The McMaster Mooting Society’s impressive performance may sound like a traditional underdog story. However, the interdisciplinary team of McMaster undergraduate students say their record win of six national titles since 2020 is not down to dumb luck. It results from teamwork and countless hours of research and practice.
Mooting is a centuries-old practice of simulating a court hearing. Mooters present oral arguments regarding a real legal problem before a panel of experts. Law students keen to develop their skills and knowledge commonly use it as a learning tool, but anyone can take part.
Students Aivrey McKinley and Lesha Shah.
The opportunity to learn more about the court process is what first attracted McMaster Mooting Society’s co-founder and president, Lesha Shah, to the world of moot courts. Shah is entering her final year of McMaster’s political science program and is considering law school after graduation. In 2020, she and a friend entered the prestigious Osgoode Cup for the experience, but they also had fun.
“It was great,” said Shah. “But while we were there, we noticed that all the other participants were with school teams, so we started a McMaster team.”
They quickly found a group of interested McMaster students, but their situation improved when they convinced Osgoode Law student and paralegal Jen Lorestani to come out of coaching retirement to train them.
The opportunity to teach students who didn’t have a legal background intrigued Lorestani. She also loved the students’ enthusiasm.
“I originally only planned to stay on for one semester, but I’ve been here ever since,” said Lorestani. “I keep coming back because of the team’s overwhelming commitment and dedication to moot court.”
With the help of Lorestani and fellow coach Lawrence Eikenboom, the McMaster team has won several major undergraduate mooting competitions since its inception, including the Lions Cup, the Capital Cup and the Osgoode Cup. The Mooting Society is already optimistic about their chances for a repeat performance in the upcoming academic year.
Students Rebecca Tyli and Aivrey McKinley.
It is no small feat. Preparing for mooting competitions takes long hours. After reading the case file, the team brainstorms questions and tackles the issue from as many angles as possible.
“In undergraduate mooting, most students aren’t great off the bat. It takes a lot of practice to be that strong. I’ll tell you that the McMaster team was one of the few teams that have ever asked me for more sessions. They are so committed. They are so hungry for it. That’s what makes them so good,” said Lorestani.
The team is also excited to continue defying perceptions of mooting teams.
“What we hear most often is how surprised people are that McMaster has such a strong mooting team because we don’t have a law school,” added Shah.
“It’s fascinating because one of our strongest mooters was a health sciences student who went on to medical school. Mooting can interest students from all disciplines, and the skills you gain, like research and oral advocacy, are extremely transferrable.”