News

When: January 30-February 1, 2026
Where: Toronto, Ontario
Team Members: Andrew Dogurga, Joshua Langston, Jazmyne McLaughlin, and Philip Biyi Taiwo
Coaches: Brandon Rolle and Lee Seshagiri

Congratulations to Schulich Law students Andrew Dogurga, Joshua Langston, Jazmyne McLaughlin and Philip Biyi Taiwo on their top-notch performances at this year鈥檚 Julius Alexander Isaac Moot, which took place in Toronto from January 30 to February 1, 2026.

The Isaac Moot is named after Julius Alexander Isaac, the first Black judge to sit on the Federal Court of Canada. It was established by the Black Law Students鈥� Association of Canada and focuses on areas of law where equity, diversity, and issues of racism arise, often incorporating elements of Critical Race Theory (CRT) into the problem.

This year鈥檚 moot problem was based on R. v. Murray, where Justice F. Mirza concluded that police had engaged in racist mistreatment of a driver during a traffic stop.

Dogurga and McLaughlin successfully argued for the respondent side, defeating the University of Toronto in the final round at the Ontario Court of Appeal. Both students were nominated for Top Advocate, with Dogurga taking home the Top Oralist prize. The appellant team of Langston and Taiwo also had a strong showing and were nominated for the Top Advocate and Spirit of the Moot awards, respectively.

鈥淚t was a real pleasure to work with this group of incredibly talented and insightful future lawyers,鈥� share coaches Brandon Rolle (JD '09) and Lee Seshagiri (LLB '06). 鈥淭he students worked as a team and showed impressive improvement from practice rounds to the final competition. Philip and Joshua made the most of an incredibly challenging Crown argument, while Andrew and Jazmyne connected with the judges through evocative, articulate, and effective oral submissions. We are thrilled with their performances!鈥�

When: January 30-February 1, 2026
Where: Toronto, Ontario
Team Members: Mikaleigh Cairns and Jared Christopher
Coaches: Gus Richardson and Andrew Taillon 

The 28th National Labour Arbitration Competition, hosted by Mathews, Dinsdale & Clarke LLP, took place from January 30-February 1 at the offices of the Ontario Labour Relations Board in Toronto.

This moot requires teams to participate in two rounds of mock arbitration, arguing once for both the union and the employer sides. The scenario grounding this year鈥檚 competition concerned questions arising from the duty to accommodate: the employer鈥檚 duty to enquire, its duty to accommodate to the point of undue hardship, and the varying obligations of three parties 鈥� employer, union, and griever 鈥� to cooperate in seeking and finding accommodation.

The Schulich School of Law faced off against Queen's University and the University of British Columbia in the first two rounds, ultimately meeting the University of Toronto in the final before a panel of judges that included the Labour Board Chairs of British Columbia and Ontario, as well as Justice Eileen E. Gillese of the Ontario Court of Appeal. 

鈥淢ikaleigh and Jaden鈥檚 performances were spectacular,鈥� says coach Gus Richardson. "Their presentations made significant impressions on both the judges and members of the audience, many of whom were from the local labour and employment law sectors."

Fellow coach and part-time Schulich Law faculty member Andrew Taillon (LLB 鈥�06, LLM 鈥�16), says he was happy to return to the moot after taking part 20 years ago as a law student. 鈥淲orking with Gus was a great experience, as was the opportunity to coach two amazing students.鈥�

A special thank you to Pink Larkin and McInnes Cooper, who assessed the team's employer-side arguments and union-side submissions, respectively, and provided the students with invaluable feedback.