The Warren K. Winkler Class Actions Moot gives law students practical, hands-on exposure to the class certification hearing, a unique proceeding that often involves very high stakes and interesting factual and legal issues. As former Chief Justice Winkler has remarked, class actions play an increasingly large role in the Canadian legal landscape. Class actions on behalf of hundreds of thousands of consumers, institutional abuse survivors, and victims of faulty products and drugs, have improved access to justice and effected policy changes.
Unlike most other moots which take place in an appellate court setting, and thus require only arguments on points of law, the Winkler Class Actions Moot is a certification hearing argued at the motions court level. Consequently, students must argue both the law and the evidence before the court, as well as craft novel legal arguments.
What You Need to Know
- This is a class actions moot
- The moot is held in Toronto in mid-March
- This competition simulates a class certification hearing held in motions court and is therefore not an appellate moot; students work with both law and evidence
Teams
- The team is comprised of four oralists and a researcher
- Interested students should apply through the upper year consolidated mooting tryouts
Credits/Courses
- Team members receive three graded credits for their participation, which will be applied in the Winter term
- Team members are NOT required to enroll in the Appellate Advocacy Workshop