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Julius Alexander Isaac Moot

January 30 - February 1, 2026 | Toronto, ON, Ontario Court of Appeal

Coaches: Rebekah Smith, Ratcliff LLP; Stuart Rush, KC.

UVic Law team: 

• Appellant Team: Zaria Channer, Niva Garg.
• Respondent Team: Qilat Roxas, Suzyana Gharib.
• Researcher: Kieran Crosby.

Moot theme/focus: Equity and diversity. 

Problem: Arguing whether the current definition of racial profiling is sufficient.

Results: Respondent Team finished 5th place. Top Adovocate Nomination: Qilat Roxas.

"In addition to the usual learning afforded by moots (legal research, writing, and oral advocacy), this moot offers students the unique opportunity to engage and present novel legal arguments based on Critical Race Theory principles. Students who participate in the Isaac Moot are encouraged to think beyond what the law is and think about what the law ought and needs to be to create a truly equitable society." - Rebekah Smith, coach. 

BC Law Schools Competitive Moot

February 7, 2026 | Kamloops, BC

Supported by the Continuing Legal Education Society of BC (CLEBC)

Coaches: Sean Finn, Jones Emery LLP; J.A Pankiw-Petty, VPS Law Group; Jarrett Plonka, Ministry of the Attorney General; Avery Letkemann, VPS Law Group.

UVic Law team:

• Appellant team: Sadie Cameron Nicoll, Jude Sami.
• Respondent team: Matthew Napior, Patrick Vachon.
• Researcher: Lindsay Veenstra.

Moot theme/focus: Negligence and public nuisance law.

Problem: An appeal of a motion to strike in the case Toronto District School Board v. Meta Platforms Inc.

Results: Placed 2nd overall. Patrick Vachon won Best Oralist in Division 2, and Sadie Cameron Nicoll won Best Oralist in Division 3.

"The moot helped us build our oral and written advocacy skills and hone them in a competitive, fast-paced environment. We all learned the value of being flexible and adapting to changing circumstances while remaining calm, resilient and trusting our preparation and knowledge. For me, two moments that stood out were our final two practice runs, which we had the honour of doing in front of Justice Julie Gibson. Those two practices inspired a feeling of readiness for the competition and a realization of just how far we had come from our first practices in October. We are most proud of the effort we gave while representing UVic Law. We were extremely competitive with the eventual winners, UBC, and managed to deliver some of our best performances on the day of the competition." - Patrick Vachon.

Willms & Shier Environmental Law Moot

February 14, 2026 | Toronto, ON, Federal Court

Coaches: Caitin Ohama-Darcus, Lawson Lundell LLP; David Wu, Arvay Finlay LLP.

UVic Law team: Ariane Lecompte, Will Oxtoby, Craig Nix.

Moot theme/focus: Environmental law.

Problem: The mooters appealed the decision of R. v. Consolidated Homes Ltd., which concerned the conviction of a developer that damaged endangered turtle habitat.

Results: Placed 2nd overall. Will Oxtoby received a distinguished oralist award.

"The UVic team presented arguments for both sides in the case of R v Consolidated Homes Ltd. The central issue in the case was whether a particular area, damaged by the accused corporation, was habitat pursuant to Ontario’s Endangered Species Act. By writing a factum and making oral submissions, the team practiced and improved foundational litigation skills focused on compelling advocacy. Team members also got hands-on experience working with other legal professionals and students in a collaborative environment. The team was surprised by how quickly they improved in their oral advocacy. Once they were able to improve their talking speed and simplify their arguments, the overall quality of their submissions increased significantly. The team is incredibly proud of their second place finish at the moot. They were also humbled and excited by the opportunity to give submissions in front of Justice Rowe and Justice Stratas." - David Wu and Ariane LeCompte. 

Western Canada (MacIntyre Cup) Mock Trial Competition and Sopinka Cup

February 13 - 14 | Kamloops, BC, Kamloops Supreme Court

March 13 - 14 | Ottawa, ON, Ottawa Superior Court of Justice

Supported by Trial Lawyers Association of BC

Coaches: Rebecca Watmough, Crown Counsel; Kevin Hille, Olthuis Kleer Townshend LLP; and Schuyler Roy, Claus Drury Roy.

UVic Law team: Morgan Meikle, Mitch Koch, Elyse Kim, Luka Maletic, Taylor Workman.

Moot theme/focus: Criminal trial advocacy. 

Problem: The UVic team ran a full mock criminal jury trial in the first round of the competition (MacIntyre Cup) as Crown Counsel and in the second round (Sopinka Cup) as defence counsel.

Results: 1st place in the Western Canada MacIntyre Cup Trial Competition; Morgan Meikle was awarded best opening in the Western Canada MacIntyre Cup Trial Competition; Qualified for the Sopinka Cup.

"Through the MacIntyre Moot we had the opportunity to learn trial advocacy skills by running our own full trials. There was a steep learning curve, especially in regard to responding on our feet to witness evidence. But through practice, the opportunity to run full trials in the Victoria courthouse, and the generous feedback of both practitioners and members of the bench, we are now comfortable and confident running trials independently. This moot enabled us to develop a valuable set of practical skills and has left us feeling prepared to take on litigation roles after law school. This year, the team represented the Crown in Kamloops and won the MacIntyre Moot. Morgan Meikle was also awarded best opening statement. The team then advanced to the national Sopinka Cup in Ottawa. There the team was challenged to argue for the Defense on the same facts and had the opportunity to tour the Supreme Court of Canada with the Honourable Justice Côté. We are proud to have won the MacIntyre and to have represented UVic nationally. This moot was such a rewarding experience and a highlight of our law school experience!" - Morgan Meikle, Mitch Koch, Elyse Kim, Luka Maletic, and Taylor Workman. 

Harold G. Fox IP Moot

February 20-21, 2026 | Toronto, ON, Federal Court

Coaches: Professor Robert Howell; Michael Lawless, Office of the Attorney General BC; and Clint Lee, Nexus Intellectual Property Law. 

UVic Law team: 

• Appellants: Zoe Lau, Diya Arora.
• Respondents: Manisha Mann, Anthony Carteri. 

Moot theme/focus: Canadian intellectual property.

Problem: The Canadian patent infringement–impeachment case of Avalon Peninsula Instruments Corp. v. Whistler Audio Ventures Inc.

"Our UVic teams performed very well in a highly competitive environment in the three initial rounds. The University of Manitoba took the Harold G. Fox Cup as the winning team. The judges for the competition are drawn primarily from the Federal Court and Ontario Courts, but with some from other provinces and supplemented with specialist IP practitioners from major firms. The competition commenced with a luncheon and the keynote lecture, “From Complexity to Clarity: Bridging the Knowledge Gap in IP Litigation" delivered by The Honourable Marianne Rivoalen, Chief Justice of Manitoba. We were also assisted by Karen MacDonald from Cassels, Brock& Blackwell, LLP who provided coaching over a Friday evening and Saturday morning shortly before the competition. Participation in the Fox IP Moot presents a splendid experience for students. We enter this competition every second year, alternating with the Tax Moot." - Professor Robert Howell. 

Gale Cup Moot

February 27-28, 2026 | Toronto, ON, Ontario Court of Justice and Ontario Court of Appeal

Supported by Borden Ladner Gervais LLP

Coaches: Robert J.C. Deane, KC, Borden Ladner Gervais LLP; Rick Williams, Borden Ladner Gervais LLP; Lesley Ruzicka, KC, Crown Counsel, BC Prosecution Service.

UVic Law team: 

• Appellant Team: Julia Albert, Amelia Perry.
• Respondent Team: Branden Hunter, Alim Ismail.
• Researcher: Katie Delay.

Moot theme/focus: Criminal law.

Problem: Mooters represented the appellant and the respondent on appeal from the Supreme Court of Canada’s judgment in R. v. I.M., 2025 SCC 23 respecting adult sentencing of minors.

Results: Placed 3rd; best factum. 

"Ultimately, the UVic Gale Cup Moot team learned the value of dedicated teamwork. In preparing our factums, oral submissions, and in practicing our oral advocacy - the high level of collaboration and feedback from both coaches and peers bolstered our performance ten-fold. The Gale Cup serves to reflect the challenges and joys of being an appellate level lawyer. Our team learned from the ground up not only how to be a persuasive appellate advocate, but also the technical skills of factum writing, structured legal research, the process behind tackling a complex legal issue and efficient time management. We also got to experience first hand the dedication, kindness and passion of the legal community beyond UVic Law. We met justices, coaches and organizers from across the country that volunteered their time and expertise to give us this valuable learning opportunity, and are inspired to carry not only that knowledge, but also that sense of generosity into our future studies and careers."

Canadian Client Consultation Competition

March 7-8, 2026 | Victoria, BC, ̽��ϵ��

Coaches: Roberto Alberto, Alberto Law; Sheila Simpson, Crown Counsel; Nicholas Picard, Breakwater Law.

UVic team: 

• Appellant Team: Eli Mallin, Sheena Sneddon. 
• Respondent Team: Kate Garland, Dinah Leon.
• Researcher: Skylar Bobryk.

Moot theme/focus: Use of land.

Problem: How the use of land is impacted by tenancy rights, estreatments and municipal zoning.

Results: Eli Mallin and Sheena Sneddon advanced to semi finals, placing 5th.

"This year, the CCCC selected a theme that was extremely broad and covered many different areas of law. The teams spent many hours researching this area, aided by the invaluable Skylar Bobryk. By the time of the competition both teams were well versed in the many legal areas of “use land” and were able to impress the judges with their knowledge. The judges for Kate and Dinah commented on how their friendly demeanor eased the clients and provided for an excellent client rapport. The judges for Eli and Sheena commented on how they were able to provide solutions to their clients, leaving them with a clear path when the interview ended. The teams’ coaches are very proud of how the teams performed during the competition including how they centered their practice on their clients’ needs." - Sheila Simpson, coach. 

Kawaskimhon National Aboriginal Moot

March 13-14, 2026 | Windsor, ON, University of Windsor

Coach: Chelsea H. Cameron; Rana Law.

UVic Law team: Katie Hooper, Jed Weiss, Sean Vriesen. 

Moot theme/focus: A consensus-based, non-adversarial moot that incorporates Indigenous legal traditions alongside federal, provincial and international law, and concepts of dispute resolution.

Problem: Determine how the Crown can meet its constitutional obligations to First Nations while aiming to accelerate major projects under the Building Canada Act.

Results: UVic received 1 of 4 recognition awards for exceptional active listening and respectful engagement during negotiations. 

"The Kawaskimhon Moot challenged students to engage with complex constitutional and governance issues through a collaborative, consensus-based negotiation process. UVic explored how Indigenous legal orders, Canadian constitutional law, and policy considerations intersect in the context of major infrastructure development. Representing the BC Coastal First Nations Alliance required the team to think carefully about how meaningful consultation must operate in practice, particularly where projects pose significant risk of adverse outcomes for Indigenous lands, waters, and stewardship responsibilities. The moot challenged students to balance strong advocacy for client interests while remaining open to collaboration and consensus with other parties. The experience highlighted the importance of relationship-building, respectful dialogue, and active listening. Our team was particularly proud to receive recognition for demonstrating strong listening and respectful engagement during the negotiations." - Chelsea H. Cameron, coach.