Managing Editor Birnavan speaks to Laurier Moot Court about the building blocks to success.
How can you build a strong culture that carries forward and creates competitors better than the ones who came before? One Laurier club has the answers.
Laurier Moot Court (LMC) has found nationwide success as a mooting program despite being without a connection to a law program. They have won major competitions across Canada; including the Osgoode Cup, McGill Invitational, Battle of Waterloo, and Gryphons Cup.
But the external decorations do not provide nuance into the club’s humble beginnings. Established in 2016, LMC started as a group which branched off from Laurier Pre-Law Society (LPLS), pioneered by around ten members.
At the heart of those early years was Professor Jeff Boich, a legal studies professor at Laurier. “I’ve been involved as a coach and mentor, but Laurier Moot has always been student-led,” Boich said. “I was part of a chapter at LMC, but Jeff is the book,” Avery Wilson, former President of LMC, said.
The club’s first president, Emily Rezkalla, left behind a binder filled with materials and advice for her successor, Emma Borho, a symbol of the culture LMC has sustained ever since: each generation standing on the shoulders of the one before.
But passing down information is more than just echoing the same sentiments, it’s about progressing them further. “There are two accomplishments I am proud of from my exec team. When Carleton stopped running their competition, we saw an opportunity to revive the vision of hosting Laurier’s own intercollegiate moot, Hawk’s Cup. The second was hiring more first-years than upper-years. Sussex students typically left in third year, and senior students often had stronger portfolios, but I believed continuity mattered more,” Wilson said.
This advancement planted the seed that sprouted strong competitors, such as Rehana Lalani, now a JD/MBA candidate at the University of Toronto. Having joined in her first year, Hawks Cup convinced her this was more than extracurricular.
Soon after, she and Jonathan Kagal, fourth year political science major, captured the Osgoode Cup, Canada’s largest undergraduate moot. “It was my last moot ever, so I just went hard,” Lalani said. “To close out undergrad with a win like that gave me the confidence to keep pursuing mooting in law school.”
But the prospect of winning trophies alone doesn’t explain why students keep coming back. What makes Laurier Moot unique, members argue, is its culture, one rooted in mentorship and a sense of belonging.
For Caroline Lefaive, now in her fourth year of political science and with LMC, the draw has never been about results. Despite setbacks, she has remained one of the club’s most committed members. Her first impression came when Avery Wilson encouraged her to apply. “She gave me a tour of the university, which she didn’t have to do, and as I was leaving she goes, ‘I’ll be reading your application tomorrow, right?” Lefaive recalled. “I really had somebody who wanted me to be in the club and believed in me. I’m so happy I joined.”
That supportive spirit is also baked into LMC’s tryout system. Candidates are asked to argue a topic they’re passionate about, rather than a complex law. “It makes it easier to argue and easier for us to see their potential,” Caroline explained.
Ashok Jeyakumaran, third year political science major, who joined last year, defended why Formula One driver Max Verstappen deserved to win the 2021 World Championship. “I was kind of unsure about the questions they might throw at me,” he said. “But Jack Newby, who was president at the time, knew F1 very well and shot a straight question at me. It gave me a good sense of my ability to answer on the spot, which I went on to apply in moot competitions.”
Jeyakumaran went on to reach the semifinals of Hawks Cup in his first competition, while Huzaifa Safri, second year BBA major, who joined as a first-year student, was recognized as a distinguished oralist. Both say the camaraderie led to early success. “It’s a family you can’t leave behind because it sticks with you.” Safri said.
That family spirit extends beyond the courtroom. For years, one tradition has been the club’s “Phil’s nights,” casual outings to a popular Waterloo bar. “I don’t really know how it started, but it just stuck,” Newby said with a laugh. “It’s a cheap bar, the music’s decent, and you’re surrounded by a big group of people you really like. That’s what made it special.”
All these stories funnel back to Jonathan Yoni Kagal, who is now the face of the program, and, by many accounts, the best advocate Laurier has ever produced, but he frames his role differently:
“Legacy is continuing that basic contract, the idea that anybody who comes into the club who honestly contributes and works hard can take away something they wouldn’t have if they hadn’t joined.”
From the professor who stayed late in classrooms to coach the first competitors, to the alum who carried her passion into law school, to the current president who embodies both excellence and mentorship, Laurier Moot Court has built more than a record of wins. It has built a legacy.
Disclaimer: I had the privilege of competing in both Hawk’s Cup and Battle of Waterloo, and I plan to participate in this year’s Hawk’s Cup as a general member. I am not involved in the club’s decision-making. To keep up with Laurier Moot Court, follow them on Instagram at @lauriermootcourt.
Contributed Photo/ Laurier Moot Court Club
