Chen Chen

Chen Chen is a Law Student at Starkman & Zhang Lawyers. She is currently pursuing her Juris Doctor at the Lincoln Alexander School of Law, Toronto Metropolitan University, where she serves as Vice President of the LASL chapter of Jurist News. Chen brings a multidisciplinary background combining humanities training with hands-on professional experience in real estate, residential construction, and education.

Chen previously joined Starkman Lawyers as a Student at Law from January to April 2025. During that placement she prepared client intake and pre-consultation memoranda, supported counsel during mediation and client consultations, and assisted with drafting and revising pleadings and factums. She returns to the firm with deeper research training and additional courtroom-adjacent experience.

Clients and colleagues describe Chen as a careful researcher and clear writer. She is a native Mandarin speaker, which allows her to communicate directly with Mandarin-speaking clients on case background, document review, and procedural matters.

Chen has built a substantive research portfolio during law school. Since September 2025, she has served as a Judicial Research Assistant with the Ontario Deputy Judges Association, conducting research and preparing memoranda at the request of deputy judges. Earlier in 2025, she worked as a Legal Research Assistant to Professor Sarah Orange, analyzing legislation, case law, and academic commentary on the repatriation of Indigenous cultural objects from museums internationally.

Chen was competitively selected to present at the Inaugural JD Student Research Symposium at Lincoln Alexander School of Law in November 2025, where she shared comparative research on museum repatriation policies and a model for reform. In March 2025, she was awarded a $12,000 Legal Research Opportunities Grant through a competitive selection process at the law school.

From January to April 2025, Chen completed a Student at Law placement with the firm. Her work included:

• Preparing client intake and pre-consultation memoranda
• Supporting counsel during mediation and client consultations
• Assisting with drafting and revising pleadings and factums

Her placement gave her direct exposure to civil litigation practice in Ontario and to the firm’s working method on contested files.

Chen serves as a Teaching Assistant at the Ted Rogers School of Management, designing and leading tutorials on legal analysis in a business context (December 2025 to present, Professor Heckbert). In the previous term (September to December 2025), she was a Teaching Assistant to Professor Abadi, grading exams in tort law and contract law and hosting office hours.

Earlier, she founded and led an LSAT study group with 120 active members, organizing daily question discussions and a 20-member book club. This experience built her skill in explaining legal reasoning clearly to non-lawyers — a useful asset in client communications.

Before law school, Chen worked as a Builder’s Assistant at a residential construction company (Henghua Construction, January 2023 to September 2024), where she handled client inquiries, prepared budget estimates and invoices, negotiated supplier contracts, and ensured project compliance with the Ontario Building Code. This gives her practical familiarity with residential construction practice — an area the firm regularly litigates.

Earlier, she worked as a Law Intern at David Hao Professional Corporation (April–September 2017 and 2018), liaising with clients, financial institutions, and government offices on real estate closings. She has a working understanding of Ontario real estate transactions from the closing-side perspective.

Chen is a native Mandarin speaker and writer, in addition to English. She is able to advise Mandarin-speaking clients directly on case background, document review, and procedural matters without intermediaries.