USask Law celebrates outstanding performances at national moots
The University of Saskatchewan (USask) College of Law is proud of how its students represented the college during the 2026 moot season.
Western Canada Trial Competition (MacIntyre Cup) and Sopinka Cup
USask Law had an impressive third place finish at the Western Canada Trial Competition (MacIntyre Cup) held in Toronto on Feb. 13 and 14.
The team consists of Alaina Weltz, Joi Ines, Robbie Lee-Phillipson, and Priya Braithwaite, and is coached by Shelby Fitzgerald.
The team also earned two individual awards at the competition:
- Best Direct Examination: Joi Ines
- Best Closing Argument: Priya Braithwaite
The successful finish at the MacIntyre Cup secured the team a place at the Sopinka Cup in Ottawa in March, where they again achieved a third-place result.
The Sopinka Cup features top law student advocates from across Canada who advance from regional competitions. Earning a podium finish at the national level is a significant honour for USask Law.
Special congratulations to Joi Ines, who received the award for Best Opening Statement, in recognition of outstanding advocacy.
USask Law is grateful to Coach Shelby Fitzgerald for her dedication and leadership, and to the Saskatchewan Trial Lawyers Association for its continued support.
Environmental
The USask Law Environmental Moot team did an incredible job representing the college at the Willms and Shier Environmental Law Moot held in Toronto Feb. 14.
Michael Bergen, Kaelan Leslie, and Connor Bradley were each excellent in the preliminary rounds, reported team coach Leah Howie. Congratulations to Michael Bergen who received a Distinguished Oralist Award.
A special thank you to Coach Howie for her leadership, and to the many practitioners, former mooters, and faculty members who supported the team throughout its preparation.
Jessup
The USask Law Jessup team competed in Ottawa from Feb. 19 to 21 at the Canadian National Rounds of the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition, which drew 12 teams from across the country for three days of competition.
This year’s team was composed of Kaitlin Wabick and Natalie Ofukany (Applicant team) and Quan Tang and Amit Bansal (Respondent team). They were coached by Azubike Onuora-Oguno.
The team “showed deep knowledge of international law and professional astuteness in the face of rigorous drilling by the well-grounded judges,” Coach Onuora-Oguno reported.
He recognized team members for their hard work while preparing for and competing in the moot and thanked everyone who provided insight and direction during preparations. Thanks as well to College of Law Alumna and donor Gerda Bloemraad (LLB'93) for her generous support of this team.
National Family Law Negotiation
USask Law delivered an outstanding performance from Feb. 26 to 28 at the National Family Law Negotiation Competition. Over several challenging and exciting days, the team engaged in thoughtful negotiations, developed creative and practical solutions and had the opportunity to learn alongside exceptional students and judges from across the country.
The team of Taylor Ernst, Isabella Veresh, Jenna Ernst, and Brock Wourms Rowe were coached by Michaela Keet, Gisele Dumonceaux, Kane Fritzler and Joanne Khan.
Jenna Ernst and Brock Wourms Rowe tied for runner-up for their representation plan and earned a third-place overall finish.
The team is grateful to the alumni, lawyers and classmates who dedicated their time to practice rounds and provided invaluable feedback and support as they prepared for competition.
Gale Cup
The USask Law team competed in Toronto at the 53rd annual Gale Cup Moot on Feb. 27 and 28. This long-standing bilingual moot court competition focuses on criminal and constitutional law.
This year's team was Veronica Dirk-Pothier, Grace Semko, Summer Baier, and Lucas Brown. They were coached by Thomas Hynes and Zachary Carter.
Each team member delivered well-reasoned and engaging oral arguments before panels of guest judges on the case of R. v. I.M. and issues related to the youth criminal sentencing regime.
"We had a wonderful time coaching the team this past year and are particularly thankful to all the guest judges who helped prepare the team for the competition," shared Coach Hynes and Coach Carter.
Laskin
Brad Heskin, Nolan Schauerte, Sarah Hoag, and Skyler Gagne represented USask Law at the national Laskin Moot Court Competition on Feb. 28 and March 1. The Laskin is a bilingual moot where students from across Canada compete in written and oral advocacy in both French and in English.
Coached by Audrey Sembalerus, the teams each mooted twice during their time in Toronto. Sarah and Skyler represented the appellants while Brad and Nolan represented the respondents in the moot problem.
We are especially proud of Brad Heskin, who was named among the Top 5 oralists at the event.
The team thanks the many lawyers, judges, and advocacy experts who supported them in their preparation for the competition.
Bowman National Tax Moot
The team of Angad Grewal, Janice Dutchak, Janay Kent, and Jaylyn Kim represented USask Law at the 16th annual Donald G.H. Bowman National Tax Moot on March 6 and 7 in Toronto.
The team competed in a total of four rounds against 15 other schools. Angad and Janice represented the Appellant, while Janay and Jaylyn represented the Respondent. After several months of researching the complex problem and preparing to present in front of outstanding judges, the team felt fully equipped to present its submissions.
From the team: “We could not have accomplished this incredible achievement without our coaches Mallory Maloof and Nicholas Horlick! Their unique insight, guidance, and support are unmatched by any other.”
Davies Corporate Securities Moot
The USask Davies moot team competed in the 35th Annual Davies Corporate Securities Law moot at the federal court in Toronto on March 6 and 7.
This moot requires competitors to advocate for both the appellant and the respondent. With only two months to prepare for the moot, the team competed in a total of four rounds against 14 other Canadian schools.
Team members are: Hannah Wark, Syed Ali Abbas, Saman Chughtai, and Ethan Lin. They are coached by Caroline J. Smith.
From the team: “Thanks to everyone that supported and helped us prepare for the competition! A huge thank you to our coach, Caroline Smith (JD’12). We appreciated the feedback, securities knowledge, and guidance throughout the process.”
USask Law is grateful to Burnet, Duckworth & Palmer LLP for its sponsorship of this team.
Kawaskimhon National Aboriginal Moot
Kiauna Cote, Kiera Munroe, and Jaylynn Stonechild did an excellent job representing USask Law at the Kawaskimhon National Aboriginal Moot Competition held in Windsor March 13 and 14.
Coached by David Werner, the team described the experience as incredibly meaningful. The competition offered a valuable opportunity to engage with complex legal issues involving Indigenous rights, sovereignty, consultation, and consent in the context of major development projects.
A highlight for the team was successfully advancing its proposed amendment during negotiations. Their advocacy demonstrated a commitment to protecting Indigenous rights and ensuring that development decisions consider the well-being of the next seven generations.
The team was grateful for the many new connections made at the event and expressed sincere thanks to Coach David for his teachings and support.
Canadian National Negotiation Competition
USask Law had a successful weekend at the Canadian National Negotiation Competition (CNNC) in Montreal on March 13 and 14.
Congratulations to teams Stephanie Chelack and Allan Yaskowich, and Alexander Woitas and Connor Kimpinski, who competed against 18 teams from law schools across the country. We are especially proud of Alexander Woitas and Connor Kimpinski, who received the Best Process Management Award. Both teams were coached by Katie Newman.
There is also a French competition at the CNNC. Félicitations to Jacey Mitchell and Luther Harkley, who took part in three rounds of negotiation with French‑speaking teams. They competed with support from our French Common Law Option (CCLF) program and AJEFS (l'Association des juristes d'expression française de la Saskatchewan). They were coached by Éric Turcotte.
“Thank you to all the lawyers, many alumni of the team and students who helped the CNNC team prepare for this competition,” shared coaches Katie Newman and Eric Turcotte.
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