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MOOT TIMES

The Law
Student’s
Newspaper

VOL I MARCH 2009 No. 7

Moot Times are upon us!


U of C Students compete at this year’s Moots,
Moot Times special coverage pages 1-5

Gale Moot Glory at Osgoode Hall


BY Meghan Waters

“Read read read – moot moot moot – prep prep prep – moot more moot more moot more.”
– Alex Dutton, on how to succeed at the Gale Cup.

Be it resolved, that the University of Calgary rocks at debating.


A team from the U of C beat out 17 teams to claim top prize at the Gale Cup moot, held Feb. 20 to 22 in Toronto. It
was the first win ever for a U of C team.
“Our team really came together. Our coaches were amazing,” said Alex Dutton (3L).
“The topic was very technical and once we got our heads around it, it was really interesting.”
As the winners, teammates Dutton, Carol Crosson (2L), Christy Elliot (2L) and Jocelyn Stacey (2L) will represent
Canada at the Commonwealth Moot Competition in Hong Kong, from April 5 to 9.
Early in the fall, second- and third-year students applied to be a part of the Gale Cup team. After the four were
selected they started work on their facta in October.
“Given that deadlines were in January, we all worked through Christmas break,” said Elliot.
The mooting issue was an appeal of R. v. D.B., a 2008 Supreme Court decision concerning the constitutionality of
sections of the Youth Criminal Justice Act.
““It was a lot of work, but definitely worth it. I love constitutional law issues, so it was a great topic for me,” said
Elliot.
The coaches organized 10 full practice moots, including one before three sitting Court of Appeal Justices, Elliot
said.
At the Gale Cup, the team argued before judges from across the country, including the Honourable Justice Binnie
from the Supreme Court of Canada.
“Arguing at the real thing in Toronto was actually a lot of fun, it was not nearly as stressful as I expected,” said
Stacey.
“It was a great experience intellectually, it improved my
writing skills and definitely improved my oral advocacy skills.”
The team was coached to victory by Andrew Koeman (3L), In This Legal Issue
Abby Griener, from Vogel & Company and former U of C law stu-
dent and Jolaine Antonio, from the Alberta Justice Appeals Branch.
Moot Special page 1
The team is currently researching for the Commonwealth Murray Fraser Hall page 7
Moot. The mooting issue is about corruption and bribery and based Photographs page 8
on U.K. law.
“We are trying to move very quickly, because our outlines Bound to the Bar page 11
of arguments are due on March 23,” said Stacey. Work/Life Balance page 16
The Commonwealth Moot is a bit of an unknown for the U
of C team. Only held every two or three years, the team is preparing
What the Scott Hall !? back cover
for a more formal style of debate than at the Gale Cup.
“We’re all expecting the unexpected, but we’re all very
excited to be a part of it,” said Elliot.
A few years ago, participants were surprised to find out a last-minute change turned the competition into a nego-
tiation, Elliot said.
“I think it will be a great experience to compete with teams from around the world, and the team is really looking
forward to travelling to Hong Kong, as none of us has ever been,” said Stacey.
I think this is great, but didn’t put it in the article. Thought maybe you could use it as a pullquote?

Publishers
Business Managers Editors-in-Chief
Fiana Bakshan fbakshan@ucalgary.ca Vhari Storwick vstorwick@gmail.com
Esther Kim estakim@gmail.com Orlagh O’Kelly ojokelly@ucalgary.ca

Contributors
Meghan Waters Adam Oppenheim Gareth Williams Roland Hung
Mark Henderson Jennifer Koshan Anjli Patel Jenny Rasmuir
Joshua Thon Drew Campbell Gus Lu

Dear Readers,

It is our second to last issue and we are so happy with the first few months of our faculty’s nascent student newspaper. We hope you
are too. As always, we welcome any feedback. What would you like to read about, hear about, write about? Tell us!

This month, we are marking Spring with a feature on the Mooting and Debating results. As most of you already know, there were
some incredible stories from all of our teams, so read on!

March is also a month witnessing many events and what better place to read about them than here? You can enjoy the now regulars-
our correspondent, Adam Oppenheim provides some Zen master wisdom (likely the after effects of the factum writing), while K and
A provide a little lighthearted humour and Kevin Madison gives us another great Bound for the Bar!

Finally, we would love to have a tribute to THE GRADUATES in the last issue, so we are calling for photos, stories, anecdotes,
memories and whatever else you think is Moot Times worthy. The firm deadline is March 28.

Thanks all!

Moot Crew

Editorial Policy
We are irreverent but not rude. We reserve the right to edit for content and length.

Submissions Deadline
We accept articles between 300 and 700 words, depending on the content. Articles submitted by law students are given priority but
we accept any submissions.

Disclaimer
The views in this publication do not reflect those of the University, the Faculty, of the publishers. In fact, they may not reflect any
honestly held views.

2
The Alberta Court of Appeal Moot
Location: Calgary, Alberta
BY Orlagh O’Kelly (2L), Photos from Jenny Rasmuir

At Saturday’s Alberta Court of Appeal Moot,
six University of Calgary students ultimately fell to the
University of Alberta (2-1). Andrea Urquhart and Sonya
Bertrand brought home the bittersweet win of the day
in the Constitutional Moot segment arguing the Appel-
lant’s side of a 2008 Supreme Court Case regarding s.
7 and the sentencing provisions of the Youth Criminal
Justice Act ( R. v. D.B.).

“It’s hard to be really excited because we didn’t win as


a team and because they (the other Calgary Mooters) did such a
good job,” Urquhart said.
Even if Urquhart’s teammates did not fair as well, Jeff Wresch-
ner and Dan Wilson put forward a very strong case for the Re-
spondent in the Criminal Moot, which was also based on a 2008
Supreme Court case (R v. Kang-Brown). Wilson and Wreschner
argued that the use of sniffer dogs constituted a search autho-
rized by law.
“We had awesome feedback from the judges, but the
other team won in the end,” Wreschner said. Rounding out Cal-
gary’s side, Brian Twerdoff and Rahul Sharma took part in the
Civil Moot, arguing for the Respondent in a defamation case that
saw the defence of honest belief rewritten in accordance with
Charter values.

After prepping for much of January and Feb-


ruary and writing 16-page factums, the students were
well prepared to moot in front of a three judge panel
with one judge from the Court of Appeal, one judge
from Queen’s Bench and one judge from provincial
court. “It’s nice to have your hard work rewarded by
the judges – both in their feedback and in the results,”
Urquhart said. She also admitted that perhaps it was
their ad hoc preparation in one courthouse elevator,
where they were stuck for an hour and half, that set
herself and Bertrand apart.
Now, Wreschner and his teammates are ready
to “hit the books again.”

3
Jessup “underdog” Team Earns 2nd place
Location: University of Western Ontario
BY Orlagh O’Kelly

The University of Calgary’s Jessup team arrived in London, Ontario last week as the consummate underdogs.
Rob Moyse, James Silvester, John Cassell and researcher Julia Gaunce mooted one team member short, causing Moyse to
lose his voice acting as the respondent and the appellant in every round.
“They’re like the “slumdog millionaires” of the Jessup Moot!” student Tim Ross exclaimed. Cassell even sug-
gested that their appearances were comparably rough around the edges.
“We were like, ‘wow, they look like real lawyers,” Cassell said.
Not to be deterred or intimidated, though, the team tackled the timely issue of humanitarian intervention in a
mock International Court of Justice (ICJ). The sub-issues included the legal right of humanitarian intervention (colloqui-
ally referred to as R2P), the technical production of evidence, the question of whether sexual misconduct by peacekeep-
ing forces was attributable to the state or the U.N. and the human rights of prisoners when there is knowledge their
rights will be violated in their country of origin. On these issues, the team demonstrated their profound grasp of the
problems embedded in the fact pattern- the same problems that are found historically in Bosnia and Rwanda and cur-
rently in Sudan and the Congo.
“We were definitely way less polished, seemingly, at least. They were “smooth talkers” and we were focused on
substance,” Cassell said.
And substance was rewarded. After the preliminary rounds, the team collected numerous accolades at Canada’s
most prestigious moot. They won the best respondent write up and third place overall for written work. Moyse was the
eight overall oralist and the team was ranked first among sixteen teams from across Canada. Silvester, for one, was sur-
prised by the results.
“We were pretty sceptical about our positions, but it was a shocking surprise that we were the first ranked team,
“ Silvester said. He was worried that they did not crack the top half of the contestants. “I was feeling like I was going to
vomit, because Saunders was right there and then they announced (us as) number one.”
The battle was only half over at that stage. Coming out of the preliminaries in first place required the team to face the
dreaded University of Toronto and dangle with Justice Binnie, among others. But, after mooting seven rounds and a
dishevelled Moyse, the team showed their true grit.
“When we had really tough benches, we started to show that we were good,” Cassell said.
In the end, the team finished in second place to the University of Ottawa (although they beat Ottawa in the preliminary
rounds) and Cassell won the top oralist for the final round. These performances were enough to ensure them a spot on
the Canadian contingent going to Washington D.C. from March 22- 28, 2009, where Cassell, Silvester, Moyse and Gaunce
will come up against 107 teams from all over the world.
“It will be fun to go. We are looking forward to going to Washington and trying our best, “ Silvester smiled.
We wish them our best!

Master Debaters take on annual Blackstone Competition


Gareth Williams
The 2009 Blackstone Debate grand final was held on February 12 at the school and it was unfortunate that only
about six students turned up to watch the event. Now I have enough grey hairs as a third year student to be able to talk
about how law school was “back then.” I do remember watching the final in a packed moot courtroom in my first year of
law school and thinking that I really hoped that I would learn how to advocate, think on my feet, cross examine and ar-
gue logically about any topic. Hopefully next year the faculty does not schedule other talks and events on the same lunch
hour as the Blackstone final so that more first year students feel inclined to watch a really traditional and entertaining law
school event.
This year Erin Farrell and Laura Coward had the position of arguing that cell
phones should be banned on public transit while Orlagh O’Kelly and Vhari Stock-
wick advocated for our right to chat away on mobile devices on the C-Train. The
debate was peppered by jokes and witty quips, both planned and impromptu.
For the affirmative, Erin spoke about the pervasiveness of annoying
phone conversations in modern life and in cross-examination criticized Orlagh’s
assertion that a cell phone ban would create an “Orwellian bus.” For the negative,
Orlagh questioned the practicality of the ban and argued for our freedom to com-
municate in the manner you choose. Backing up Erin, Laura argued that people
could get more accomplished on mobile devices using quiet emails and text mes-
sages which would also encourage greater transit ridership. She also brought up
4
that with cell phone conversations being a person cannot even eavesdrop properly. Vhari continued the negative’s side by
speaking about the efficiency of cell phone conversations and how they helped people plan and remain safe. She argued
that would do more to encourage transit ridership and a greener Calgary.
After their final statements the two sides had to await the judges’ decision, which was announced by Nicholas S. Rafferty.
By a score of 3-1 the affirmatives had it. Third year Bernd Hahn was named “the best oralist”, which is the kind of thing
that he will undoubtedly tell all the ladies in the bar.

Kawaskimhon Aboriginal Negotiation


Location: Windsor, Ontario
BY Orlagh O’Kelly, Photos by Gus Lu

Becky Slack, Tim Ross, Faye Morning Bull


and Gus Lu represented the University of Calgary at
the 2009 Kawaskimhon Aboriginal Negotiation. The
Aboriginal negotiation -as its name suggests- is a less
adversarial and less competitive moot. The team had a
strong showing in the negotiation, led by coach Sheryl
Manychief (U of C Alum 2004) and mediated by sev-
eral prominent Aboriginal lawyers and judges. The
students discussed the meaning of section 25 of the
Charter, in other words, they discussed the tension
between constitutionally protected aboriginal rights
and the Charter’s individual rights.
It seems to be the unique experience, though,
that these students will take home with them, includ-
ing the moment when Elder Paul led a smudging
ceremony.
“At the
Aboriginal Circle, we made many new friends from law schools all over
Canada,” Lu said.
The team also took the opportunity to take make the most of their time
in Windsor, going “loco” for American portion controls at Ceasar’s Palace
Seafood Buffet. Not surprisingly, then, Lu recommends making the trip to
the little Canadian city across from Detroit and the ruins of the Big Three.
“Windsor folks are extremely hospitable,” Lu said. “We were at the
airport with little time to grab dinner so the Air Canada ticket counter rep,
Ted, drove me to Armando’s a couple miles to pick up pizza and drove me
back to the airport so we could have dinner before our flight. How’s that for
a welcome mat?”

5
Murray Fraser Hall
Law School News
Women’s Court of Canada Next Stop: YYC
By Jennifer Koshan

The University of Calgary Faculty of Law is pleased to present an event with


the Women’s Court of Canada on Friday March 13. Taking its inspiration from
Oscar Wilde, who once said that “the only duty we owe to history is to rewrite it”,
the Women’s Court of Canada (WCC) is a collection of academics and litigators from
across Canada who have come together to rewrite the history of equality jurispru-
dence. To keep fresh and alive the egalitarian aspirations of the Charter, they have
rewritten several Supreme Court of Canada equality rights decisions (published in a
special edition of the Canadian Journal of Women and the Law in 2007).
The event includes a panel discussion from 12:30 to 2:00 entitled “The Wom-
en’s Court of Canada and Barriers to Substantive Equality”, as well as workshops
from 2:15 to 3:45, where students will have an opportunity to compare the original
Supreme Court decisions in Law, Symes, NWAC, Gosselin and NAPE with their
WCC versions.
The Women’s Court is holding similar events in Vancouver, Victoria, Edmon-
ton, Saskatoon and Winnipeg from March 9 - 18 as a follow up to the launch of the
WCC in Toronto in March, 2008.
The Faculty is grateful for the support of the Alberta Law Foundation for our
Visiting Speakers program, of which this event is a part.

Moot Note Book


March at Murray Fraser Hall is set to witness a flurry of activity before the April paper - writing- exam –cramming- squir-
relly- mode sets in. Already this month, the SLS hosted its first law formal at the “casino royale” and the SLA hosted
Khadr’s lawyer, Denis Edney, for a fundraiser dinner. The faculty also announced the opening of an interior B.C. law
school which will help to address the rural deficit of lawyers and presumably the access to justice problem occupying
much of the legal community these days. It may be hard to imagine, but there is still much more action to come this
month, including Women’s Court of Canada, Alberta Civil Liberties Seminar, Law Show and Aboriginal Law academic
Professor Borrows.

HOT: Bergis Mostaghim and the SLS did an awesome job in bringing us all together in the spirit of camaraderie.

NOT: stolen articles- namely Christie’s jacket, Gareth’s something and Jody’s camera.

NOT: Many Mooters and first year factum writers had to miss out on the event(See: Mooting and Debating Special this
issue). HOT: But their absence wasn’t for naught. It is fair to say that March saw the U of C become a “power house” on
the national mooting stage.

HOT: Maryanne’s efforts to ensure summer jobs and articling positions are brought to our attention, including the arti-
cling seminar held last week. The attendees included: Macleod Dixon, Borden Ladner Gervais, Parlee McLaws, Bennett
Jones and one Edmonton firm. As the second years gear up for the Match Program, Maryanne assured everyone that
transcripts will be available by May 11.

NOT: The mixed advice provided by the firm representative regarding the Match Program. Some said the economy
might be a factor in hiring numbers. Others said they were “less short-sighted” in their hiring objectives. Some will
axe you if you make cover letter typos, but others might want to interview you as a result (get this: a letter writer who
described one firm as the most “primitive firm in Canada” received an interview as a result). At the end of the day, one
thing became quite clear: don’t claim you invented the Internet because that will ensure you get off the list. All jokes
aside, every applicant will be highly qualified, so put your best foot forward and this seemingly arbitrary process will be
yours!
‘Casino’ formal a ‘Royale’ success

Above: 1L’s resident James Bond, Robert Black, surrounded by Kristen Haines, Andrea
Miller, Caitlin Pakosh and Becca Marshall.

Above: Kudos to Carmen Gustafson for taking


note of the theme, seen here striking a pose
with Trevor Ference.

Above: Kane Richards and Jeff Wreshner


are all smiles, but little do they know that
Jakub Maslowski is one move away from
putting them in a headlock! (Credit:
Sangeeta Patel)

Above: Rahul Sharma, Catherine Spafford


and Elsa Kaus put their best face forward.

Left: Ryu Okayama and Sangeeta Patel grab


hold of an umbrella in anticipation of the DJ
playing Rihanna’s hit single. (You never
know!) (Credit: Sangeeta Patel)

Above: The Three Ts, expertly Turned out: Right: Dilraj Sandhu, Janet Shaikh, Sangeeta
Tatjana (Obradovic), Tijana (Gavric) and Patel and Aniroodh Devalia. (Credit:
Talayeh (Voosoghi). Sangeeta Patel)
Left: Personalities collide: Paul Boshyk displays
uncontrollable glee, perhaps from winning the
jackpot, Nima Amiri shows how he really feels
about having his picture taken, Emily McGivern
looks like she’s seen that face before, and Charles
McRoberts is just having a great time. (Credit:
Sangeeta Patel)

Law students were dressed to kill, no license required, at Stampede


Casino for the first annual law school formal on March 7.
Drinks were shaken, not stirred, and they came in handy as students
celebrated one of their last opportunities to cut loose before exams.
First year students especially sought a quantum of solace by hitting the
dance floor, forgetting about their factums for one blissful, Shogun-free
night.
Why all the James Bond-isms, you ask?
“We wanted the formal to be an event that would be of interest to both
men and women, hence the James Bond theme and casino venue,” said
SLS President and event organizer, Bergis Mostaghim. This makes sense:
there is an undeniable glamour and air of mystery associated with the Bond
franchise – the perfect backdrop and theme for a formal event.
Bergis worked tirelessly to make the formal a reality, with SLS Events Above: Ivonna Pospisilova, Corinne Grigoriu and
Coordinators Geoff Boddy and Nabeel Peermohamed working alongside Jordan Fordyce reveal their secret weapons: their
miles-long legs and their holsters! (Credit:
her. The formal would not have been as accessibly priced without the Corinne Grigoriu)
financial support of Scott Hall LLP. “The $1000 funding from Scott Hall
LLP and additional sponsorship by the SLS made the ticket price
significantly lower. There were a lot of elements to consider in planning
the event, including the venue, food, music, and advertising, but one of our
top priorities was making the ticket price affordable,” noted Bergis.
Students were pleasantly surprised if not shocked to discover that tickets
were a mere $20, which included a buffet pasta dinner and a ‘fun’ casino,
consisting of poker and blackjack tables and betting with fake bills.
Even with the absence of most first year students, likely at home
working on their factums, there was an excellent turnout of approximately
165 people, including law students’ significant others.
Perhaps the quirkiest element
of the evening was the DJ, who
took attendees on a tour of last
Above: Shawn Kraft and wife Sheryl enjoy their
decade, playing such musical gems dessert. (Credit: Jordan Fordyce)
as Barbie Girl by Aqua and The
Bad Touch by Bloodhound Gang (I
sense resident music critic Adam
Oppenheim is cringing as he reads Written by Anjli Patel,
this). But despite the Macarena Meghan Waters and Bergis
and the line dancing, everyone had Mostaghim. Layout and Photos by
a fantastic time. Anjli Patel unless otherwise noted.
Dear K + A myself from would-be muggers. Like this one time I was chilling
in my hood, and these kids rolled up to my house and were all
“We are selling...” But before they could finish, I punched them
You ask, We answer, Everyone wins @ life.
both in the face and stole their chocolate bars. Know what the
submit your questions to answers_live_win@live. lesson is here? Always get mugged by people smaller and weaker
com (buy Bear Stearns) than you. And know when you’re getting robbed, because $2.50
[The views in Moot Times do not represent those for a chocolate bar isn’t a good deal, even if it’s supposedly going
to help people in third world countries. 

of K + A]
Q: Should I be worried about the recession hitting me?
A: You? Yeah. Me? I saw this coming 10 years ago. Ever
since then I’ve been stockpiling Spaghetti-O’s, cuz I’m gonna need
all the energy I can get if I have to repopulate the earth. So if you
like canned pasta, and have an energetic attitude that just won’t
quit, then I’ll catch you at the intersection of supply and demand
(p.s. that’s in my pants).
K: Since I am pretty sure you made up the word “reces-
sion,” I decided to do some fact checking on your question. So I
went to the Google machine to check it out. But since it didn’t ask
me for my age or credit card number, I didn’t know how to use it.
So I went to the only other place for information I knew of: that
being Red Dawn, released in the 80’s, and starring a dashing Pat-
rick Swayze and a young, but mature-looking, Charlie Sheen. As
I watched Patrick and his onscreen brother kill over 118 invading
Commies in all-out guerrilla mountain warfare, I realized if these
two mild-mannered country boys could mount a resistance in this
re-enactment of the war of 1984 between the U.S. and the Com-
Q: I can’t remember Law Ball. Is that bad? mies (that thankfully took place before I was born), then I am sure
A: Blacking out is God’s way of restoring harmony to the whenever this “recession” shows up at your house, you could eas-
universe. Say, for instance, you’d had so much to drink that you ily just kick it between the legs and end whatever conflict you two
were on an inevitable crash course with some unsavoury fate. In have. 

steps God, and thankfully pushes you over the edge. Now you
can just sit back and let the magic of losing consciousness unfold. Q: I’m about to start my summer job, but am worried about mak-
You’ll probably end up in the bathroom...where you puke on your ing a mistake. How do I make a good impression?
shoes...and begin communicating with those unfortunate enough K: Let’s face it, everyone makes mistakes. Everyone at
to be around you by humming, or with bone-chilling, listless one point or another has accidently deleted the memo you spent
stares. And then your cab on the way home will probably almost the whole night working on right before it was due, thus forcing
t-bone another car, and you may somehow manage to open your you to print off the Wikipedia page for “Civil Contempt” with-
front door without any keys. As embarrassing as this totally hy- out reading, and in doing so accidentally handing your boss a
pothetical story is, blacking out is kind of like having a heavenly three-page document detailing the emo-love-ballad band “Civil
reset button. It’s what allows you to disappoint so many people Contempt” that’s based out of Fresno. It happens. But there is a
and wake up completely refreshed the next day. simple way to make sure you don’t get into trouble for it. They
K: Oh man, do I feel sorry for you. It was awesome! Let’s can’t yell at, fire, or put to photocopier duty a person they can’t
just say, if all the gods on Mt. Olympus had a huge party with all find. So every 4 to 5 days, move your office. That way, whenever
sorts of alcohol and door prizes, no matter how awesome it was, they finally realize your Wikipedia mistake – or that you some-
all the guests would be like, “We totally should have gone to Law how forgot it’s a 5, not a 4-day work week – they probably won’t
Ball! I told Zeus his slideshow of his trip to Egypt would bore be able to find you. Also, try to blend in with your surroundings.
people.” Anyways, let me hit you with the highlights. I rolled in May I suggest beige on beige?
around 8:00 p.m., and everyone was all “yo, check it, he looks so A: Have you ever made a mistake? Yeah, I thought so.
good!” And then I ate some food while everyone gathered around It’s bound to happen at your new job too, so the trick is not actu-
to check and peep my strategy. Then after that, we hit the dance ally making a good impression, but understanding that the best
floor, and my song came on (“Circus” by B-Spears). I owned it, defence is a good offence. Think of work as if it’s a jail. You might
and everyone got served. At the end, when I was done serving want to start the first day by shanking a partner’s secretary. But
everyone, I hit them with my Thunder Pose and simultaneously make sure everyone knows you did it, so you’re going to want to
undid 17 bras and one kilt. Party success. 
 spend a lot of time in the break room that morning talking about
how you’re going to “shank a secretary,” and what gang you roll
Q: I am always worried about getting mugged. How do I protect with. Also, if someone asks how amenable you are to sharing
myself? your office, you will want to mention what a terrible idea “bunk-
A: Oh my Gods! To keep from being FUBAR, you gotta ing” with you would be. Eventually you’ll be able to work your
project on those toaster Cylons that all you and your knuckle- way up to alpha male, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves.
dragger friends are doing is not Sierra Alpha, but, rather, just box-
ing a cubit of tylium for the Beast. Then invite some skin jobs to
Download City for some ambrosia. And if you understand what
the hell I’m saying, you’re going to get mugged a lot no matter
what my friend.
K: If there is one thing I learned while growing up on
the mean, well-lit streets of suburban Guelph, it’s how to protect

10
11
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CALGARY MONTRÉAL O T TA W A TORONTO VA N C O U V E R W AT E R L O O R E G I O N


Borden Ladner Gervais LLP is an Ontario Limited Liability Partnership.
Lawyers • Patent & Trade-mark Agents • Avocats • Agents de brevets et de marques de commerce
Come One, Come All to the this stretch their legs and cut a rug on the dance floor.
I hope that I have whetted your appetite for the
year’s Law Show 2009 edition. With the law school’s increased enrolment we
can look forward to even more creativity and panache this
Mark Henderson (3L)
year. It’s a show not to be missed.
Last year a chorus of praise and critical acclaim was MArch 20, 2009
heaped upon the daring souls who forged ahead through At Quincy’s on Seventh
the early March doldrums of readings and papers to craft Tickets can be obtained through Geoff Boddy:
their flights of fancy and share them with the law school. gboddy@gmail.com
Many of the acts proceeded on the basis that imitation is the
sincerest form of flattery. It also helped that parody, imita-
tion’s naughty younger brother, was applied in liberal doses Silent Dignity Be Damned *sigh*
to add a dash of whimsy to the proceedings. Joshua Thon 1L+ ¾’s
The evening started off simply enough with four
errant students attempting to sing a Barbershop Quartet. The Spring is soon approaching, with winter in stubborn
self-titled D minuses sought to emulate Homer Simpson’s retreat. The halls that Murray Fraser built are flush with the sweet
own B Sharps. sycophantic cries of defeated students mustering enough self-
The audience mercifully forgot this meager attempt confidence to plead for positions before their next rent cheque is
at Barbershop serenade as Professor Jennifer Koshan’s com- due. Factum arguments are being formulated, and the air is thick
with the promise of an assignment still salvageable before the in-
edy routine had the folks rolling in the aisles. Sadly Profes-
evitable soul-crushing, suicide inspiring, mother#$%@*!& median
sor Koshan was the only faculty participant in last year’s
creeps up from beneath the freshly defrosted sod to bite you in
show. However the surgical precision of her rapier wit was the ass. Such is life.
received with such delight that we could excuse the other And yet, it all seems rather trite when you consider that
faculty members for their glaring absence from the stage. We in some dank, depressing cell on the South-Eastern coast of Cuba
shall not be so accommodating in the future. a tortured soul is wallowing away the years bereft of hope and
The quality of the acts continued from strength to human kindness. The only solace worth a damn didn’t come from
strength. Among the other performances we were once again his family – intent on his being labeled as a suicide bomber. It
amused by the acrobatic skill of Matt Gardner and Fraser came from a pair of lawyers. Not your bleeding heart liberal types
either. The sort that suffer the thought of passing another moment
Bush as the human bowling ball. With Mr. Bush’s broken
in pro-bono limbo – reminiscing about what it was like to come
hands it is unlikely that he will be able to participate again
home for dinner and earn a living wage. I might mention the lat-
this year but we may yet find a replacement. ter point earned particular ire.
The audience was also treated to a number of multi- Still, armed with the insight drawn from the better part
media presentations of first-rate quality. Woodside Ranu of a decade spent labouring at Omar Khadr’s defence, Dennis
productions in affiliation with DJ Woozy Wu produced Edney would not have done it any differently. His wife has stood
two music videos. “Dough” and “Patronage”, parodies of as a pillar of strength, supporting his decision from the outset.
Flo-Rida’s “Low” and the Beastie Boys’ “Sabotage.” Both are His children champion his cause. His cause is just. The dark
available for your viewing pleasure on YouTube. chocolate truffle was just to die for. To put it bluntly, it provided
perspective. The stress of the everyday became awash in the mire
This was followed up by a superb “whodunit”
of Khadr’s plight. To wit, we’re privileged, and don’t you damn
detective flick, shot entirely on location at the Law school.
forget it.
The victim was none other than Professor Nick Rafferty, ably Edney’s talk took one through the struggle of satisfying
portrayed by Jim Chronopoulos. The son of time has great the principles of fundamental justice in the wake of unceasing
insights into the mind of Professor Rafferty having already opposition. Counted among the antagonists to Edney’s quest are
portrayed him in Law School Jeopardy in 2007. The cast of the Canadian government, the U.S. Supreme Court, and apathy
characters included Paul Williams as himself, Jim Chronopo- of the Canadian people. His allies are few. The Supreme Court
ulos as himself, Donald Sullivan as Agent Kujan, and Steve of Canada has provided support for his position, but it has been
Morris as the evil criminal mastermind Kaiser Sozhe. The brushed aside by Harper who pays lip service to American due
process (wilful blindness of the highest order). The CBA followed
film paid homage to The Usual Suspects, with a few borrow-
the presentation with a declaration by its executive, advocating
ings from The Bourne Identity and Jerry Maguire among
for a solution to the predicament that is in keeping with principles
other flicks. The screenplay was a delightful work of art, that Canada claims to hold dear. I support their position, and I en-
ably composed by Paul Williams and Jim Chronopoulos. Jim courage our faculty to take it a step further: I submit that we col-
also directed the film and was responsible for all of the post- lectively hold our breath until Harper commits to a major policy
production editing. Jim, if I’d been on the Oscar Nominating reversal. Last man standing gets to fully appreciate my point…
Committee you’d have had my vote! The fine folks at SLA put on one hell of a show - supply-
The final troupe (The Flukers) of the night was a ing inspiration to the well-connected masses at the low, low cost
Band with Jay Alexander on Vocals and Guitar, Geoff Boddy of supporting a worthy cause. I can attest to the fact that the food
was delicious, the wine was delectable, and the company worth
on Guitar, Matt Gardner on Bass, Heidi Pernitsky on Key-
keeping. A great thanks go out to all those that made the night a
boards and Jay’s brother on Drums. Your author sadly no
resounding success, with special due to the volunteers that gave
longer remembers what on earth they played. But the band generously of their time.
played marvellously and gave the audience a great chance to

13
Work/Life Balance
Lá Fhéile Pádraig
By Orlagh O’Kelly (2L)

Everyone’s favourite holiday is fast approaching . Most see St. Patrick’s Day as an opportunity to get off work
(or class) early, head to one of the cities many Irish watering holes and drink green beer. Everyone knows, though, St.
Patrick’s day is about more than this. It is the feast day of Ireland’s patron saint. Saint Patrick was exiled to some random
island, but made the most of his experience using the shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity (Father, Son and the Holy
Ghost) and thus introducing Christianity to Ireland.
What’s more, St. Paddy’s day parades have a long history in North America. In Toronto, for instance, the 19th
century parades (Read: following the Fenian raids of the United States) were the site of “old country” clashes between the
Orangemen and Irish Catholics.
Today, the event is much more benign or, as some would say, it’s much more plastic. It was a public holiday in
Newfoundland until 1992. The Chicago River is died that awful green colour every year. AS a result, the “true” Irish think
that St. Paddy’s brings out the “plastic paddy’s” in droves. You know, the ones who claim that their great, great, great,
great grandfather was the King of Ireland, Brian Boru, or what not. This ancestor, they continue, was fresh off the boat. In
accordance with this logic, the plastic paddy exclaims: kiss me, I’m Irish too!
Would you like a more authentic experience this year? Here’s how. Drink Guinness with an Irish breakfast (com-
plete with fried pig’s blood- black pudding). If the black stuff’s too much, try Kilkenny, Harp or the drink of choice for
some young Irish these days, Cider. Wear green or real shamrock leaves. Attend some live music or dancing (no, the Lord
of The Prance does not cut it). Leave the house equipped with some token Gaelic, such as “Slainte” (cheers) and “Pog Mo
Thon ” (kiss my arse). And, if you are really keen, learn a few songs (The Fields of Athenry is a classic anthem) and an
instrument (preferably the Celtic harp, the tin whistle or the fiddle). Finally, when you wake up the next morning, don’t
go to work. As one great Irishman said, “it is the day after St. Patrick’s day that should be the holiday.” Much preferable
logic.
After all, despite their moanings about plastic paddys, most Irish love the fact that so many embrace March 17th
as their own.

Some recommended haunts:


Molly Malone’s in Kensington
Law school hangout (Affordable, quaint and plenty of green beer in hand):
James Joyce on Stephen Ave (Downtown)
A classier establishment. Irish owned but the prices are not for all students. What’s the perfect pint worth
to you?
Kilkenny Pub near the University
Can’t wait for a Ctrain to quench your thirst? Walk across to this pub, an undergrad favourite.

Random Musings/Thinking about random mus-


ings makes you a Zen master
BY Adam Oppenheim (1L)

- When at the club, if someone yells over the music, “I love this song”, what they really mean is “I
recognize this song”.
- Nobody likes a wine snob.
- When you ask someone what kind of music they listen to, and they answer “I like all music”,
what they really mean is “I don’t listen to music”
- It doesn’t matter where you are in the world, be it Calgary, New York, Nashville, Marrakesh,
London, el Aviv, Johannesburg, Sydney, Cairo, Vancouver, etc., the minute the wind picks up the
people will say “it’s that (insert the city your in’s name) weather, it changes just like that”
- Dudes the world over will stop whatever they’re doing to play with sticks, rocks or fire.
- Everyone has a bizzarro version of themselves somewhere in the world. This is a person that
looks exactly like you, except this individual sports a moustache.

14
- I found the Bizzaro version of myself in Morocco.
- All of my furniture is imported from Sweden.
- Sometimes its best to just roll the dice. Vinnie Chase wouldn’t have become Aquaman if he had taken the road well
traveled.
- Sometimes I think that every lesson I’ve learned, I’ve learned from pop culture.
- This doesn’t mean I should hug and kiss the TV when I go home.
- Women’s studies classes are not good places to meet women.
- A friend once told me “drinking rye turns [him] into a wild animal, drinking whiskey gives that animal a sawed off.”
- When people start a story with “a friend once told me” or “this happened to a friend of mine”, the person telling the
story is probably “the friend”.
- I am not “the friend” who turns into a wild animal with a shotgun.
- I don’t know why people think they have to go to India to find themselves. They will only find the bizzarro version of
themselves.
- I still don’t know what I want to do with my life. Maybe I need to go to India to find myself.
- Everyone knows that they won’t die at midnight, but everyone still forwards the e-mail along.
- Vanilla Ice sold 11,000,000 records, but no one admits to owning one… “My friend” owns one.
- The above used to be true of Michael Jackson. I don’t know why we decided that it wasn’t cool to admit to owning
Michael Jackson records. Forget about his ills, love him for the thrills.
- No matter where you are in the world, everyone can settle on Bob Marley.
- Just ‘cause everyone’s doing it, doesn’t mean it’s a good idea. Synthesizers in the ‘80s fooled a lot of prolific artists into
thinking that was the right thing to do. Now every disc from the ‘80s is unlistenable.
- I’m pretty sure the 80s were tons of fun, and that they are probably tons of fun in every century. I was only 6 when the
80s ended, so chances are I won’t be able to find out if 2080 is the start of 10 years of fun.
- All those Flintstones vitamins may make it so that I will know if 2080 is the start of 10 years of fun.
- If you’re trying to find parking, don’t look for parking, just go there.
- If you were forced to drink milk with every meal when you were a kid, you now hate milk.
- Despite my mom’s insistence, I am not convinced I needed to drink milk with every meal to avoid osteoporosis.
- If you’re in a crowd of strangers, and you make a Simpson’s joke, you’ll find a friend.
- When director’s start making period pieces about the 2000’s, we’re all gonna be characterized as hipster dufouses
rockin’ skinny jeans and floppy toques. It’s the same way that everyone is wearing flannel shirts in movies about the 90s.
- Selling out doesn’t feel nearly that bad when you get the first pay cheque.

Hockey Pool updates presented by BD&P

Hockey Pool updates presented by BD&P

Phone: 403-260-0100
Common SenSe, Fax: 403-260-0332
UnCommon InnovatIon . www.bdplaw.com

Phone: 403-260-0100
Common SenSe, Fax: 403-260-0332
UnCommon InnovatIon . www.bdplaw.com

15
CU@...
BDP :-)

We are excited and pleased that the following students will be joining BD&P’s summer and articling programs.
Looking forward to seeing you soon!
2009 Summer Students 2009 / 2010 Articling Students 2010 / 2011 Articling Students
Adrian Etchell Marika Strobl Craig Alcock
Sylvie Welsh Ashley Weldon Fiana Bakshan
Scott Tallman Esther Kim
Kristen Dick
Mark Henderson
Mike Gilchrist
Bronwyn Inkster
Elizabeth Toews
Megan Ross

www.bdplaw.com
Dress for Success
By Anjli Patel
Recently I had the opportunity to attend a seminar hosted
by University of Calgary’s Leadership Program called “Dress for
Success”. As fashion- and style-conscious as I think I am (if I dare
flatter myself in such a way), I figured I could use a refresher
course in developing a professional wardrobe, since the last time I
panicked about skirt lengths, pant cuts and French cuffs was a
month before beginning law school.
The seminar was held on campus at the Rozsa Centre, and
at an ideal time of the year, with the winter semester quickly
coming to an end, and graduation and summer jobs right around the
corner for many students.
The leaders of the seminar were three stylists from Blu’s, a
multi-brand women’s clothing store with two locations in Calgary:
one downtown in Bankers Hall, and the other in Southcentre Mall.
Stylists Linda Legate, Jennifer Ribey and Suzanne Gelmon of
Their rationale for investing in good quality separates is
Blu’s in Southcentre Mall.
based on the 80/20 theory: we wear 20 per cent of our clothing 80
per cent of the time, making it imperative to invest in pieces that will survive many washes and wears, and stand the test of time. They
truly believe that clothing is an investment in yourself and your career, which justifies the often high prices: “We carry quality clothing
that is expensive, but it will make you look and feel like a million bucks,” said stylist Linda Legate. Even after I pressed the ladies for a
price range, they declined to give one, likely because the ensuing sticker shock would prevent many seminar attendees from visiting their
stores.
However, anticipating that affordability is a barrier for many students and women, Blu’s offers an “Interest-Free Fashion Plan” to
its customers, which allows you to buy up to $2500 of clothing, but pay only 20 percent of the total each month, interest-free, until the
balance is paid off. In essence, it is a layaway program, but the difference is that you get to take the clothing home right away, instead of
after you have paid for it in full.
With the accessibility issue out of the way, the ladies spent the rest of the seminar discussing their roles as stylists, and offering
tips on putting together a capsule collection of business clothing: eight to ten separates that can be worn in multiple combinations,
maximizing the use of each individual piece.
As stylists, the ladies eliminate the often time-consuming process of shopping for clothing by getting to know a customer’s
lifestyle, career, likes and dislikes, and using this information to pick pieces that will be well-suited to them. This service, offered free of
charge, is especially welcomed by professional women who do not have the time to shop – a situation I expect many of us will be in once
we start working (if not already!). However, the ladies emphasized that they do not take the fun out of shopping for those who do enjoy it.
Rather, they enhance the process with their knowledge of what designers best fit particular body types, and what colours most flatter
particular hair colours and complexions. “We can very quickly zero in on what will work for you,” said stylist Jennifer Ribey.
The main point that I took away is that business outfits should have clean, crisp lines: the less organization it takes to put together
an outfit, the better it is going to look. In other words, keep it simple. However, simple doesn’t have to mean boring. Wearing colour is
appropriate, even in conservative professions like law, as long as the overall look is balanced, for example, by wearing a solid-coloured
shirt with a neutral-coloured suit. At the same time, it isn’t the time to make a fashion statement: accessories like jewellery should be
subtle and literally quiet: bangles clanging against each other can be extremely distracting. “When it doubt, leave it out,” were stylist
Suzanne Gelmon’s words of advice.
Despite arranging a selection of designer handbags on a coffee table (as seen in the photo above), the ladies didn’t really talk
about them, which was a misstep because, in my opinion, the handbag, next to the suit, is the second most crucial – and often ill-chosen –
element of a professional wardrobe. Check this space next month for a guide on selecting an appropriate handbag, and in the meantime, I
think it would be worth making a trip to Blu’s if your business wardrobe needs a boost.

Designer Offerings Additional Tips


Contemporary: Ted Baker, Velvet, Vince, Michael Kors, - Pick a neutral colour for your first suit: black, navy, grey or brown are
Hugo Boss, Burberry good choices, and keep the season in mind as well.
Canadian Designers: Joeffer Caoc, Ports 1961, Pink Tartan - Always wear hosiery with a closed toe shoe, especially at an
Denim: Fidelity, Paige Premium Denim interview.
Handbags: Michael Kors, Cole Haan, Burberry, Kooba, - Your skirt should be just above the knee at its shortest, or just below
Linea Pelle, Longchamp the knee at its longest.
Shoes: Donald J. Pliner, Faryl Robin, Stuart Weitzman, Frye - It’s better to be over dressed than under dressed.
Boots, Cole Haan, Michael Kors - Hang up your clothes at night on sturdy hangers, but always fold knits
Intimates: Hanky Panky, Hue so they don’t become shapeless.
Eveningwear: Badgley Mischka, Tadashi - Take wardrobe cues from the people you work with, and always try to
Jewellery: Kenneth Jay Lane dress as well as your superiors.
- Make sure your blacks match: it is noticeable if your suit jacket is a
different shade of black than your pants.
Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday
8 9 10 11 12 13 14
Career Services is hosting Thurs, Mar. 12 - Women’s Court of
a City of Calgary Infor- Edmonton area alum are Environmental Law
mation Session, from invited to an pub night, Canada event - in- CPO’s Andrew
Society speaker series
12 to 12:45 pm, in MFH getting underway at 5 cluding: a panel on Lloyd Webber’s
,from 12 to 2 pm, in
3320, and pm at Ceilis (104 Avenue The Women’s Court
Vancouver and Toronto and 109 Street), for more MFH 2370 Experience
and Barriers to Sub-
Articling Q & A Session, info contact alum Keri
from 1 to 1:50 pm, in Barringer at Keri.Barrin- stantive Equality,
MFH 2370 ger@edmonton.ca from 12:30 in MFH
2370,
15 16 17 18 19 20 21
St. Paddy’s coincides John Borrows will give All students, faculty, and
with “W” (Bush) in town a lecture entitled: “Seven staff are invited to the
Our Jessup
and Alberta Civil Liber- Generations, Seven 2009 Mooters Take
ties talk on “Religious Teachings: Ending the Law Show at 7 pm at
and Cultural Accomoda- Indian Act” from 5 to 6 Quincy’s on Seventh,
on the World in
tion in the Post-Second- pm, in MFH 2370, with a tickets are $20 (for more Washington
ary Context: Rights and light reception to follow info, contact Geoff Boddy
Responsibilities” in the Faculty Lounge at gboddy@gmail.com)

22 23 24 25 26 27 28
Bonnie Prince Environmental Law Joan Baez makes Flames v. Wild
speaker series, from 12
Billie plays on to 2 pm, in MFH2370; a comeback at in pre playoff
Campus at Mac- McLennan Ross is the Jack Singer action!
Ewan Hall hosting a reception for Concert Hall
2nd-year law students
and faculty in the
Student Lounge, from
4:45 to 7 pm’
29 30 31 1 2 3 4
AHFMR Lecture on Law,
DEADLINE Medicine, and Ethics,
Last Edition
FOR YOUR f“Where Medicine and of Moot Times
Law Interact: Ten Things
LAST CHANCE you Need to Know” in
comes out
TO CONTRIB- MFH 2370, 12:15, with a
reception to follow
UTE TO MOOT
TIMES!!

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