On Feb. 1 and 2, the St. Thomas University Moot Court team travelled to participate in the annual University of Toronto Mooting Cup.
Out of 32 teams, STU mooters Ellie Namit and Nicholas Reis earned a place in the semifinals, earning a top-four finish in the tournament.
“We were not expecting it,” said Namit. “We knew that we did well, but because there were a lot of other really good teams there, we weren’t sure whether we were going to make it into day two.”
STU also sent other students to Toronto. Sunaa Hansen, Jhami Lee Charles, Ada Carr and Emma Peters also participated in the event but did not advance to the second day.
The core issue of the debate for Namit and Reis was whether the government should be liable for damages resulting from enacting unconstitutional laws.
Reis said preparing for a constitutional law case was challenging since his area of knowledge focuses on criminal law.
“It was a lot more complicated for anyone who doesn’t have a really strong background in constitutional law, which most undergraduates don’t have,” said Namit.
The case was assigned to them in December, which left them with two months for research, study and the corresponding skills to deliver their best in front of the judges. Reis said he “wished we had more time,” to prepare for the competition.
“But we didn’t need it,” he said.
STU’s Moot Court Program is a credited course that gives students the opportunity to act as legal counsel in fictitious cases. STU is the only undergraduate school to compete in international competitions against law students through the program.
Namit and Reis were very confident in their abilities due to the balance they both could find in their dynamic.
While Namit focused more on the strong constitutional law because it fit their style of debate, Reis excelled in delivering emotional and persuasive arguments that convinced the audience.
“We just made sure that I had the more analytical stuff and he had the more emotional, but still very law-heavy stuff,” said Namit.
Reis and Namit agreed that participating in STU’s moot court has greatly benefited their professional development and the skill set they will need later in their careers.
“I think if you aren’t an especially competitive person, you’ll learn to be when you get into this competition,” said Namit.
Reis said that Moot Court is demanding. It requires students to master their communication skills under pressure.
They have to be clear, concise and persuasive while backing up their arguments with research and facts.
“I was terrified of public speaking before going into Moot Court,” said Namit. “I think public speaking is one of my favourite things to do now.”
Both STU mooters are happy and proud of what they have accomplished so far.
“It’s the furthest either of us have gotten in a competition,” Namit said. “It was really nice to bring home an award.”
