Smart & Biggar welcomes five articling students in Ottawa, Toronto and Vancouver
Smart & Biggar welcomes five articling students to our Intellectual Property practice in Ottawa, Toronto and Vancouver, most of who are returning to the firm after previous terms as summer students.
Each year, Smart & Biggar hires 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 Principals 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.
Welcome to our articling students and we wish them all the best for an exciting year ahead!
Pelle Berends is an articling student in our Ottawa office and recently received his J.D. from the University of Ottawa, graduating summa cum laude. He was awarded the Aird & Berlis LLP Prize, awarded to the top two students in the first year of the JD program. During his undergraduate studies, Pelle participated in the Outstanding Scholars Program, which provides top students with Research Assistant positions alongside professors in the faculty. While completing his master’s degree, Pelle wrote a major research paper “De-Consociational Transition: A Comparison of Three Consociational Democracies.” Before articling at Smart & Biggar, Pelle was a summer law student in Smart & Biggar’s Ottawa office in 2022.
Pierre-Olivier Ferko is an articling student in our Ottawa office and a recent graduate of McGill University’s Faculty of Law. Before articling at Smart & Biggar, Pierre-Olivier was a summer law student in Smart & Biggar’s Ottawa office during the summers of 2021 and 2022. During his legal studies at McGill University, Pierre-Olivier was President of the McGill Intellectual Property Law Student Association and was previously their Editor-in-Chief. Pierre-Olivier was also an Executive Member (Curriculum Board) of the McGill Law-Éducation-Connexion (LEX) Outreach Program and the Lallemand Student Coordinator for the Centre for Intellectual Property Policy. Pierre-Olivier earned a B.Sc. (Hons.) in Chemistry from McGill University and went on to earn an M.Sc. in Chemistry from the University of Toronto, where his graduate research investigated the synthesis of monosaccharide-derived polymers for pharmaceutical drug delivery purposes. His work has been published in peer-reviewed scientific journals.
Jayne White is an articling student in our Ottawa office. During her studies, Jayne received the Newton Rowell Entrance Scholarship on the basis of academic excellence and a demonstrated interest in, and commitment to, public service. Jayne was Director of External Relations for Queen’s Intellectual Property Law Club during her 2L year and academic tutor for criminal law, property law and torts. She gained valuable experience working as a research assistant on a pesticide research farm for the University of Guelph, Ridgetown Campus. Before articling at Smart & Biggar, Jayne was a summer law student in Smart & Biggar’s Ottawa office in 2022.
Alexander Watts is an articling student in our Toronto office. He obtained his Juris Doctor from the University of Ottawa. He joins Smart & Biggar with a Ph.D. in Biology with Biochemistry specialization and a M.Sc. in Biology from Carleton University. Alexander volunteered in the neuroscience labs and was awarded an internship to continue working while completing his undergraduate degree. Here, he gained valuable research experience and maintained his standing on the Dean’s Honor list. Alexander developed and pursued an interest in IP law while in graduate school by exploring the intersection between emerging areas of life sciences and the law and continued to pursue the answers to novel research questions which allowed him to develop technical expertise in biochemical and biological technologies. While completing his graduate degree, Alexander worked as a teaching assistant and prepared several published scientific reports that deepened or surveyed the current biological literature. Before articling at Smart & Biggar, Alexander was a summer law student in Smart & Biggar’s Toronto office in 2021 and 2022.
Udai Grewal is an articling student located in our Vancouver office. He obtained his Juris Doctor from the Peter A Allard School of Law at the University of British Columbia in 2022 and holds a Bachelor of Applied Science in Mechatronic Systems Engineering from Simon Fraser University. Udai received the Hon. Justice Grant Burnyeat Award in Law and the Legal Leaders for Diversity Trust Fund Scholarship for academic merit and leadership skills as well as the J.S.D. Tory Prize for Advocacy during his legal studies. Before joining Smart & Biggar, Udai earned valuable experience working as a law clerk to the Honourable Justice Michael Manson of the Federal Court, where he assisted both the Federal Court Technology Committee and the Intellectual Property Bar Liaison Committee.
About Smart & Biggar
Smart & Biggar is widely recognized as Canada’s leading intellectual property firm, with offices in Montréal, Ottawa, Toronto, Vancouver and Calgary. We are leaders in intellectual property and have been serving clients for over a century. Smart & Biggar operates as part of the IPH Limited group, under its own brand and independent from other IPH member firms.