Faculty of Law celebrates its 2026 medallists

L to R: Dean Fiona Kelly, Helena Rizzuto, Eli Ziff and Adam Gareau

Eli Ziff earns the 2026 Horace Harvey Gold Medal in Law

The medal is awarded to the top graduating student

The path to a JD is rarely a straight line, but for Eli Ziff, ’26 JD, the destination was well worth the trek. Achieving the Faculty of Law’s most prestigious graduating honour—the Horace Harvey Gold Medal in Law—brought a well-deserved sense of fulfillment.

“It put a smile on my face,” Ziff says. “It was nice to feel like I had nothing to regret. I gave it my all, and it paid off.”

Driven by an initial desire to "master the law so that I could try to make the world a better place," Ziff first started law school in the fall of 2022. However, a series of personal challenges—including his father’s sudden heart attack and a pair of severe concussions—forced a medical withdrawal. 

Returning a year later, fully healthy and re-energized, his law school experience ultimately became a rewarding chapter of growth. While the intense workload brought its share of anxieties—“first semester of 2L, I’m looking at you”—his overall reflection is one of gratitude.

“I made so many friends, learned so many things, and got involved in so many clubs," Ziff says. "I loved it.”

Academically, Ziff's broad curiosity across all legal disciplines proved to be the secret to his academic success. This curiosity was nurtured by his professors, including Florence Ashley, Sandrine Ampleman-Tremblay and Anna Lund, all of whom Ziff credits for pushing students "to believe in themselves, and to believe that a better world is possible.”

Under the tutelage of Ashley, Ziff authored an independent research paper discussing judicial use of a pervasive myth regarding fentanyl poisoning, a piece that is now forthcoming in the UBC Law Review. Ziff also worked closely as a research assistant for Ampleman-Tremblay, noting that her seminar on the Legal History of Women’s Rights "was probably my favourite class in law school, and it was always the highlight of my week.”

Similarly, working as a research assistant for Lund served as a source of inspiration. "I truly admire her work," Ziff says, pointing to her scholarship, her pro bono work with the Edmonton Community Legal Centre, and "the million other projects that she manages through her frankly superhuman productivity.”

Outside of the classroom, Ziff left his mark on campus life. He led improvements to the Alberta Law Review, both as co-editor-in-chief with Lauren Stavert and by working with fellow member Martin Rudolf to develop software designed to improve the law journal editing process. 

Ziff's leadership roles also included serving as co-president of Law Students for Human Rights alongside Areeba Ismail, and contributing as the only male executive on the Women’s Law Forum.

But his law school experience was also defined by fun and school spirit. Whether he was writing and performing in the annual Law Show productions of Twilaw and Law School Musical, performing in OUTlaw’s Law is a Drag event (a competition he admits to rigging by planting money in the crowd), or secretly plotting to DJ the Carbolic Smoke Ball under the pseudonym "DJ Smokeball," Ziff fully embraced the student culture. 

Looking ahead, his goal remains simple: to "keep working hard and trying to make the world a better place.” In the immediate future, however, the gold medalist is shifting the spotlight away from personal accolades and toward a member of the law school community, spearheading fundraising efforts for staff member Tim Young in his fight against cancer.

"I am hoping that anyone reading this will consider supporting Tim through his crowdfunding page, givesendgo.com/stalwart.”

Adam Gareau recognized with George Bligh O’Connor Silver Medal in Law

Law school wasn’t always on the radar for Adam Gareau, ’26 JD, who originally came to the U of A to complete a degree in mechanical engineering. However, the decision to study law has clearly paid off, as he is the recipient of this year’s George Bligh O’Connor Silver Medal in Law.

“I was very humbled by it,” Gareau says. “I never expected anything like this going into law school and it just blew me away to hear!”

Gareau’s interest in the legal field was originally piqued during an engineering co-op placement when he watched a company navigate litigation. Fascinated by how the lawyers had to master technical engineering problems to tackle the case, he realized this background was something he could leverage if he pursued law.

Over the last three years, Gareau established himself as one of the most celebrated mooters in the faculty's history. His competitive success began in his 1L year as one half of the team that won the Right Honourable Beverley McLachlin Moot. He followed that achievement by winning the internal Brimacombe Selection Moot two years in a row.

This year, he was named Best Oralist in the Laskin Moot in Toronto – in the midst of which he received a voicemail from Supreme Court of Canada Justice Malcolm Rowe offering him a prestigious clerkship. 

To cap off his competitive career, Gareau was named the winner of the 2026 Mandy MacLeod Prize for Excellence in Mooting. The faculty prize recognizes a student who has displayed exceptional advocacy skills both internally and externally, while also providing invaluable mentorship and guidance to his fellow peers. 

Gareau credits much of his development to influential faculty members like Professor Gerard Kennedy, who encouraged him to pursue the Supreme Court path, and Professor Andrew Leach, his mooting coach for the Laskin. 

With graduation now here, Gareau is focused on an incredibly bright future. His upcoming years will take him to a clerkship at the Alberta Court of Appeal, followed by his relocation to Ottawa in 2027 to clerk at the Supreme Court of Canada, before an eventual return to Edmonton to finish his articles. Ultimately, he envisions developing a litigation practice that bridges his technical and legal expertise.

Helena Rizzuto receives Judge’s Bronze Medal

Growing up in Fort McMurray, Helena Rizzuto, ‘26 JD, didn't have any “grand aspirations” of becoming a lawyer. But completing an undergraduate degree in sciences gave her an opportunity to explore the regulatory side of environmental protection, which opened the door for her to consider a future in law. Now, that journey has culminated in Rizzuto receiving this year's Judge’s Bronze Medal.

“I was shocked,” she says of learning the news. “This graduating class is filled with brilliant students, many of whom are my very close friends—including the other medalists, Eli and Adam!”

Rizzuto is quick to give credit for her success to the support she received from her parents and her partner. “I was extremely advantaged in that my only day-to-day worry was my grades,” she says. “Having the financial, emotional and practical support to devote yourself fully to academics is itself an enormous privilege.”

For Rizzuto, the highlight of her time in the Faculty of Law was the collaborative community she found within her first week. Rather than surviving the workload in isolation, she and her close friends tackled it together.

“Law school is hard—it was important for me to find laughter and community in every failure or misstep (of which there were many),” she reflects. “On the other hand, it was equally important for me to have people who could challenge my ideas or understanding. Much of our time together was spent debating, teaching each other, or working through complex concepts.”

Though she arrived with an interest in environmental regulation, her legal passions quickly diversified into private law—specifically torts, contracts and unjust enrichment. She credits much of her academic foundation to Professor Mitchell McInnes, "an absolute master of private law" who deeply shaped her legal thinking. She also found invaluable mentorship under Professor (now Justice) Eric Adams, whose confidence in her abilities pushed her to take on challenges she wouldn't have otherwise considered.

Outside of the classroom, Rizzuto greatly enjoyed working with the Alberta Law Review, contributing to legal academia and finding a tight-knit sense of community among the board members. Another highlight was the opportunity to teach as a writing fellow,  a highly rewarding experience helping newer students reduce complex legal ideas into clear, accessible prose.

As a mooter, Rizzuto partnered with Adam Gareau to compete in the Gale Cup, where they earned first place factum, as well as a moot in the Constitutional Litigation course. “Getting to write a factum with someone who is as equally invested in the material—and as equally opinionated as you are—was one of the most exciting and challenging law school experiences,” she says.

With her degree complete, Rizzuto is looking forward to her next steps. This August, she will begin clerking at the Alberta Court of Appeal under Justice Kevin Feth. Following her 10-month term with the courts, she will head to Reynolds Mirth Richards & Farmer LLP to complete her articles, where she is eager to work in civil litigation.