Vol. 12, Issue 3 Caveat Lector

The Vol. 12, Issue 3 Caveat Lector

THE CHECKED-OUT AND PROCRASTINATING EDITION FEATURING: What I Wish I Knew Before Law School, Useful Tips For Picking Classes, Tribute to the 1 and 3Ls, and The Class of 2016 Superlatives! Managing Editors Sean Watson The Caveat Lector Brian Lunde Editors Keith Barron Volume 12, Issue 3 Jared Dunlop Liam Fitz-Gerald Cody Gieni Sean Watson & Brian Lunde Julia Kindrachuk It seems like only yesterday that Sean and edition will give you a few peaceful min- Shea Mooney Brandi Rintoul I were given the keys to the Caveat Lec- utes of respite from the soul-crushing William Vavra tor. With only a limited ability to write and nervous breakdown-inducing final words in sentences, we rode the coattails exam season, which is the reason we took

Disclaimer of the Caveat editorial staff to get our first up writing the Caveat in the first place. edition out in February. Sean and I were The Caveat has, and will always be a Law The Editors of the Caveat Lector, in their infinite wis- able to help with the logistics of the opera- Student newspaper that provides laughs, dom, do not necessarily tion, which included setting deadlines for insight, and most importantly, another endorse or condone the opinions included here- articles and placing/paying/and picking source of procrastination throughout the in. The submissions are the views of your peers. up the order. While some may say these year. Really, what more could you ask for? Take it up with them. were menial tasks that a trained monkey could do, others may say they were the To close, we wish everyone the best of Misson Statement hardest parts of the publishing process. luck on their final exams. We wish the The Caveat Lector ex- 1L and 2L class an enjoyable remaining ists to be redundant. It also exists to publish and This brings us to this edition, the final one year or two of law school. And our fel- make available informa- of the 2015/16 academic year. This edition low 3L classmates, we wish you the best tion and creative works from law students for law is supposed to be a treasure for all years. of luck in all of your future endeavours students, all the while maintaining a standard The superlatives of 3Ls will be a memo- and finally, we want you all to know that: of journalistic integrity. ry we can cherish long after we graduate, Well maybe not integrity but something close. and for the 1L and 2Ls, we tried to make “I’ve had the time of my life Address this edition useful with some articles on And I’ve never felt this way before Caveat Lector class selection and some law school reflec- And I swear this is true c/o College of Law tions from the graduating class of 2016. And I owe it all to you 15 Campus Drive Saskatoon, SK. In an attempt to worker smarter instead You-you-you-you-you S7N 5A6 of harder, we crowd-sourced the articles You-you-you-you-you E-Mail with the help of our fellow 3L classmates. You-you-you-you-you-you-y-y-y-y-you [email protected] People may ask “Well Brian, is the advice Dirty bit” you gleaned from those degenerates actu- - Black Eyed Peas ally useful?” or “Sean, why should I trust that your list of classes is actually helpful?” To those people I say: Who cares? Sean and I personally guarantee that this 1Ls Tribute To The Class of 2016 Liam Fitz-Gerald With the arrival of a beautiful spring after a long, dark, and cold winter, we bid adieu to the class of 2016. After a journey through the pit of hell, they are all ready to go into the real world, after, for some people, a good decade and $60k of debt. Still, the class of 2016 taught us lowly 1Ls many things, some of which I’d like to share (and forget).

First, let’s talk about first impressions.

At the beginning of the year, a kegger at 202 Clarence ended with the cops stopping by. Of course, by then the Class of 2016 were already at the Hose, a place where we would become immensely famil- iar with. This would not be the first time this year that the cops would wind up at 202 Clarence … thank- fully no incidents occurred there that would wind up in a casebook (although there’s still potential).

Second, let’s talk priorities.

A big thanks to the 3Ls for teaching us about priorities. Although doing readings, CANs, going to class at 8:30 AM on time (…), changing upper years’ adult diapers in the Colonial bathroom are important, jugs and free pool at the Thirsty Scholar always come first. This was even better for us because our first semester exams didn’t even count (35/100 midterm average? No problem). We had no excuse to not follow the class of 2016 to the Scholar.

Every. Single. Thursday.

Third, let’s talk social skills.

Good to know we can always date younger years when we get to 3L, even if they punch you out. Furthermore, all you need for your peers to respect you is a good extracurricular skill—like foosball, being a white rapper, jugging or abs.

Finally let’s talk work ethic.

The class of 2016 has shown us that by 3L there’s really no need to work hard by the time we get there. Isn’t the whole point of 3L to just get by via softball classes, going on exchanges, and doing just well enough to get a pass? If you haven’t failed out by then, the College isn’t going to do so at this point. At least, that’s the impression I got when a see a troupe of 3Ls sitting in the lawby grinning about their futures (or despairing).

Nevertheless, at least the 3Ls taught us some things of value. I mean, all we’ve learned from the 2L class is bidding while inebriated at an auction makes the contract void … even when the contract is with a charitable organization.

Here’s to the Class of 2016!

Class of 2016 Superlatives

First, on behalf of the graduating 3Ls of the Caveat Editorial Board, we want Cam Klein Kristen Bates to give a big thanks to ev- Most likely to leak Scott Most likely to get the first eryone that came out to Hitching’s sex tape. law society complaint help write these. Second, (Sorry Bates, family law’s a we want to thank the entire David Konkin bitch like that). graduating year for making Most likely to become the the last 3 years interesting as hell. We have loved, hated, first judge. Mandeep Minhas laughed, and cried together Most likely to move to BC throughout law school and Brooke Johnson for law-related reasons. I wouldn’t change any of it. Most likely to give up on sleep completely. Shane Gardner Paul Fedoroff Most likely to move to BC Most likely to get involved Matt McMahon for non-law related in Paul-litics. Most likely to never drink reasons. chocolate milk again. Jon Ponath Brandon Veenstra Most likely to own a pug. Sarah Gryba Most likely to lose his Most likely to argue the keys. Amjad Murabit defence “gangsta rap made Most likely to defect to me do it” in court. Kyla Duchin Libya to become the next Most to be diagnosed with Libyan President. Vanessa Williams narcolepsy. Most likely to crush you in Jim Jewdish court and on the court. Dom Sikora Most likely to be eligible Most likely to still be at for the superlatives section Morgan Grant the Colonial. of the Caveat for the Class Most likely to have a tro- of 2017. phy husband. Julia Kindrachuk Most likely to eclipse Scott Hitchings Laura Forseille Dwight Newman’s Most likely to make a sex Most likely to elope. academics achievements. tape. John Fast Shea Mooney Amanda Zalmanowitz Most likely to fish off the Most likely to move up Most likely to become the company pier, repeatedly. north and live off the land first named partner. while wearing a full face of Jared Brown make up. Steven Wang Most likely to fail CPLED. Least likely to become a Izaak Atnikov named partner. Mitch “Sweet Sexy” Sand- Most likely to get a ers Most likely to forget to reasonably priced hooker. Arran Ferguson apply to graduate. Most likely to start a Herman Jhangri fraternity at McDougal Kurt McDonald Most likely to overpay for a Gauley. Most likely to hooker. divide by two and add Ben Parr seven. Amanda Krishan Most likely to be the first Most likely to abandon law pledge of Arran Ferguson’s Alanna Carlson to open a yoga studio. new fraternity. Most likely to order grad photos with flowers. Turner Ralston Lisa Smart Most likely to still order Most likely to break multiple Jordan Bolt a happy meal when he’s a keyboards during articling. Most likely to sweat. lawyer. Sean Watson Brian Lunde Jordan Thompson Most likely to become his Most likely to opt to take the Most likely to sever all non- dad. stairs #fitbitlyfe gym related ties to the Class of 2016. Madlin Lucyk Andrew Campbell Most likely to star in the Most likely to own a $5,000 Janelle Souter reboot of Legally Blonde. foosball table. Most likely to make you feel inadequate about whatever Brandi Rintoul Bruce Gordon you’ve achieved in your life. Most likely to take over a Most likely to retire in 5 media empire that she years. Matt Feehan single-handedly produces. Most likely to be hired by a big tobacco company and paid in products.

Why CLASSIC is as Important For Students as it is For Clients Omer Khayyam 1. You are trying to give a voice to peo- 6. Most clients you meet will be in a bad mood be- ple, but at the same time not be their cause of what’s happened to them or about to go into a voice. Help them speak for themselves. bad mood when you interview them. Anticipate this.

2. The more problems a client has on7. When a client comes to CLASSIC it may their plate, the less grateful they will be and the be another bad decision in a long line of bad de- more likely to forget their appointments. Re- cisions, or the only good decision they have mind them and overlook perceived slights. made in a while. It depends on the client’s attitude and what is within their control and what isn’t. 3. You will come across someone you know in docket court, especially if you live 8. Writing a denial letter is the clos- in Saskatoon and are an ethnic minority. est thing we do to ‘oppressing’ in the same manner ‘the system’ we critique does. 4. Law school will kill your spirit, but CLASSIC will resuscitate it and then some. 9. In grasping the client’s problem, don’t char- acterize the client’s problem or choices back to them 5. Helping someone could make things in terms that are worse than they initially realized worse for them. If there is a deadline to meet to- – this will only make them panic and agitate them. day, and this is the first time you talk to them, chances are something will go wrong. Despite this, 10. Your client will teach you what be patient, you can still succeed for your client. resilience means and what it doesn’t. Things I Wish I Knew Before Law School Will Vavra • If you need a student loan, get it in time for Sep- Wait until the last - there’s always plenty of chairs. tember’s financially devastating Welcome Week. No one else will have thought of this brilliant plan. The duration of Welcome Week is four weeks. • “It looks great on a resumé” is what you • Take a sweetheart undergraduate program and rack will hear from literally every club look- up great marks. If you don’t get a summer job based ing for membership. Evaluate accordingly. on that then your professional life is already over. • Being average-looking doesn’t really matter for • Those who are good at forging signa- dating so long as you don’t mind wait- tures can earn free beers each week at LRW. ing until upper years to pick up 1Ls.

• Finding an apartment close to 8th Street will • You may think your time is too valu- save a ginormous amount of cab fares from the able to be bought, but oh hello free pizza. Thirsty Scholar, Colonial, and Copper Mug. • You’re no longer the smartest, funniest, most accom- • If you want to bang classmates, ask to be placed in plished person you know. Everyone around you is Section 1. pretty awesome now, so you need to find some new way of defining yourself. Try some- • Never go to the first tutorial session of the day. thing interesting, or kind. Or foosball. Advice For Those Entering Law School Class of 2016

These words of advice might be a little late considering you are all already in law school. But if there is one thing the Class of 2016 is good at, it’s leaving things until the last minute. So without further ado, here are some of the things we wish we had known before coming to law school.

1. Don’t be a jerk. You didn’t suddenly become special because you’re in law school.

2. And Class of 2016, you aren’t special because you’re an articling student either. ♥

3. Don’t abandon your pre-law friends and interests. It’s a balancing act and a really important one.

4. You are going to meet some of the best people ever but you’re also going to clash with some people. Don’t beat yourself up if you can’t be friends with everyone.

5. When everyone is smart, no one is smart. Prepare your ego accordingly.

6. The top floor bathroom has paper towels.

7. You can learn a lot in the two weeks leading up to your 100% final.

8. You can switch all your footnotes to endnotes...and then back again. It will save you SO much time with major paper citations.

9. In first year they make you read to death, in second year they work you to death, and in third you they bore you to death… or is it party to death? Brian Lunde and 3L David want you to know the partying thing is real.

10. Fellow law students help each other out to bypass long lines at Tim Hortons. For the price of whatever the law student at the front of the line orders, you can get them to place your order along with theirs.

11. I wish I knew all of you - Steven Wang.

12. I wish I would have known Steven Wang before law school so I wouldn’t have to had know him during law school - Andrew Campbell.

And most importantly, it goes by fast. Go out for jugs, watch Big Matt chug chocolate milk, make friends who will later also become connections. Argue about legislative interpretation and which SCC badass writes the best decisions. Spend way too long in the library and way too much money on coffee, and then way too much on booze immediately after. Learn how to work hard but don’t let it rule your life. Three years will go by so fast. So from the Class of 2016, have an amazing time and we’ll see you on the other side! Setting The Record Straight About Mooting Zina Scott

This year I competed in the Donald Bowman National Tax Moot. Since September, I have heard all sorts of conflicting statements floating around the College about what it’s like to do a moot. So here is my attempt to bring some clarity to the mooting experience at our College.

MYTH: Moots take up all of your time and don’t allow you to focus on any of your other classes. TRUTH: It is true that while your moot is ongoing, it is hard to think about anything else. At least, that’s how it was for me. My moot was all-consuming. However, I was prepared for that reality. I made sure to take classes with finals in late-April so I would have a lot of time to catch up when the moot was over. I also took Civil Procedure so I would have one less final to worry about. If you pick your classes strategically the workload of a competitive moot will be manageable. Also, moots are over in February. And once they are done, they are DONE. No class to go to, no CAN to put together, no 100% exam that strips you of your will to live. Doesn’t sound so bad now, does it?

MYTH: In your second year of law school, you should focus on getting a job and save mooting for third year. TRUTH: It’s true, the workload of second year is enough to drive you insane. Adding a moot to your workload can seem like a huge burden. HOWEVER, moots are a valuable networking tool. Your coaches will also likely invite lawyers to come and be “guest judges” at your moot practices throughout the semester. This year, I developed relationships with 13 lawyers and 1 judge because of moot practices alone. Sometimes after practices we went out for drinks and I was able to chat one-on-one with them about their practice. Many lawyers did moots while they were in law school, and they LOVE to talk about it. Doing a moot also sets you apart from your classmates at networking events and interviews and makes you look driven, orga- nized, and cooperative. These are all attractive qualities to hiring partners. And of course, your coaches will likely be practicing lawyers with lots of lawyer friends many firms with those juicy articling positions.

MYTH: What if I don’t know my teammates? Won’t that be super awkward? TRUTH: There is no experience in law school that will teach you more about teamwork and coopera- tion than a moot. That’s right, even the comradery of Law Games pales in comparison to that of a competitive moot. Your teammates will become like family during the 3-4 months that you work together writing your factums and preparing your arguments. Personalities will clash, and you will bicker about footnotes, commas, and semicolons, but you will each walk away with countless inside jokes, and an unforgettable experience.

MYTH: A moot will be too much for me to handle because it runs all year but I only get credit for one semester. TRUTH: Actually, the majority of the workload for competitive moots occurs in the winter semester. Some teams don’t even receive their “facts” until November. (In my moot, for example, the only thing we did during the fall semester was meet for drinks and appetizers at our coach’s house to get to know each other, and pick out practice dates for the winter semester). Also, some moots at the College (Western, Jessup) offer course credit for BOTH semesters, as long as you write a reflective journal or some other small assignment.

MYTH: You should only do a moot if you are interested in litigation. TRUTH: Participating in a moot is a great way to find out whether you are interested in ligation or solicitor work. For me, my moot solidified my interest in litigation. For others, it helps them to decide that oral advocacy work isn’t for them. Also, many moots have a “researcher” position. The researcher does not present oral arguments, but helps the team with, you guessed it, legal research. The researcher also helps the team rehearse their arguments and is an equal voice in writing the factums. Finally, the researcher accom- panies the team on their trip to the competition, paid for by the College. At the competition, the only job of the researcher is to encourage his/her teammates, and to fill in on the off-chance that someone gets sick.

MYTH: I did really well in my first-year moot. I don’t need any more practice in oral advocacy before I start my career. TRUTH: Okay, this one is just ridiculous. Are you a lawyer yet? No? Then you can use oral advocacy practice. Moots are the only truly authentic litigation experience you will have where your client’s interests and money is not on the line.

MYTH: Doing a moot means I have to stay in Saskatoon over the holidays. TRUTH: This one is half-true. There are some moots that require work over the winter break. However, there are also some moots that don’t. I was not willing to give up spending the holidays with my family, so this was a factor for me when I was choosing which moots I was interested in. My moot did not require me to be in Sas- katoon until the first day of school in January. (That’s right, I could have gone to Law Games, and been back in time to help my teammates write our factum.) However, my friends who competed in the Jessup and Western moots had to spend some time working over the break, but they picked classes with finals early in December so that they could still go home for a week and spend quality family time before coming back to school a week early.

MYTH: My first year moot was a total disaster. Moots are not for me. TRUTH: Are you really going to write off an entire field of legal practice because of your first year moot that was worth 5% and that you probably barely prepared for? Don’t be silly.

MYTH: I’m not good enough at public speaking to argue in front of a judge at a real court. TRUTH: By the time you get to your moot in February, you will know your case better than the judge. You will have pulled apart your arguments over and over again. Your coaches and teammates will have given you specific feedback about how to improve your pace, tone, and volume. You will have thought of every single possible question that the Bench could ask, and you will be prepared with arguments, counter-arguments, and alternative arguments. I didn’t realize it until after I had walked up to the podium, but during my moot, I didn’t even need my notes.

MYTH: The subject matter of the moot is too complex for me with only my first year classes under my belt. TRUTH: This is the biggest myth about mooting. Whether you are mooting in International Law, Securities Law, Crim, or Tax, your moot will only assess a tiny fraction of what that area of law has to offer. I did the Tax moot this year without even having taken Tax I. I was so nervous that I would be useless to my teammates because I had no understanding of tax law. It turned out that my entire moot was based on one single section of the Income Tax Act. Much less frightening. Imagine if you had 4 months to answer one exam question on a very specific area of law. Mooting is like that. No matter what the topic of your moot is, you will become an expert on whatever specific issue is raised within the broader subject area. Moots are meant to be a way to improve your oral advocacy skills, and, therefore, are not usually highly technical. Moots are usually based on narrow issues and are fact-driven.

I hope these myths have been sufficiently “debunked”. If you are interested in doing a moot next year, please don’t hesitate to find me and ask about it. Doing a moot was the best decision I made this year. Why I’m Glad I Moot’ed Keith Barron • The chance to learn more about the many dif- The editorial board asked me to write a companion ferent legal jurisdictions across our great nation. piece to Zina’s article, reflecting on my experiences rep- For instance, did you know that in BC hotels can- resenting Saskatchewan at the Laskin moot this year. not let you take beer or wine from the bar back to When I say “asked me” others may counter with “didn’t your room? However, there is an exemption clause: have the heart to tell me no when I begged them for if you tip the bar staff at an open bar this rule ap- one last attempt at self-aggrandizement in the college parently no longer applies. Further study required. paper.” Drawing upon the intense respect for bilin- gualism learned at the Laskin Moot I say, c’est la vie: • Gallery Cafe and Catering - 750 Hornby St., $$. Reasonable prices and gorgeous patio make this • The University pays for you to travel to an exotic one of the best locations in town to relax and en- destination for 3 nights of luxury! Downtown Van- joy those brief moments when the clouds part and couver with a view of the water and a private suite the sun shines through. Birds are jerks who will at- provided a kind of opulence that really lends an air tempt to steal your sandwich though, so watch out! of sophistication to waking up in a panic at 5am the day before you moot, trying not to throw up, and • The chance to meet august legal personages from questioning if you even know anything about law. across this great nation, possibly while quite drunk. I felt both pride and relief on Saturday morn- • Practically anywhere you go in February or March will ing when I confirmed both that I had met Justice be better than where you left! Vancouver was warm and Brown the night before, and had not in any way balmy. But be careful, this may not always hold true as embarrassed myself in front of him. What a win! the University of Manitoba still exists for some reason. • La Taqueria Pinche Taco Shop, 322 W Hastings, $. • Coast Restaurant, 1054 Alberni St., $$$$. Fine din- What do you mean it closes at five!? What cruel dei- ing meets happy hour with this delightful downtown ty would permit a taco shop to close at five! Stand- eatery. Half-price cocktails and sashimi appetizers set ing outside of this door, looking in through the win- the stage for an array of locally sourced seafood op- dow, imagining what tacos I could have eaten… let tions. My blackened salmon and risotto was worth the this be a lesson, moots teach not only teamwork, le- trip alone. Oh yeah, and team bonding likely occurred. gal skills, and confidence, but also the very bleakest heartbreak, despair and crushing disappointment. • The stimulating legal discourse with high minds that occurs when students and faculty from across Canada gather around an open bar in a hotel hospi- tality suite. Conversation topics range from recent SCC decisions, to oh my god why do people keep talking about SCC decisions when there’s an open bar and we could talk about literally anything else.

• Shuraku Restaurant - Contemporary Japanese, 833 Granville St., $$$. The trendy interior belies the tradi- tional and high quality food served here. They even in- dulged my pretentious off menu ordering of fatty tuna belly. Nothing but the best animals from the ocean, lightly killed and put on a plate. Delightful. Uh, talked important strategy for afternoon matches, team experience. Useful Classes in Law School Sean Watson

About a year ago I received a message from a 1L who was picking classes for 2L, and wanted my advice. 3. Civil Procedure – Related to Evidence, this When it came to Criminal Procedure, my advice was class will teach you about the steps needed on many something Professor Luther had told me – “it will an- of the claims that will come through your office. swer all the questions your friends ask you at a party.” 4. Criminal Procedure – to quote Dom, “not I hadn’t taken the class myself, but enrolled in it for like Civ Pro, but Criminal.” (See top of the article). first semester of third year. The amount of 2Ls in the class was staggering, and after speaking to a few peo- 5. Wills – Wills are often the bread and but- ple about why they were in the class; they repeated ter of any young associate. Once the most hat- my words back to me. From this, I learned ed class in Law, it was completely redone a few one thing – no one has any idea what to take, years ago, and now is one of my favorite classes to and everyone wishes they had some advice. date. It is also the most practical class you will take in law school, and there is very minimal reading. This brings me to the point of this article. This article will have recommendations from a few upper years, as well as my own personal reflections on classes I took 6. Negotiation – Negotiation will be a large part during my time here and how they relate to the time of your legal career. With mandatory mediations on ev- I spent in my office over both summers. I will include ery file in civil litigation, and constant negotiations with the comments of my classmates throughout. I hope that the Crown in criminal, knowing how to negotiate is a you find it useful, and remember: this is not the gos- valuable skill. The skills you learn will pel. This is merely an opinion piece that people with last you a life time. no idea what to take may find useful. As a side note, I should mention I will be practicing in Saskatch- 7. Law and Psychiatry – Recommended by Shea ewan, and thus my picks will heavily relate to that. “… because Luther is my fav ♥).” This class presents valuable insight into the problems our criminal jus- 1. Judgment Enforcement – This receives my num- tice system faces today in relation to mental illness. ber one pick. In my first summer, we had a file where we This class was an eye opener, and is also one needed to enforce our judgment. I didn’t really know of my favorite classes in relation to the crimi- what to do. I took this class in second year, and upon my nal atmosphere, as it discusses mental illness return to the office, I knew exactly what to do. In fact, and the profound effects it has in society today. every judgment enforcement file started coming to me. All I can say is, look at any firm’s library – they will have 8. Law Reform – I have not taken this class, but a copy of the supplemental text for this class (which I now regret not doing so. The people who are in this you should 100% buy from Cuming). To paraphrase class describe it as their favourite class. The class is Aziz Abdo (currently articling) – If you want to project-based and looks at how various forc- practice in Saskatchewan, you es - political, legal, etc. - influence the method and should take any of Cuming’s classes. timing for when a law is made or reformed. Practically speaking, this isn’t a class that you 2. Evidence – Arguably a mandatory course - would likely use on a day-to-day basis working even if you have no plans on being a litigator, this at a firm. However, in what could easily be a class will be useful. To know what can, and cannot be boring class, the class is enriched by Cot- introduced in a trial, administrative tribunal, or even ter’s plethora of real-life stories, which mediation, you need to know the rules of evidence. was my favorite part of his ethics course. I will now briefly mention a few oth- in 2nd year, and trial ad in 3rd year. – Alanna Carlson er classes mentioned by my cohorts: The smaller social justice classes also received Business Organizations – Recommended by Prezzy many mentions from third years, Paul, “bus org with Flann[igan]”. Providing the foun- and are recommended by them. dation for what a limited liability company is, and how one operates, Business Organizations is a class I hope this list helps you with your class choices. most students strive to take (especially for those go- In conclusion I will simply remind you to bal- ing to Calgary or Toronto). Note, this receives a spe- lot the classes you want high. Always look at pre- cial designation as what I will call a *heavy* read- requisites, and although the career office will kill ing load – this will take twice as much time as any me for saying it, everyone gets into Admin. Just other course. Adjust your semester accordingly. make sure it is ranked somewhere between 3-5, but not 1 or 2 (if you don’t care about who teaches it). Take Evidence before you take Crim Pro, and ballot high for competitive classes. Look at previous years’ Best of luck to you in your upper years, and feel enrollment on the College’s website to see if a class is free to message me on Facebook should you have competitive. If you want to be a litigator, take Civ Pro anymore questions. Tribute To The Class of 2018 Brian Lunde

The Class of 2018 has made the U of S College of Law a much livelier place.

On the surface, the Class of 2018 appears laser-focused on their academics. But just below the surface lies a laid-back attitude and a delightful sense of humor that we, the 3L class, have got- ten to know throughout the year. While the stodgy 3L class barely socialized and couldn’t be both- ered to put down their books to attend social events, the Class of 2018 was clearly the life of the party.

Soon after they arrived at the College of Law, the Class of 2018 settled into their new home. As a means of integrating themselves in the school, they quickly formed an exclusive, 60-person deep, group Facebook chat. However, in a school of three hundred plus people the Class of 2018 wasn’t content to just fade into the background. No, when your class is this bright you can’t help but find ways to standout. They did a great job of standing out at some of the professional networking and recruit- ing events hosted throughout the year by some 1Ls choosing to place a heavy emphasis on the “casual” in business-casual. This bold, fashion-forward move turned heads of students and lawyers alike!

One of the hilarious pranks the Class of 2018 played on the College happened at the First-Year For- mal. The bait for the prank was a seemingly helpful Facebook post where a 1L offered to set up a common snapchat thread for everyone to send their snaps to. The switch occurred a few days later when all the pictures people had taken, under the impression that those pictures would never exist outside of snapchat, showed up online in a shareable folder. Well played Class of 2018, well played.

The Class of 2018’s humour and wit took centre stage at Legal Follies this year as well. With easily the funniest sketch of the night, the 1L class showed-off their acting chops over the course of what felt like an entire millennium. This comedic tour-de-force was something to be marvelled at as each one of the 1,341 jokes delivered during the sketch landed with the equivalent hilarious- ness of Professor Hoehn’s Property class material. It must be reassuring to know that if a career in law doesn’t work out for the Class of 2018, writing for Saturday Night Live is a viable backup plan. While the Class of 2018’s sense of humour is generally well-received, there are times when people, for example, a lady and her alleged Aryan Brotherhood boyfriend, are not particularly bowled-over by it. Nonethe- less, the Class of 2018’s dedication to their material is impressive as a group of 1L’s have been doing a remark- able impression of a four-year old child trying to play foosball, the entire year, every single time they play.

As the Class of 2016 prepares for what will likely be a clumsily executed departure from the College it is reassuring to know that the College is in good hands with the Class of 2018. Without the Class of 2018, the College of Law would be left to the current 2L class, which we all know couldn’t be trusted to run a lemonade stand. I wish the Class of 2018 the best of luck in helping the dullards which comprise the Class of 2017 form a functional student association.

In closing, the current 2L class is literally the worst and here’s to the Class of 2018!

The Inspirational Women In Our Lives

My mother sacrificed her career as a doctor, instead To everyone that submitted, I just want to say choosing to provide my sisters and I with a better life thanks. The quality of submissions we received than many girls receive in Afghanistan because she un- derstood the power of education for women. I consider for this contest blew me away. It blew me away her my hero because she is someone who thinks of oth- so much so that I decided to run all six of the en- ers and helps people even when she herself has little to tries and it made picking three winners so ridic- give. My mom has always taught me to be grateful for ulously hard. Whether you won earrings or not, what I have, work hard and always be ethical in every- it is great to know that you have some awesome thing that I do. Her powerful words will be something people in your lives - Brian I will carry with me in my years as a law student, and a lawyer because I see it as the true hallmark for a lawyer who is in the profession to help others. WINNER: Tamana Sediqi – 1L Without hesitation the first person that comes to mind My mother is my hero not only because she offers me is my mother. She has inspired me and influenced my unconditional love but also because she has all the work not only in law school but, also my life as a whole. qualities of a person I hope to become one day. I love My mother had to overcome impossible obstacles and my mother unreservedly the way she has loved and gave up her career and life back in Afghanistan only to supported me. I would not be the woman I am today, provide my sisters and I with an education. The only with the views for justice and equality for both men and reason I am in law school is because of the infinite sup- women without her in my life. Mom, thank you for port my beautiful mother has given me. everything you have done. I love you. WINNER: Erin Moch - 2L It is hard to determine just one woman when think- WINNER: Maddie Siobhan – 1L ing about who has inspired my work ethic in law As cliché as it is, my mom is the woman who has influ- school. Instead, it is a long list of women who have enced my work ethic in law school. She has helped me shaped various faucets of my being. Some of these pay for this year, and threatened to take me to court for women are large motivators, while others are small- a lost return on her investment if I don’t pass. And with er, though they all have had some form of influence. how useless a B.A. is in the job market, I don’t think I’d be able to repay her. With that terrible joke out of the way, One of the key pillars in my development, like most wom- I’ll get into why my mom has actually influenced me. en, has been my mother. She has been an inspiration to me in an atypical way. My mother did the “get married When I was in my first year of university I had to take and have children young in life” cliché, which included a Stats 100 class, despite math not being a strength of giving up her career to be a stay-at-home mom and to mine. In the days leading up to the final, I was becom- support my dad’s career. Though this works for some, it ing more and more stressed out. My mom came up to has been an example to not be auxiliary to someone else’s me one day, as I was staring sadly at my morning coffee, career, but rather to take control of my life and focus and stressed to me that as long as I gave this exam all my on my career as a primary aspect. This has encouraged attention and focus, and did my absolute best, the exact me to work harder each and every day in law school. outcome didn’t matter. I took this to heart, and studied my ass off leading up to the final, walking away with The next person who has been an inspiration is Jus- a satisfactory, if not great (or even “good”) mark. My tice Ruth Bader Ginsburg (RBG). She is inspiration- mom was still extremely proud of me for not giving up al in that her example shows a woman can rise to when things were difficult, and for giving it my all. This the top of her career path, as demonstrated by her has stuck with me all the way up until the present day. nearly twenty-three-year Supreme Court appoint- ment in the US. Plus, who doesn’t want to be like My mom never wanted me to just put in the min- RBG and get a colouring book made about them? imal effort to get a passing grade, she raised me to take pride in my work and to put my all into ev- The last person I will mention of inspiration, though erything that I do. Then, whatever the grade, it’ll this list is far from finished, is Angelina Jolie. This is due be something I can take pride in accomplishing. to the sheer amount of involvement, both personal and career-wise, she has done: acting, humanitarian work, convincing Brad Pitt to leave Jennifer Aniston, and rais- HONOURABLE MENTION: Julia Crook-Devitt – 2L ing six children. Seeing a woman like that has proven There are too many special females who have im- to me that I too can do a million things at any time, pacted my life and none should be placed below or which has encouraged me to do just that in law school. above another, which is why I will not choose one specifically. I can sometimes be described as inde- These women are the start of the long list of cisive, but in this situation, I don’t see this as nega- women who all perpetuate a quality that moti- tive. It is simply an indication of how lucky I am to vates me to work harder each day in law school. have so many influential female role models in my life.

My cousin has travelled the world playing on the Ca- nadian National Water Polo Team all while completing her undergraduate degree. It may have taken her much longer than usual to complete this degree, but ultimately she had more life experience in that time than would be available to the average university student. Her passion and dedication to her team has encouraged me to live life. Yes, school is important, but we also have to remember to keep a balance and experience life as it happens. My best friend is an elementary school teacher in Regina. She has worked hard to put herself through university and now puts her heart and soul into her students. She gives everything to her children, while always retaining a positive attitude. Her life is her students, and that passion and love is unmatched by anyone else I know. I only hope that I can practice law with the same passion that she exudes, giving my all to my clients and their needs, while retaining a positive outlook on the world and my life.

These are only two examples of the wonderful women I have in my life. All of them have impacted the way I conduct myself in law school and how I will run my practice. I cannot imagine my life without any of them and hope to do them all proud in school and beyond. HONOURABLE MENTION: Matt McMahon – 3L I can’t possibly explain how great my Grandma Celine is HONOURABLE MENTION: Annie Quangtakoune – in 200 words so instead I’ll just give you one quick story. 2L I’ve often been told I am just like my mother. It is For the past three years I have been here in Saskatoon funny to me that now, at age 27, I can finally ap- while my family has been back in Ontario. I stay in touch preciate that statement for the huge compliment with everyone but no one more so than my grandma. it is. The motivation, discipline, and competitive- ness that makes me the person I am today, is a di- I call her often but our phone calls never last too long, rect result of the example my mother has led for me. most of our correspondence comes the old fashioned way - via Canada Post. A few years ago, when they As one of eleven children, my mother learned ear- announced they were raising the price of ly on that if she wanted something, she was going to stamps my grandma went out and bought hun- have to earn it herself. She fled her war-torn home- dreds of stamps. She is a very thrifty lady. land, relocated to a new country twice, and has raised me as a single parent since the age of three. Another example of her thriftiness: every year, right It is truly because of her sacrifice that I have been after Christmas, she goes out and buys up dozens of able to achieve all that I have. She taught me that if I Christmas cards on clearance. So every two weeks or remained determined and viewed life with a pos- so I receive a Christmas card from my grandma. She itive attitude, no goal would be out of my reach. always makes slight moderations to make the cards more seasonal, “Wishing you a joyous holiday sea- Her independent nature and value she places on hard son successful semester and a peaceful New Year work has shaped the work ethic I employ in law school today. Working my first job at fifteen, putting my- Thanksgiving” “MerryChristmas Spring” “I had to cut self through five years of university, and now through part of the card to fit the envelope.” Most of the time law school, she has been a constant inspiration. It is cards come with a recipe for a weird new meal she a comfort to know that I can always rely on her as a wants me to try and twenty bucks “for ingredients.” source of support and encouragement as I complete my law degree and one day begin my career as a lawyer. But the best part of the cards are the words written inside. THE CAVEAT WANTS YOU

We’re looking for talented writers to fill our pages, as well as 1L and 2L students for next year’s editorial board. Please submit articles and inquiries to [email protected] or speak to any member of the editorial board directly.