Professional Documents
Culture Documents
The Law
Student’s
Newspaper
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.).
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!
5
Murray Fraser Hall
Law School News
Women’s Court of Canada Next Stop: YYC
By Jennifer Koshan
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: 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)
10
11
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To find out more about BLG, and how our mentor and professional development programs set us apart,
visit us at www.blgcanada.com/students/welcome or contact one of our recruitment professionals.
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.
- 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.
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.
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!!