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<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nThis year, we were surprised and delighted to discover that two of the Court of Appeal clerks volunteering on the Fall Charter Challenge, participated in the program as high school students themselves. Mackenzie Claggett and Matthew Patterson graduated from different Ontario highschools in 2014; Mackenzie from Humberview Secondary School in Bolton and Matthew from Cawthra Park Secondary School in Mississauga. We spoke with them about what it is like revisiting the Charter Challenge at this point in their career.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Beginning their new positions at the Court of Appeal, they were both surprised to learn they would have an opportunity to volunteer on the program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOn our first day we were told that clerks participate in Pro Bono<\/em> initiatives and one thing they do is help organize the OJEN [Charter Challenge] and I thought, \u2018I did that! I was one of those students!\u2019\u201d Mackenzie remembered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Matthew also jumped at the chance to work on the program. \u201cIt\u2019s a cool way to come full circle,\u201d he told us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In highschool, both Matthew and Mackenzie remember being very engaged in the Charter Challenge activity in their law classes. The issues addressed in the cases were interesting and received a lot of media attention at the time. Both Mackenzie\u2019s and Matthew\u2019s teams were selected to advance to the finals, although in different years. Coming to Toronto to present their arguments in front of an Appeal Court judge was a memorable experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI was amped for it,\u201d Matthew recalled. \u201cThat was something I was looking forward to. I was very involved with a number of things in high school. I did tons of extracurriculars. But that\u2019s one of the things that sticks out most in my mind – the Charter Challenge experience. I don\u2019t think I appreciated then as I do now, just how much of a cool experience it was. I didn\u2019t get to moot in front of a Court of Appeal judge in all of law school. But I got to do it in high school. That\u2019s a pretty cool experience to have at that age.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt was definitely intimidating,\u201d Mackenzie told us. \u201cI had no idea what I was doing. I really didn\u2019t know what a moot was and I was doing this in front of an actual Court of Appeal judge. I\u2019d just learned what the Court of Appeal was.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n It was, however, a great learning experience. Going into the Charter Challenge with no plans to pursue a career in law and no connections with anyone who practiced law, provided a rare look into the legal world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI didn\u2019t really have a sense of the legal institutions or the legal processes involved in constitutional adjudication. I was aware of the debates and controversies but I didn\u2019t know, on the ground, what that process actually looked like. I thought the program was wonderful in exposing me to just a shred of what that process might actually be and what it might actually look like to practice law and be a lawyer. I thought that was really important for someone with my background – where I don\u2019t have any lawyers in the family or friends who are lawyers who could give me information on what legal practice is like. That\u2019s the value that I took away from the program.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Not everyone who participates in the Charter Challenge goes on to legal careers. Only one other of Matthew and Mackenzie\u2019s teammates went on to study law. They both agree that the program has much to offer students no matter what career path they pursue. Preparing the factum and presenting arguments to a panel of judges develops reading and writing skills as well as public speaking skills. Mackenzie also mentioned how the program increased students’ understanding of civic institutions. Matthew appreciated what he gained from the teamwork that went into preparing the factum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou do group projects in high school and it\u2019s usually a presentation or some sort of written assignment. The idea of producing a professional style document with a group – taking different parts, helping with each other\u2019s parts, researching together – that\u2019s something that goes into a lot of professions. Putting together a professional work product as a team – developing those skills early – is huge. That soft-skill development and exposure to a more intense, interesting experience is really cool. I think all of us got a lot out of that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n So what is the experience like at the other side of the Charter Challenge?<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIn the past few weeks I\u2019ve really appreciated the amount of time that goes into organizing these events,\u201d Mackenzie commented. \u201cWe spent a fair bit of time putting together the backgrounders and I know that OJEN takes a lot of time in preparing and organizing the Charter Challenge.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThere are a lot of really impressive volunteers who put it all together,\u201d Matthew added. \u201cI think this year\u2019s problem is really well written. I think it\u2019s a fun challenge. It\u2019s something topical in the media that students would be aware of. And I\u2019m very excited to read their factums.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\nReflecting on the Charter Challenge experience<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Benefits of the Charter Challenge program<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Re-visiting the program as a volunteer<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n