OTLA Cup: Oh What a Feeling!
I do not miss being a law student. The exams. The assignments. The readings. Ick. No thanks.
But now that I’m back at Law School, not as a student, but as a moot competition coach, I’ve got to say the whole experience is way better.
Could this be because I get to make the students do all of the work, while I sit back and “constructively” criticize? Probably.
But more likely, it’s because I get to coach a team of four very bright and hard-working Lakehead Law students towards their goal of inter-stellar Ontario Trial Lawyers Association (OTLA) Cup domination. Or at the very least participation.
The OTLA Cup is a mock-trial style moot competition, where the fact pattern is based on a personal injury matter. Law students from across Ontario gather for this one day event, where they will make opening and closing statements, conduct direct and cross-examinations, and with any luck, have a judge yell at them for the first time.
This year’s students have been working overtime, crafting and recrafting their opening and closing and perfecting their direct and cross.
So, when you’re blown away by the performance delivered by Lakehead Law school at the OTLA Cup, just remember that it was the lawyers at White Macgillivray Lester who honed and shaped these brilliant young advocates. Ok, maybe we just honed. Alright fine, the students did the honing but we did watch. Most of the time. And we worked the timer! Don’t forget about the timer! Oh just forget it.
Good luck to Ryan, Amber, April, and Gillian.
Signed, Coach Dan and Coach Jeff
The OTLA Cup takes place Saturday March 4, 2017 in Toronto. White Macgillivray Lester LLP provided coaches and sponsorship for the Bora Laskin Faculty of Law (Lakehead Law) team.
