Advocacy Competitions


Harrison Pensa Contract Drafting Competition


This voluntary competition challenges students in all years to test their legal writing and contract drafting skills. The competition, which is held early in the Spring term, is generously sponsored by the London firm of Harrison Pensa and the Western Law School Business & Insolvency Group.

Students, who work individually, pick up the problem from the Student Services and Administration Office and are given approximately one week to prepare their contract. Practitioners from Harrison Pensa assess the submissions and the award winners are announced at a reception, which is held for all of the competitors. Awards are presented in two categories. One is for the top student overall. The other is for either the top first-year student (if the top student overall is in second or third year) or the runner-up overall.


2008 Competition Results


The winners of the 2008 Harrison Pensa Contract Drafting Competition are Codie Chisholm (1L) and Erika Douglas (1L). The lawyers at Harrison Pensa were extremely impressed with each of this year's 46 submissions. Several students received Honourable Mention for their efforts, including Erin O'Leary, Christopher Boyko, Adrian Walrath, Jessica Foster, Jennifer Butkus, Stephanie King, Patrick Bruce, Erin Fordyce and Will Hooper.All of this year's competitors are commended for making time for a very worthwhile advocacy exercise.

Special thanks go to Harrison Pensa LLP for generously sponsoring the event and especially to Michele Mannering and David Canton for attending the panel discussion on contract drafting. Students, Sharon Kour and Alana Shepherd, of the Business and Insolvency Group and last year's winners, Kristen Woods and Frank Voisin, are to be commended for their commitment to this year’s competition.

Thanks must also go to the Contract Law professors that encouraged their students to attend the panel discussion and participate in the competition and to Emelia Hugel and Nanette Love for their valuable administrative assistance.

2008 Problem

2008 Rules



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