TRU Law students excel at 2025 moot competitions (part two)
Thirty-nine TRU Law students participated in ten moot competitions in 2024–25. They were supported by 26 volunteer coaches from Abbotsford, Calgary, Hamilton, Kamloops, Sechelt, Vancouver and Victoria, with countless volunteers judging practice rounds.
Find the results of other moot competitions TRU has participated in, featured here in the first installment of this two-part series.
Immigration, Refugee and Citizenship Moot
Immigration, Refugee and Citizenship Moot team
TRU Law continued its strong showing at the Immigration, Refugee, and Citizenship Moot, held in Toronto from February 27 to March 1, achieving second place for the overall written factum. Team members included Lauren Da Silva, Mackenzie Do, Allan Hsu, Celina Lin and Sepideh Sadeghi.
The 2025 Immigration, Refugee, and Citizenship Moot focused on the lawfulness of the detention of a refugee who entered Canada using a non-genuine passport, had a criminal record and remained in the country despite facing a deportation order. Although detained, he was not deported. The questions focused on whether there was a requirement for detention to occur with an intention to subsequently deport the refugee and whether the detention was justified due to potential public safety concerns.
“Participating in the immigration moot was the most rewarding experience I had during law school,” said Do. Both Do and Lin recommended the moot to anyone who wanted to improve their writing and oral advocacy skills.
Coaches of the Immigration, Refugee and Citizenship Moot were David Knapp and Kevin Spykerman.
National Family Law Negotiation Competition
The National Family Law Moot team
Conducted online from February 27 to March 1, this competition featured two TRU teams: Evelyn Izsak and Isabella Balducci, and Armaghan Aliabadi and Pria Flanagan.
Izsak and Balducci’s team placed third overall, with Izsak ranking as the sixth-best negotiator.
This year’s National Family Law Negotiation Competition focused on interim parenting arrangements, child support and relocations in the context of marriage breakdown.
Coaches Amanda Winters and Sara Hilliard assisted.
Davies Corporate/Securities Moot
The Davies Moot team
The Davies Moot took place in Toronto from March 7–8. featuring team members Alexander Eves, Harveer Garcha, Christine Leung, Jivan Shokar and Annie Telfer.
The 2025 Davies Corporate/Securities Moot focused on a contractual dispute over a failed acquisition between a sports conglomerate and a secondary ticket market company.
Leung appreciated the challenging nature of preparation, while Garcha valued networking opportunities.
Coaches James Reid, Chelsea Hunter and Joe Ensom contributed to the team’s success.
The Davies Moot was sponsored by Poulus Enson Smith.
Kawaskimhon Moot
The Kawaskimhon Moot team
The Kawaskimhon Moot took place from March 7–8 in Thunder Bay, Ontario.
This year’s problem focused on the Indigenous governance of the Mackenzie River Basin, which is Canada’s second-largest water system. The moot focused on various Indigenous Nations within the Basin working towards an agreement to jointly manage water resources, address pollution and climate change impacts, and establish Indigenous-led decision-making and dispute resolution mechanisms.
Declan Rankin described it as a culturally immersive, networking-rich experience, while Pria Flanagan highlighted the collaborative nature of the Kawaskimhon Moot.
Coaches Murray Sholty and Chrystie Stewart led the team.
TRU Law is grateful for the support of the Sherman Jen Fund, the TRU Students Union and donors to the Lance Finch Memorial fund for making the travel to all of these moot competitions possible.