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OTTAWA – Darren Vallentgoed of Dalhousie University’s Schulich School of Law is the winner of the 2012 Canadian Bar Association (CBA) National Environmental, Energy and Resources Law Section (NEERLS) Law School Essay Contest David Estrin Prize.

Mr. Vallentgoed’s essay, Open Seas, Open Season: The Impending Challenge of Regulating Circumpolar Shipping in the High Arctic, examines the issues surrounding the opening of the Arctic to commercial shipping.

“This leading-edge paper addresses significant and timely issues and is not only well-written and balanced, but is also ambitious in scope,” says Stuart Chambers, NEERLS Executive Member and Essay Committee Chair. “While Arctic shipping issues have been well-canvassed in recent years in the literature, this well-researched paper takes a slightly different approach in that it considers the issues around a high-seas Arctic sea route as opposed to the Northwest or Northeast passages.”

Mr. Vallentgoed is a JD candidate at Dalhousie University. He holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Studies and Russian from the University of Saskatchewan, and a Master of Arts degree in Political Science with a focus on International Relations from McMaster University. He is an avid sailor, pilot, and former Jessup moot competitor, and sits on the executive of the John E. Read International Law Society. He plans to spend this summer with the Dalhousie Legal Aid Service before commencing articles.

The Law School Essay Contest promotes and rewards interest in environmental, energy, and resources law topics in Canadian law schools. The award honours David Estrin, a pioneer of environmental law in Canada and a partner at Gowling Lafleur Henderson LLP in Toronto. Mr. Estrin has advised government agencies, corporations, and institutions, assisted in policy development and drafting of legislation in Ontario, Alberta, and Canada, and appeared before provincial and federal courts. He has written books and taught management at the university and college level. Gowling Lafleur Henderson LLP is a Foundation Sponsor of the award.

The prize consists of $500 cash plus registration, airfare, meals, and accommodation at the CBA 2012 NEERLS Law Summit, taking place April 26-27, 2012 at the Fairmont Waterfront Hotel in Vancouver. Mr. Vallentgoed’s essay will be published in an upcoming edition of the NEERLS newsletter, the EcoBulletin.

The Canadian Bar Association is dedicated to support for the rule of law, and improvement in the law and the administration of justice. Some 37,000 lawyers, law teachers, and law students from across Canada are members.