Our 2023/24 Articling Program

Natasha summered at the firm in 2022. She recently graduated from Osgoode Hall Law School at York University, where she received the Charles Edward Woodrow Award for academic achievement. Natasha thrived in negotiation competitions during law school, competing and placing as a finalist in numerous competitions, including the Winkler Negotiation Competition and Dentons Cup. Most recently, Natasha was the runner up for top oralist in the 2023 Walsh Family Negotiation Competition. Natasha also competed in Spanish at the International Chamber of Commerce Moot in Costa Rica, culminating in a second-place finish. During law school, Natasha was also actively involved in the Osgoode Business Clinic, where she worked directly with small businesses and startup companies. She helped entrepreneurs through the process of incorporation, assisted them in drafting terms and conditions, and conducted legal research on regulatory matters. Natasha recently finished a year-long placement as the Program Coordinator for the Osgoode chapter of Pro Bono Students Canada where she oversaw more than 70 different projects and 250 students. Prior to law school, Natasha attended Queen's University, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in English and a minor in Psychology. While at Queen's, Natasha was President of the English Department Student Council and served on the University's student council. Outside of work, Natasha spends time with her rescue dogs – Regina and Piper – and cat Fin. She enjoys travelling and just completed trip to Europe with her grandmother. She is also a fan of reality TV and her weekly Barre class.

Nayaab summered at the firm in 2022 and recently graduated from the University of Ottawa Faculty of Law. She obtained her Bachelor of Commerce from Ryerson University (now Toronto Metropolitan University) with a major in Global Management Studies, graduating with Distinction. At Ryerson, Nayaab successfully competed in many public speaking and case competitions, including Toastmaster's Next Top Speaker, Enactus National Competition and the National Ethics Competition. She represented Ryerson at various student-led university conferences, including Harvard University, Concordia University and the University of Alberta. During her undergraduate studies, Nayaab worked closely with Ryerson’s Chair of Business Law to make the school’s business courses more practical.  She was a Financial Advisor at Toronto Dominion Bank, at a branch in Mississauga. In addition, Nayaab also ran her own wedding videography business. During law school, Nayaab volunteered with Pro Bono Students Canada, working with the National Council of Canadian Muslims on human rights matters. In her final year of law school, Nayaab was Vice President of Events for the Muslim Law Students Association. Throughout law school, Nayaab was a Legal Writing Leader, working closely with students to help them improve their legal writing skills. In her final year of law school, Nayaab co-authored a paper on illicit wildlife trade in Canada with Noah Arshinoff, an Adjunct Professor at the University of Ottawa. Nayaab spends her free time working out, and is particularly passionate about kickboxing. She also enjoys painting and trying new restaurants with friends.

Chauntae summered at the firm in 2021 and 2022. She recently graduated with Distinction from the University of Ottawa Faculty of Law, with a specialization in technology law. At law school, Chauntae was a quarter-finalist in the University of Oxford International Intellectual Property Moot competition. She completed the Technoship Research Program with the Centre for Law, Technology & Society, and was a Research Assistant for the eQuality Project, which aims to highlight privacy and digital equality issues young people encounter. Chauntae participated in the 2021 Ottawa Legal Innovation Hub Hackathon, sharpening her business skills and knowledge of tech startups in a competitive setting. During her third year of law school, Chauntae completed internships with Wealthsimple Inc. and the Regulatory and Intellectual Property Groups in the Ottawa office of Dentons Canada. Chauntae has a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Sociology with a minor in Global Development Studies from Queen’s University, where she graduated on the Dean’s List. While at Queen’s, Chauntae was actively involved on campus through senior leadership roles and received the Mark R. Wilson Award and Jeffrey McCarthy Award in recognition of her commitment to the Queen’s community. Throughout her undergraduate degree, Chauntae spent her summers working in policy development and project implementation for the Ontario Government across five different ministries, including Cabinet Office. Outside of her studies, Chauntae is passionate about community engagement. In her final year of law school, Chauntae was Vice President of Finance for both the Common Law Student Society and the Ottawa chapter of the Black Law Students’ Association. In 2023, Chauntae received the Wildeboer Dellelce LLP Business Law Scholarship and Greg Ratushny Scholarship for her extra-curricular contributions. Chauntae also currently sits on the Board of Directors of Fora: Network for Change, a centre of excellence for advancing gender equity and young people’s leadership development. Chauntae loves to pursue her creative talents of cooking and spinning beats as a DJ in her spare time.

Hannah summered at the firm in 2022 and recently graduated from Western University's Faculty of Law. Hannah was awarded the MacKewn, Winder, Kerwin Entrance Scholarship for outstanding academic achievement and the Dr. Ian Randall Kerr Memorial Award for her positive contributions to the student community. She has an Honours Bachelor of Arts degree in History and Political Science from McGill University, where she graduated with Distinction. After her first year of law school, Hannah worked as a summer student for the United Nations. Working in the High Commissioner for Refugees branch, she supported Canada's obligation as a UN member state to protect individuals fleeing persecution. Here, Hannah had the opportunity to advocate on behalf of refugees to Canadian stakeholders, such as the Canada Border Services Agency. A highlight included drafting submissions to reflect the UN's position on proposed amendments to the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada's guidelines for deciding gender-based refugee claims. Prior to attending law school, Hannah worked for Navigator, Canada's leading high-stakes public strategy and communications firm. In this role, Hannah helped to develop crisis management strategies for major corporations and public figures. Throughout law school, Hannah was actively involved in the Western Law community. She enjoyed mentoring students as a Teaching Assistant for the first-year Legal Research, Writing and Advocacy course. She also served as a managing editor of the Canada-United States Law Journal, a student-edited journal run in conjunction with Case Western Reserve University School of Law. In her final year, Hannah spent a semester abroad studying at Bocconi University in Milan, Italy. In her spare time, Hannah enjoys trying to replicate great Italian dishes, exploring different Toronto restaurants and combing the racks of thrift stores.

Calvin summered at the firm in 2022. He recently completed his law degree at Osgoode Hall Law School at York University, and holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) from the University of Guelph, where he majored in Criminal Justice and Public Policy. At law school, Calvin volunteered as a caseworker with Osgoode’s Investor Protection Clinic, representing clients whose investment and retirement portfolios were mismanaged by registered investment dealers. He also completed Osgoode’s Mediation Clinical Program with a placement at The Neighbourhood Group in Toronto, acting as a Mediator and Conflict Coach for cases diverted from court. Calvin served as President of the Osgoode Bankruptcy & Insolvency Club, where he promoted insolvency law education by hosting a range of senior industry professionals from the Office of the Superintendent of Bankruptcy and the Insolvency Institute of Canada, and welcoming law students from across the country to participate in learning and networking. He is a recipient of the Michael MacNaughton Student Writing Award for Insolvency Law for co-authoring a paper about the administration of insolvent cryptocurrency trading platforms. While articling, Calvin will serve as a Student Member-at-Large with the Insolvency Law section of the Ontario Bar Association. Prior to law school, Calvin held several leadership roles at the University of Guelph, spanning Admissions and Student Housing. He completed certificate programs in business and leadership, and received the Fessenden-Trott Scholarship for his community involvement and academic achievement. Calvin enjoys skiing, travel, reading, and listening to Taylor Swift. He spent six weeks backpacking Europe by train in 2018. 

Bardia summered at the firm in 2021 and 2022. In connection with his law school’s Integrated Practice Curriculum, he also completed a professional placement at the firm in fall 2022. Bardia recently graduated with Distinction from the Lincoln Alexander School of Law at Toronto Metropolitan University, and holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Western Ontario. Bardia was very involved in the Western community as an orientation leader, a club executive and a football coach. Most notably, Bardia was elected to serve as the President of the University Students’ Council at Western for the 2019/2020 academic year, representing over 30,000 undergraduate and professional students. During law school, Bardia was part of the Canadian National Negotiation Competition team, was a member of the Toronto Metropolitan University Senate, Senate Priorities Committee, and Senate Appeals Committee, and was the Submissions Manager for the inaugural issue of the TMU Law Review. Bardia also worked as a law student supporting Toronto Metropolitan University’s the DMZ, a world-leading incubator for tech startups around the globe. Prior to attending law school, Bardia worked in politics, strategic planning and commercial real estate financing. In his free time, Bardia enjoys reading, travelling and watching sports. He stays active by skiing when there’s snow on the ground, and golfing and playing soccer when there isn’t.

Anastasia summered at the firm in 2022. She recently graduated from the University of Toronto Faculty of Law (receiving Distinction standing in her third year). During her final year of law school, Anastasia completed an externship at the Barbra Schlifer Commemorative Clinic, which offers legal services to survivors of gender-based violence. Anastasia was a Senior Editor at the University of Toronto Faculty of Law Review and also served as a research assistant in the field of law and literature. Anastasia was awarded her BA from Concordia (with Great Distinction; History and Creative Writing). Aided by a Social Science and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Doctoral Fellowship, she earned her MA and PhD from Yale University in American history, with a focus on gender and sexuality. Anastasia was a research fellow at the Kinsey Institute (at the University of Indiana Bloomington); and her scholarly work has appeared in the Journal of the History of Sexuality. Prior to law school, Anastasia taught a range of courses at the University of Toronto, Ryerson University (now Toronto Metropolitan University), and Western University. She also has a keen interest in literary editing, and has worked as a freelance editor and proof-reader at Penguin Random House Canada. Anastasia has also been lucky to have travelled the country working in the natural and cultural sector, holding positions at Revelstoke and Glacier National Park, the Winnipeg Children’s Museum, and PEI National Park, among others. Outside of work, Anastasia enjoys running (slowly), reading (avidly), learning the piano (enthusiastically but inexpertly) and visiting the odd museum.

Roula summered at the firm in 2022. She recently graduated from the JD/HBA program at Western Law and the Ivey School of Business, with Distinction in both programs. Roula achieved Dean’s Honour List standing throughout law school and was awarded the W. Geoff Beattie Scholarship in Business Law. She is also the recipient of the Law Society of Ontario Prize, which is awarded to the top 15 students in the graduating class at Western Law. Passionate about legal research and advocacy, Roula has competed in numerous mooting competitions, and won the first-place prize for Best Team Factum at the Laskin Moot in 2022. In 2023, she returned to the Laskin Moot as a student coach for Western Law’s team. While in law school, Roula volunteered with Pro-Bono Students Canada and held student leadership positions with the Gender and Law Association and Middle Eastern and North African Students’ Association. Prior to studying at Ivey, Roula studied health sciences for two years. During that time, she participated and published in the area of live-organ transplant research. She also interned for two summers as an analyst at a boutique health care consulting firm. In addition to acting as a Student Editor of the Canadian Journal of Law and Jurisprudence during law school, Roula’s paper on cryptocurrency exchange bankruptcy was published in the Canada – U.S. Law Journal. After articling, Roula looks forward to clerking at the Federal Court of Canada in 2024-2025. In her spare time, she enjoys hiking locally and travelling internationally, with historical tours at the top of her to-do list at every destination.

Ali summered at the firm in 2022. She recently graduated from Osgoode Hall Law School at York University, where she received the Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP award for the highest academic performance in Business Associations, and the Jack Friedman Q.C. Book Prize for the highest academic performance in Commercial Real Estate. She has an Honours Bachelor of Arts degree in Health Studies and Art History from Queen’s University, where she graduated with Distinction. After her first year of law school, Ali summered at a boutique real estate law firm, and also served as a research assistant focusing on professional healthcare regulation. In her second year at Osgoode, Ali completed a year-long clinical placement at ARCH Disability Law Centre as part of the school’s Disability Law Intensive Program, where she engaged in policy-based advocacy and test case litigation. At ARCH, she assisted individual clients with various legal matters and helped drive policy reform to ensure that federal and provincial laws better align with the United Nations Convention on the Rights for Persons with Disabilities. Throughout law school, she served on the Executive Committee of the Osgoode Health Law Association, Osgoode Photography Club, and provided mentorship to first-year students through various initiatives. Ali spent the first half of her final year of law school studying international dispute settlement and comparative financial law in Tokyo, Japan, as part of an exchange semester with Waseda Law School. Outside of school and work, Ali loves to spend her downtime outdoors, particularly hiking, camping and chasing her bernedoodle Wooley.

Jonathan summered at the firm in 2022. In connection with his law school’s Integrated Practice Curriculum, he also completed a professional placement at the firm in fall 2022. He is a recent graduate from the Lincoln Alexander School of Law at Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University) and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in criminal justice and public policy from the University of Guelph. During his time at law school, Jonathan volunteered as an Editor of the Wrongful Conviction Law Review and held leadership positions in student government, the Latin American Law Students’ Association, and the Mooting Society. Competitive advocacy has been the highlight of Jonathan’s legal education, and he has participated in numerous mooting competitions. Jonathan has been recognized as a Top Oralist in moots covering contract, immigration, and intellectual property law. Most recently, Jonathan represented the Lincoln Alexander School of Law for the first time in the Harold G. Fox intellectual property law moot and was recognized as the Top Oralist in the 2nd annual McCarthy Tétrault Cup. Before joining the firm, Jonathan honed his oral advocacy skills by making daily appearances before the Ontario Court of Justice while working alongside a sole practitioner. In his free time, Jonathan enjoys reading the works of renowned fantasy author Brandon Sanderson, and going on walks with his dog, Levi.

Tommy summered at the firm in 2021 and 2022. He recently graduated with distinction from the JD/HBA program at Western University, receiving an Honours degree in Business Administration from Ivey Business School and a Juris Doctor from Western Law. During his final year of law school, Tommy studied abroad in Sydney, Australia at the University of New South Wales. In addition to his academic studies at university, Tommy was active in the school community. During his undergrad, he was a Western Varsity Cheerleader and helped the team win three consecutive gold medals at the PCA National Championships. He and his team also performed as the opening act for the 2019 Juno Awards. Tommy was a member of the Ivey HBA Association where he served as the VP of Diversity and Inclusion for his section. He was a Student Ambassador for Western Law, and a member of Western OUTLaws (a student group that fosters community, mentorship and professional development among LGBTQ2S+ students and faculty). Tommy was the recipient of the Rogers Family Award in Business, an Ivey Business School entrance scholarship recognizing academic excellence and improvement and exceptional extracurricular achievement. He was also named to the Dean’s Honour List after excelling academically in his first year of law school. Prior to starting at the firm, Tommy was a Summer Consultant at Bell Canada in the Marketing, Operations and Applied Technologies field. He also spent a summer as a legal intern in the legal department at Linamar Corporation. In his spare time, Tommy is an avid gym-goer and culinary enthusiast. Tommy is also a world traveller and looks forward to visiting his family in New Zealand every year.

Shaun summered with the firm in 2022 and recently graduated from Queen’s Law. Prior to attending Queen’s Law, Shaun graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) from the University of Windsor, with majors in economics and business. During his undergraduate studies, Shaun was actively involved in numerous research projects, such as analyzing institutional investors’ views regarding environmental, social and governance factors. As part of an economics research project funded by the United States Department of Agriculture, he was involved with survey experiments in Windsor, Montreal, Arizona and Delaware to understand the general public’s perception of various uses for recycled water. Prior to beginning his legal studies, Shaun created models using census data to analyze the degree to which Ontario communities are geographically segregated by household and neighbourhood income. After graduating with distinction and intending to pursue a Ph.D. in economics, Shaun continued to work on his academic papers. However, after COVID-19 forced his research lab to shut down, Shaun decided to pursue his longstanding passion for the law. In his first year at Queen’s Law, Shaun worked as an editor for the Queen’s Law Journal and received the David Mullan Entrance Scholarship. After completing his first year, Shaun returned to Windsor-Essex to help his community combat COVID-19 by working in the local mass-vaccination clinic. In his free time, Shaun enjoys reading and is particularly fond of post-18^th century political and military history as well as finance and economics. In addition, Shaun is an avid music lover and has been playing drums for over a decade.

Zoi summered at the firm in 2022. In connection with her law school’s Integrated Practice Curriculum, she also completed a professional placement at the firm in fall 2022. She recently graduated with Distinction from the Lincoln Alexander School of Law at Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University). Zoi earned an Honours Bachelor of Arts with a major in political science and a double minor in classics and philosophy from the University of Toronto. At law school, Zoi received the Dale H. Lastman Leadership Scholarship for leadership and academic excellence in her second and third years of law school. In her second year of law school, she was appointed as a Lincoln Scholar for indigenous and aboriginal law, worked as a research/teaching assistant in property law, and was a lead producer, writer, editor, and performer in the Lincoln Law Revue – a Saturday Night Live-style theatre show. In her third year of law school, Zoi worked as a teacher’s assistant for indigenous and aboriginal law. Among her duties, Zoi taught weekly optional lectures. During her placement at the firm last year, Zoi co-authored two articles with Jack Bernstein for Tax Profile – one regarding international tax treaties and another regarding recent changes to Canada's income tax legislation. Zoi’s legal interests include domestic and international tax planning and the structuring of business transactions. Before joining Aird & Berlis, Zoi worked for boutique family law firms for roughly four years. Outside of her work and academic life, Zoi enjoys singing, playing the piano, and spending time with family and friends.

Sarah summered at the firm in 2021 and 2022. She recently graduated from the University of Windsor Faculty of Law. Sarah also obtained a Certificate in Global Legal Studies (International Economics, Human Rights and Sustainability) from the University of Lucerne in Switzerland. Prior to law school, she received an Honours Bachelor of Science in Health Studies, Biology and Psychology from the University of Toronto. During her undergraduate studies, she worked as a researcher, helping develop innovative health policy for neurodegenerative diseases. Her work was published in the Alternative Global Network Media Lab. During law school, Sarah was a caseworker at Legal Assistance of Windsor, assisting clients with matters before the Social Benefits Tribunal. Combining her interests in technology, innovation and the law, Sarah’s documentary was shortlisted for the World Intellectual Property Organization’s video competition. In recognition of this achievement, she received a formal invitation of membership with the Intellectual Property Institute of Canada. While articling, Sarah will serve as a Student Member-at-Large with the Intellectual Property Law section of the Canadian Bar Association. Sarah also co-founded the internationally recognized organization, Global Youth Impact, a platform for youth to develop their leadership, public speaking and advocacy skills through workshops, community engagement and campaigns. For her work, she received the prestigious Urban Hero Award and was invited to lead the Canadian Delegation at the United Nations’ Youth Assembly in New York. Sarah is also a singer/songwriter, performing professionally in her sibling-band, DEYSofficial. The band has been featured on international news media and radio, and represented Team Canada at the World Championships of Performing Arts in Los Angeles, where they won gold for their original song. Outside of school and work, Sarah enjoys hiking, videography, and travelling to new countries. 

Josh summered at the firm in 2021 and 2022. He recently graduated with Distinction from the University of Ottawa Faculty of Law, achieving Dean’s List standing. Prior to law school, Josh earned a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Social Development Studies from the University of Waterloo, graduating on the Dean’s Honours List. Throughout his undergraduate studies, Josh worked as a server to finance his education, and volunteered weekly with Out of the Cold in Kitchener-Waterloo, helping provide meals, shelter and warm clothing to those who would normally go without. In his final year at Waterloo, he worked as a frontline support worker in a group home supporting people with disabilities. While at law school, Josh volunteered with Pro Bono Students Canada, helping connect those with disabilities to affordable and effective legal assistance. During his final year of law school, Josh also completed several brief internships supporting small businesses. In his free time, he likes to be outdoors and loves fishing, although he is not sure the fish share his enthusiasm. Josh has been an avid fan of American football since early childhood and is thrilled that the Buffalo Bills finally have a winning record.