I am always gratified when a junior lawyer reaches out to ask me to help them moot their submissions to the Supreme Court of Canada or on another appeal – it is literally my favourite thing to do. While there is a formal program for these cases run by no doubt bigger brains than mine, it’s nice that young women know they can come to me for this very limited, specific “intervention” as it were. Word has gotten out and I’m getting more “customers”. – the service is free and probably worth every penny. 🙂 Still, with now 310+ appeals under my belt officially recorded, I do feel I have something to offer. Not all were lost in any event.

Also though I am super proud to see how Women In Canadian Criminal Defence‘s first ever Intervention Mentorship Moot set for Oct 3, 2026 is coming along. I saw on this platform that something like this was done elsewhere a while back and decided WiCCD members should have the same program as a perk. It is HAPPENING!! We are welcoming more and more wonderful judges to preside over two sessions during which our junior women lawyers will deliver 5 minute oral submissions on Zoom, same as in real life, to two 9 member panels of “The Supreme Court of WiCCD” based on the case of Harry Arthur COPE heard last December by the SCC – Judgment on reserve.

WiCCD’s Exec and Admin staff (all volunteers) and special helpers from inside our courts and our friends in Crown’s offices are helping to make this program the resounding success I fully expect it will be. All of which is to say, Hail WiCCD and here’s to training on appellate oral advocacy to make every outing the best experience it can be for our Bench and the Bar.