Osgoode picks up Best Advocate Award (again) at Donald G. H. Bowman National Tax Moot

2020 Donald G. H. Bowman National Tax Moot

Pictured from left: Eric Cheng, Changhai Zhu (awarded Best Advocate), Zehra Karagoz and Joseph Eid. Absent: Adrian Zee and coaches Thang Trieu, Scott Wilkie and Trish Lahoud.

The 10th annual Donald G.H. Bowman National Tax Moot was held on February 28 and 29.  A total of 17 law schools from across Canada participated in this competitive moot on tax.  Osgoode was represented by students Eric Cheng, Joseph Eid, Zehra Karagoz, Adrian Zee, and Changhai Zhu, and coached by Thang Trieu (Adjunct Professor, Osgoode and Partner, KPMG Law), Scott Wilkie (Distinguished Professor of Practice, Osgoode), and Trish Lahoud (Associate, KPMG Law).

Only the top four teams, out of the field of 34 teams this year, advanced to the semi-finals. One of Osgoode’s teams missed out on advancing by less than a margin of one per cent , and the other team was just two per cent off.

Beyond celebrating the Osgoode teams’ exemplary performances, there was extra cause to cheer at the end of the competition because one of the team members, Changhai Zhu, was awarded best advocate.

“He was an absolute standout during the competition,” said Thang Trieu, “and there was an amazing and dedicated team around him to make it possible.  This remarkable success speaks to the quality of the faculty and students at Osgoode, and its tax program.”

Incredibly, this is the second year in a row that Osgoode has taken home the best advocate prize at the moot, and the third time in the last five years.

Report from Thang Trieu