Introducing the Personal Side

As we approach the one-month mark of our Summer Student program, I think it is safe for me to say on behalf of everyone, that we have already learned a lot. In addition to gaining broad exposure to many areas of civil litigation, we have also been fortunate to meet many new and friendly faces throughout the firm.

Friendly Faces at the Firm

The rumours are true – everyone really is happy to teach, lend a hand and answer our infinite follow-up questions. The open-door policy at MB has been a pivotal part of learning both practical civil litigation skills as well as learning about our colleagues. This year there are 8 Summer Students, 6 in Toronto and 2 in Ottawa. After spending one month working very closely with, learning from and maneuvering through new areas of the law together we have all become fast friends. I want to take this opportunity to share an interesting fact or two that I have learned about each of my Summer Student colleagues – through personal biographies and candid photos (authored by me, with their consent, of course). So here we are in alphabetical order...

Karen 
Karen is a Doctor – a Ph.D. that is. Karen’s travels as a Paleopathologist have allowed her to spend at least one month on every continent, except Africa and Antarctica. Pretty cool. Appropriately, Karen’s favourite book is the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.

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Mahdi 
Mahdi is no stranger to working closely with other people around his age. Mahdi has six siblings, and considers his family 'small'. We can all thank Mahdi’s family for making him so friendly and cooperative!

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Melanie (Me!)
I am an extrovert at heart, with an unwavering love for musicals, specifically Grease, red velvet cake, and mid-distance running. While I can be found generally happy in most of life’s situations, I am easily debilitated by my fear of birds. ALL birds.

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Shayan 
In addition to his kindhearted nature and friendly demeanour, Shayan has established himself (among the student group) as something of a fashion icon. Most notably are Shayan’s regular rotation of colourful suit socks. They have become quite the conversation starter!

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Cassandra 
Cassandra is an Ottawa native, born and raised. As a former competitive figure skater, Cassandra enjoys the Ottawa winters and can appreciate the Rideau Canal in all its frozen beauty. Cassandra, however, does not appreciate peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

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Victoria 
Victoria is a lady of many talents, outside the office she can be seen scoring touchdowns, running the field and playing defense on her Ultimate Frisbee team. Victoria also has a flair for fashion. The only thing larger than the documents in her AOD is her collection of shoes!

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Marla 
Whether she is keeping track of assignments that come through “the list”, analyzing documents for a Damages Brief or preparing a Motion Record, Marla keeps organized through her beloved Agenda Book. Constantly being prepared entitles Marla to indulge in her favourite treat – DQ’s chocolate-dipped ice cream!

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Tiffany
Although Tiffany enjoys her time in the Ottawa office, when she is outside the office she is quite the thrill-seeker! Tiffany has exercised her dare-devil edge through sky diving, hang gliding, parasailing and scuba diving, just to name a few! Stay safe, Tiffany!

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Melanie J.