Thompson Serves as Judge at Lincoln Alexander Law School Moot Certification Hearing

Judge Nicholas Marcus Thompson and Assistant Professor Christopher presiding at moot court hearing at Lincoln Alexander Law School, Toronto Metropolitan University. April 10, 2025.

Nicholas Marcus Thompson served as a judge at the Moot Court Certification Hearing in the JUR 211 Class Actions course at the Lincoln Alexander School of Law, Toronto Metropolitan University, held on April 10, 2025. The moot court marked the culmination of the course’s experiential component conducted in partnership with the Black Class Action Secretariat (BCAS).

Earlier in the term, on January 16, 2025, Thompson guest lectured in the course, introducing students to the social functions of class actions and situating the subject within the broader context of systemic anti-Black discrimination and the Black Class Action. This lecture provided the academic foundation for the clinical work that followed.

The hearing simulated a contested motion for the certification of a proposed class action addressing systemic anti-Black discrimination in public sector employment. It required students to engage directly with the legal framework governing class actions and to apply doctrinal principles in a setting modelled on professional courtroom practice.

Students were divided into groups. Some groups represented the proposed class and argued in favour of certification. Other groups represented the state and argued against certification. Each team was required to present oral submissions, respond to questions from the bench, and defend its position on the certification criteria, including cause of action, identifiable class, common issues, preferability, and representative plaintiff.

The exercise mirrored the structure of an actual certification hearing, placing students in adversarial roles and requiring them to test competing legal theories before a judicial panel.

Seated on the bench in judicial robes, Thompson joined Assistant Professor Christopher Campbell-Duruflé in presiding over the hearing. Together, they questioned counsel, tested the structure and coherence of the submissions, and assessed students’ application of the legal framework governing certification.

Drawing on his experience as President and CEO of the Black Class Action Secretariat, Thompson situated the arguments within the broader context of systemic litigation and institutional accountability.

Thompson contributed to a learning environment that connected doctrinal study with applied advocacy. Students were required to integrate legal analysis, strategic reasoning, and oral advocacy in a setting that reflected professional practice.

Thompson’s role as guest lecturer and judge formed part of the broader clinical collaboration between the Lincoln Alexander School of Law and the BCAS. Through this partnership, students engaged with live issues of systemic anti-Black discrimination and explored the use of class actions as instruments of access to justice and institutional reform.