Mathews, Dinsdale & Clark is seen by many as the leading labour law firm in all of Toronto and has a reputation throughout the country. They have been in business for more than fifty years and host many events and training sessions to educate students and businesses about labour laws. One of the ways that they are reaching out to future lawyers is through the Mathews Dinsdale & Clark Labour Arbitration Competition. This event is held annually in January and takes place at the Ontario Labour Relations Board.

There are eight teams from law programs across Canada currently competing in this event each year. Each of these schools has two people representing them in rounds that last over the two days of a weekend. The first day is spent in a round robin between the various teams where each is responsible for taking each the union and the management side once. The management side is overseen by representatives from Mathews Dinsdale & Clark while the union side has mentors from other prestigious law firms in and around Toronto. There are many lawyers who are willing to give their time to participate in this event.

At the end of the first day, the top two teams are chosen based on their presentations and their answers to several questions by the competition panel. Sunday morning is devoted to the last round between these two pairs and the winner will take home a scholarship towards their last year of school and the Mathews Dinsdale Arbitration Competition Trophy. The winners of the most recent competition were the representatives from the University of Toronto in 2011 and Osgoode Hall at York University in 2010. Dalhousie has the most wins over the years with three but seven of the eight schools have had a winning team at least once in the thirteen years of the competition.

One of the best reasons to participate in this event is that it is a great chance to meet some of the top legal minds working in labour law in Canada today. Many of the members of the panel serve on the Ontario Court of Appeal and there are two chances to get to know them. There is a welcome reception at the offices of Mathews Dinsdale & Clark on the Friday night and a banquet to announce the finalists on the Saturday. This is a great place to start making a name for yourself in the Canadian legal world.

Resources:

Osgoode Hall Participates in Mathews Dinsdale & Clark Labour Competition

Osgoode Hall Wins 2010 Mathews Dinsdale Arbitration Competition

University of British Columbia announces Competition in Toronto with Mathews Dinsdale & Clark Law Firm

Credits offered at U of T Faculty of Law for Entry in Mathews Dinsdale Arbitration Competition

Mathews Dinsdale Supports Speaker's Series in Labour Law