Eight articling students join Smart & Biggar in Ottawa, Toronto and Vancouver
Smart & Biggar welcomes eight articling students to the Ottawa, Toronto and Vancouver offices, most of whom are returning to the firm following terms as 2018 summer students.
Each year across our offices, we hire a group of well-rounded law students who are driven, intellectually curious and team-oriented, with business acumen, a passion for IP law and a strong academic record.
In the upcoming year, our articling students will work side by side with partners and associates at the firm on the most complex and important IP matters in the country. They will have access to Canada’s leading IP Lawyers, and work in a team-based environment to solve clients' most pressing IP issues.
Our comprehensive Law Student Training Program encompasses all aspects of IP. Each student will gain experience in patents, trademarks, copyright and related litigation, and discover what it means to be at their best in an elite field of law.
Welcome to our articling students and all the best for an exciting year ahead!
Walter Chan is an articling student in our Ottawa office. He recently completed his Juris Doctor from the University of Toronto. Walter completed his Ph.D. in Chemistry from Stanford University under the supervision of Professor Barry M. Trost. His thesis is titled, “The palladium-catalyzed asymmetric prenylation of oxindoles and its application to the synthesis of natural products.”
Malcolm Harvey is an articling student in our Toronto office. He has recently completed his J.D./M.B.A. at the University of Toronto, where he also completed an M.Sc. in Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology. As a graduate student, Malcolm was awarded an NSERC Canada Graduate Scholarship. While studying at the University of Toronto, Malcolm volunteered with the Ontario Health Professions Appeal and Review Board through Pro Bono Students Canada. He also served as an associate editor for the University Of Toronto Faculty Of Law Review.
Rachel Meland is an articling student in our Toronto office. She has recently completed her B.C.L./LL.B. from McGill University, where she also graduated with a B.Sc. in Chemistry.
Rachel was the recipient of the E. Leo Kolber Entrance Scholarship and was awarded the Harry Batshaw Prize and the MacKay Award for her academic achievements. She was also the winner of The Supreme Court of Canada in Fifty Years National Essay Competition and a member of the winning McGill team for the 2018 IBFD International Tax Law Competition.
Brendan Peters is an articling student in our Ottawa office. He recently completed his Juris Doctor at Dalhousie University. Brendan obtained his M.Sc. in Organic Chemistry from the University of Toronto, where he was awarded the NSERC Canada Graduate Scholarship. His thesis titled, “Three, Two, One: Three New C–C Bonds, Two C–H Activations, One Pot. A Highly Efficient Palladium-catalyzed Domino Reaction of Aryl Iodides and Aryl Bromides” was completed in the lab of Dr. Mark Lautens at the University of Toronto.
Eric Saragosa is an articling student in our Toronto office. He has recently completed his B.C.L./LL.B. from McGill University, where he also graduated with a B.Sc. in Neuroscience. Before joining Smart & Biggar, Eric interned with the intellectual property department of an aerospace company in Montreal. During his law studies, Eric served as Editor-in-Chief of the McGill Journal of Law and Health, as well as represented McGill University at the Hockey Arbitration Competition of Canada.
Bram Schwartz is an articling student in our Ottawa office and is currently working toward his Juris Doctor from Western University. During his legal studies, Bram worked at Community Legal Services as an Associate Caseworker and as an Intellectual Property. Bram completed a B.Eng. in Electrical Engineering from Carleton University, where he graduated with Distinction. During. Prior to starting his legal studies, Bram worked as a Software Engineer at General Dynamics where he worked on the Aurora Incremental Modernization Project.
Erin Stuart is an articling student in our Ottawa office. She has recently completed her Juris Doctor from the University of Ottawa. Erin completed her B.A.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Waterloo. During her undergraduate career, Erin worked in facilities management at AECL, procurement at Hatch, quality at an Austrian steel mill, project management for Promer Management, plant engineering at a TransCanada power plant, and was a project coordinator for infrastructure renovations at St. Michael’s Hospital.
Michal Zielinski is an articling student in our Vancouver office. He has recently completed his J.D. from the University of Alberta, and also holds a Ph.D. in Materials Engineering and Medical Science. In 2009, after finishing his engineering degree, Michal worked as a materials engineer in the Advanced Materials Business Unit of the Alberta Research Council in Edmonton. During his graduate and undergraduate studies, Michal received multiple scholarships and awards recognizing his academic excellence, including the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) Alexander Graham Bell Canada Graduate Scholarship – Doctoral; the Alberta Ingenuity Graduate Student Scholarship – Doctoral; and the APEGA Past Presidents’ Medal in Materials Engineering.
Smart & Biggar is Canada's largest firm practising exclusively in intellectual property and technology law, with offices in Ottawa, Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver and Calgary. As leaders in intellectual property and technology law Smart & Biggar has been serving clients for over a century.