
Zohaib Ahmed,
Articling Student
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Zohaib Ahmed
Toronto zahmed@mccagueborlack.com
Zohaib earned his J.D. from the University of Western Ontario. Amongst other roles, Zohaib was the Managing Editor for the Canada-US Law Journal, Chair of Western's University Student Council Appeals Board, and Co-Chair of the Western Law Advocacy Committee. Prior to law school, Zohaib attended Queen's University where he obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Political Studies and Philosophy and graduated with distinction. He also completed a Certificate in Business at the Smith School of Business.
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Zohaib enjoys Dramatic Arts and has acted in productions that ran at Mississauga's Living Arts Centre and directed and acted in several productions in high school. He also competed in what was formerly known as the Sears Drama Festival.
As an undergraduate, Zohaib won several awards at Model United Nations tournaments including three mock trial competitions. In law school, Zohaib was an avid mooter: he was a finalist in the First Year Advocacy Competition and coach for the Undergraduate Mooting Society. Most notably, Zohaib competed in the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition. As a national runner-up, he was invited to represent Canada at the international rounds in Washington, DC. Western University placed 17th out of 116 teams. Outside of the law, Zohaib enjoys reading philosophy, playing basketball and tennis, and going out in the countryside on his motorcycle.
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Tess Doane,
Articling Student
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Tess Doane
Ottawa tdoane@mccagueborlack.com
Tess recently graduated from the University of Ottawa, earning her Juris Doctor Degree with Cum Laude distinction. Prior to law school, Tess graduated from Laurentian University where she completed a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in Law and Justice with a minor in Environmental Studies.
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Throughout law school, Tess honed her skills in advocacy and litigation while participating in a moot and several competitive mediations and negotiations. She refined her legal writing skills through her work as a Legal Writing Leader, where she facilitated legal writing conferences with first-year law students to identify areas of weakness and improve their writing.
In her free time, Tess enjoys spending time outside on walks and hikes, listening to music, and spending time with her friends and pet cat.
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Ashna Gakhar,
Articling Student |
Ashna Gakhar
Toronto agakhar@mccagueborlack.com
Ashna Gakhar recently earned her dual Juris Doctor degrees from the University of Windsor and the University of Detroit Mercy. During law school, Ashna was awarded the Detroit Mercy Law Book Award and the CALI Excellence for the Future Award for her academic achievement in the 1L Comparative Legal Writing & Research II course. In her second year, she went on to serve as a Teaching Assistant for the course. Prior to attending law school, Ashna graduated from the Schulich School of Business at York University, earning a Bachelor of Business Administration (Hons.) degree.
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In her first year of law school, Ashna participated in two Canadian and American moot competitions. In addition, Ashna's judicial externship at the Third Judicial Circuit Court of Michigan further sparked her passion for oral and written advocacy. In her final semester of law school, Ashna had a meaningful experience as a Student Attorney working with the University of Detroit Mercy's Environmental Law Clinic. In this role, she researched environmental law issues related to chemical contamination in Michigan's drinking water and identified specific water systems contributing to the excessive discharge of chemicals.
Outside of work, Ashna is a trained Bollywood dancer and enjoys performing on stage and choreographing events!
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Paul Jacoby,
Articling Student |
Paul Jacoby
Toronto pjacoby@mccagueborlack.com
Paul Jacoby recently completed his Juris Doctor at Queen's University. Knowing he always wanted to practice law, Paul graduated from Queen's with distinction a year early with a BA in Political Studies. He developed his passion for litigation after working for a leading downtown Plaintiff litigation firm, which provided him with insight into both sides of a case.
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While attending law school, Paul led a Pro Bono project, where his team developed an online database of questions and answers related to Labour and Employment Law, Intellectual Property Law, and Entertainment Law. He worked with Queen's Legal Aid, advocating for his clients in Landlord and Tenant Disputes. He interned with a law firm in Kingston that specialized in Family Law and Real Estate Law. He delivered workshops to Queen's student leaders about equity, diversity, and inclusion principles. As Manager of Joint Projects, he analyzed and updated documents for the Queen's Law Students' Society to reflect new organizational goals.
Paul enjoys giving back to his community. During the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic, Paul personally raised over $35,000 for a disability support organization in Kingston.
Outside of the office, Paul enjoys cooking, staying physically active, and traveling. Since he is fluent in French and speaks conversational Spanish, he always takes on opportunities to practice his language skills.
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Kritika Seth,
Articling Student |
Kritika Seth
Toronto kseth@mccagueborlack.com
Kritika recently earned her Juris Doctor degree from Queen's University. Prior to law school, Kritika graduated with an Honours Bachelor of Life Sciences and a Masters in Global Health from McMaster University. In 1L, Kritika participated in the Queen's Law Litigation Society moot, discovering her passion for oral and written advocacy. She was an oralist representing Queen's Law in the Ontario Trial Lawyers Association Moot and the Arnup Cup moot.
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In the spirit of community, Kritika was a student caseworker for Queen's Legal Aid for two years, representing low-income and marginalized clients at Small Claims Court, Provincial Offences and Criminal Court, and various tribunals. She was also a Research Assistant for the Conflict Analytics Lab, in which she conducted research on the topic of legal predictions, democratization of technology, and improving access to justice. In addition, Kritika held an executive role in the Queen's Human Rights Law Club and took part in Queen's Law Student Society as Faculty Board Representative. Kritika was an avid participant in the Queen's chapter of Pro Bono Students Canada throughout her law school career, progressing to the role of team leader.
In her free time, Kritika likes to practice yoga, expand her plant collection, and search for new taco spots in the city.
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Conner Sipa,
Articling Student |
Conner Sipa
Toronto csipa@mccagueborlack.com
Conner Sipa recently earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Western Ontario. Prior to attending law school, Conner earned an Honours Bachelor of Social Sciences in Conflict Studies and Human Rights from the University of Ottawa. Prior to law school, Conner worked for the Specific Claims Branch of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs as a Negotiations Intern. While there, he worked under a federal negotiator to resolve historic treaty breaches and learned the critical importance of resolving disputes before they get to trial.
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While in law school, Conner followed this interest by joining Community Legal Services as an Associate Caseworker in his first year. Conner also enjoyed competing in moot court events and placed as a finalist in the Cherniak Cup Trial Advocacy Competition and a semi-finalist in the Torys LLP Negotiation Competition. Other interests Conner explored in law school included joining the Western Business Law Clinic as a Caseworker, Case Manager, and 3L Mentor as well as enjoying the role of Vice-President of Internal Affairs for the Western Human Rights Law Student Society.
In his free time, Conner enjoys collecting vinyl records, cooking, playing video games, and spending time with his beloved dog Farley.
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Sandra White,
Articling Student |
Sandra White
Ottawa swhite@mccagueborlack.com
Sandra transitioned to law after a successful career in marketing and e-commerce. She spent the bulk of her prior profession introducing As Seen on TV items to the Canadian market. Products such as P90X, Shamwow, and Proactiv. Additionally, she developed sales channels for entertainment products. Her success was largely based on her ability to foster relationships with clients such as Disney, Sony, LG, Warner Brothers, Pizza Pizza, and Costco. To be successful with each client, she learned what was important to them and delivered it, on time and within budget. ...more
Sandra won the Rick Weiler Mediation Competition which she attributes to her ability to focus on important issues and her ability to reason with opposing council.
In her spare time, Sandra enjoys baking for friends and family, watching her kids horseback ride, and hiking with her puppy. Sandra is new to Ottawa and looks forward to exploring the city.
Education
- Juris Doctor (J.D.), University of Ottawa, 2021
- Bachelor of Business Administration, Honours, Trent University, 2018
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