Mathews Dinsdale has a long history of representing employers when dealing with legal workplace matters. In fact, they were the first firm to specialize in this practice in the entire country. So, it makes sense that they would want to continue this tradition for years to come and educate the next generation of promising lawyers. One way that they are doing that is through their annual National Labour Arbitration Competition. This is an opportunity for law students from throughout the country to test their skills when it comes to labour arbitration and work with some of the best in the field.

There are currently eight schools participating in the competition and they come from all over the country. All of the students participating are in the second year of their law studies and most are currently studying labour law as part of their program. The competition takes place over two days. The first is a round robin on the Saturday that all of the teams participate in. The panel, which is made up of some of the best minds in labour law in the country, then selects the best two teams to compete for the trophy on the next day. There is also a reception that opens the event in the Friday evening at the Mathews Dinsdale & Clark offices.

The scoring of the panel depends on the team's oral presentation skills and their answers to a number of questions. The students are expected to follow the practices of Ontario labour law and the competition takes place at the Ontario Labour Relations Board. But, you will find that the skills learned are those that can be used throughout Canada. The winning team is given scholarship money towards their third year of studies and many teams are sponsored by local law firms to attend the competition.

One of the most interesting things about the Mathews Dinsdale competition is that it gives teams a chance to argue both sides of the case. If you are fighting for the union in the morning you might be representing management in the afternoon. There are mentors on both sides and some of the staff members of Mathews Dinsdale are on the management side. There are other highly respected lawyers helping the union side each year. Two students from York University's Osgoode Hall took home the prize at last year's event. Students for the next year are usually selected in the fall and can obtain credits for participating.

References:

Osgoode Hall Participates in Competition for Law Students with Mathews Dinsdale

Osgoode Hall Wins 2010 Mathews Dinsdale Arbitration Competition

Credits offered at U of T Faculty of Law for Students in Mathews Dinsdale Annual Competition

UWO posts Competition Hosted by Mathews Dinsdale