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March 12 2009
Fraser Milner Casgrain LLP (FMC), one of Canada’s leading business and litigation law firms, announced today that a team of law students from University of Calgary has won top honours at the 2009 FMC Gale Cup Moot, Canada’s premier bilingual mooting competition held on February 20 and 21, 2009 at historic Osgoode Hall, the seat of Court of Appeal for Ontario. This is the first time University of Calgary has received top honours for the competition.  The winning team will advance to the Commonwealth Moot being held in Hong Kong in April 2009. 

The University of Calgary students beat out seventeen other Canadian law school teams by arguing their "moot" – or hypothetical case – before a panel of judges from across the country.

"Every year, the Gale Cup Moot attracts the best that Canada’s law schools have to offer.  This year was no exception," says Chris Pinnington, Managing Partner of FMC’s Toronto office. "Law students from across the country continue to display the rigour, intelligence and creativity we’ve come to expect from them through their application of the law in each year’s moot.  FMC is proud to recognize the efforts of these exceptional students."

Following preliminary rounds on Friday, February 20 and Saturday, February 21, the four top-scoring law schools presented their cases before the panel of judges. Second place went to Osgoode Hall Law School, followed by University of British Columbia in third place and University of New Brunswick in fourth place.

"The Gale Cup Moot provides prospective lawyers with an opportunity to apply their legal expertise in a high pressure setting," says Frank Bowman, Partner, FMC Toronto. "I am always impressed with participants’ ability to rise to the occasion. We are proud that University of Calgary will be representing Canada in Hong Kong."

FMC has been the major law firm sponsor of the Gale Cup Moot since 2004. The competition is named in honour of former Chief Justice George Gale, and is open to every law faculty in Canada. The moot aims to encourage excellence in oral advocacy by providing Canadian law students with a forum simulating a real appellate court experience. In recent years, almost all of Canada’s 21 law faculties have sent teams to the FMC-sponsored competition. Winners of the Gale Cup go on to participate on behalf of Canada in the Commonwealth Moot Competition, held every two to three years and sponsored by national bar associations from throughout the commonwealth, including the Canadian Bar Association.

For more information, contact:

Jennifer Dales
Fraser Milner Casgrain LLP
 416-862-3405     
jennifer.dales@fmc-law.com

Scott Mac Donald
Maverick Public Relations Inc.
 (416) 640-5525 , ext. 244
scottm@maverickpr.com