannot be for moots where McGill sends an official team. Students must still meet the eligibility criteria. Students are responsible for recruiting coaches and funding expenses, potentially through fundraising and EEO. More information is provided annually after the official program moots are announced. 

Other Advocacy Opportunities 

While not formally integrated as part of our mooting program, other parts of the McGill curriculum or extra-curricular activities may provide further opportunities to develop advocacy skills. For instance, the following opportunities are open to all students: 

• The Centre for Human Rights and Legal Pluralism (CHRLP) offers summer internship opportunities, some of which involve a strong advocacy component. The internship is credited (3 credits) and is followed by a 3-credit, paper-based course. See https://www.mcgill.ca/humanrights/clinical/internships. 

• The Legal Information Clinic at McGill (LICM) offers both volunteer and credited advocacy opportunities, including the student advocacy program which allows law students to represent other students within the University’s disciplinary and academic processes. See https://licm.ca. 

• The Canadian National Negotiation Competition (CNNC) is a 1-credit mooting opportunity which is less competitive than others and is open to first-year students. See https://www.canadiannationalnegotiationcompetition.com. 

SELECTION CRITERIA: Competitive Mooting  

The SAO organizes an Information session each Winter, and determines the application deadline, which usually falls around February. The final selection is usually announced in April. 

Students apply through the form prepared by the SAO. They are individually given a score of 15 based on the following criteria: 

• CGPA 

• 2L Advocacy score  

• Academic experience (CV + Transcript) 

• Non-academic experience (CV) 

Students are ranked, and the number of students selected depends on the moots and the number of team members for each moot. 

Students who are selected from the ranking will be notified and asked to rank their moot preference. Based on their selection, students will be placed in teams.  

• For moots such as the Julius Isaac Diversity Moot and the Kawaskimhon Moot, priority is given to BIPOC students. 

• Some moots have prerequisite or co-requisite courses. An updated list can be found on the SAO MyCourses page . If selected, students may be asked to take co-requisite courses for their moot.

 

STRUCTURE & SUPPORT  

The different parts of the mooting program are structured as follows and benefit from the support of the following faculty, staff members, and alumni: 

• Integration Workshop, Advocacy Course, and Upper-Year Courses: 
  The Integration Workshop, the Advocacy course, and other advocacy-related courses are for-credit courses taught by professors or instructors. Currently, Prof. Rosalie Jukier is teaching the Integration Workshop and Mtre Bogdan-Alexandru (Alex) Dobrota is teaching the Advocacy course. 

• Competitive Mooting Program: 
  Competitive mooting falls under the category of for-credit, non-course elective programming.   
  Each moot is directly supported by coaches, who are practitioners and often alumni of our program. 4L students who participated in a moot during their 3L year are encouraged to return as mentors.  
  Some moots also benefit from the support of a dedicated faculty advisor. In 2025-2026, the faculty advisors were as follows: 

• Kawaskimhon Aboriginal moot: Prof. Kerry Sloan 

• Manfred Lachs: Prof. Andrea Harrington 

• Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot: Prof. Catherine Walsh 

The selection of participants, as well as the support provided to students, coaches, and faculty members involved, is coordinated collaboratively by the Competitive Mooting Program Advisor, Prof. Jérémy Boulanger-Bonnelly and members of the Student Affairs Office (SAO). The advisor also provides the following support: 

• Mentorship: While coaches serve as the primary source of mentorship in this program, and the Faculty Advisor's role is not to overrule decisions regarding pleading or factum preparation, he can provide additional advice as needed. 

• Feedback on Factums: Provide constructive feedback on factums in addition to the input from coaches, where teams and coaches believe that additional feedback is needed. 

• Pleading Feedback: Offer feedback at some practice sessions to help students improve their pleading skills, where teams and coaches believe that additional feedback is needed. 

• Resource Provision: Share resources via MyCourses to assist students in their preparation for moots (if you have ideas regarding which resources could be helpful to you and your teams, feel free to share your suggestions with the Faculty Advisor). 

• Conflict Resolution: Mediate any inter-team issues that may arise during the moot preparation process (without overstepping on the coaches’ role). 

FUNDING & SPECIAL NOTES

Participating in moots involves several expenses, including a participation fee (per team), as well as travel and accommodation expenses when moots are held outside of Montreal. While the Faculty endeavours to support all of its official mooting teams, it cannot guarantee that funding will cover all expenses, and students should expect to engage in fundraising efforts. 

Some dedicated funding has been established by the Faculty and generous donors to support the participation of students in mooting competitions: 

• Participation in the Concours Pierre-Basile-Mignault is funded, in part, by the Wainwright Committee. Universities take turns hosting this civil law-focused moot. When it is McGill’s turn to host, the Crépeau Centre leads the coordination efforts on behalf of the Faculty of Law. The Faculty will host the moot in 2027. 

• Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot is funded by [insert funding source here]. 

• The John G. Ahern, QC Memorial Mooting Fund was established in 1979 by the law firm Ahern, Nuss & Drymer, in memory of its distinguished founder (BCL 1918), who served as Bâtonnier of both the Bar of Montreal and the Bar of Quebec (1955–56) and was a highly respected advocate throughout his career. 

• The S. Leon Mendelsohn Mooting Fund was created by the partners of Mendelsohn in honour of their esteemed founder (BCL 1924). 

• The Richard and Hilda Golick Mooting Sponsorship, established in 1994 and funded by proceeds from the "Law and You" seminars, provides financial assistance to students participating in competitive mooting. 

• The McCarthy Tétrault Foundation made a donation to the Faculty in support of competitive mooting. 

• The Robinson Sheppard Shapiro 90th Anniversary Fund supports mooting competitions at the Faculty. 

FACULTY CONTACTS 

brittany.williams [at] mcgill.ca (Brittany Williams ), Assistant Dean & Deans Lead, Black & Indigenous Flourishing , New Chancellor Day Hall.

jeremy.boulanger-bonnelly [at] mcgill.ca (Prof. Jérémy Boulanger-Bonnelly), Assistant Professor & Faculty Advisor to the Competitive Mooting Program, New Chancellor Day Hall.

leyla.suleiman [at] mcgill.ca (Leyla Suleiman), Student Affairs Consultant & Competitive Mooting Program Coordinator, New Chancellor Day Hall.