Gowling WLG is delighted to award the firm's $5,000 Life Sciences, Society & the Law Scholarship to Charlotte Burke, a second-year law student at the Schulich School of Law at Dalhousie University.

Presenting the scholarship cheque to Charlotte Burke is Marc Richard, co-leader of the firm’s Life Sciences Group.

Presenting the scholarship cheque to Charlotte Burke is Marc Richard, co-leader of the firm’s Life Sciences Group.

Introduced last year, the scholarship supports emerging legal leaders in life sciences, with the winning paper selected through a blind review by Gowling WLG’s internal committee. This scholarship, made possible by financial support from Bayer Canada, is awarded to the law student who writes the most distinguished paper exploring the dynamic relationship between life sciences and society from a legal perspective.

Charlotte’s winning paper, titled Rethinking Canadian Patent Law: Exploring the Intersection of Artificial Intelligence and Life Sciences, examines how AI is revolutionizing drug discovery and therapeutic development in the life sciences field. It raises crucial questions about the compatibility of existing patent laws with AI-driven inventions, proposing revisions to ensure the integrity of the patent system in adapting to these innovations.

“Thoughtful and inquisitive, Charlotte’s paper carefully considers the potential legislative impact of this bold new frontier in pharmaceutical innovation,” said Marc Richard, co-leader of Gowling WLG’s Life Sciences Group. “On behalf of the firm, I congratulate Charlotte on this distinction. We look forward to following her career journey and eagerly anticipate her future contributions to this area of law.”

Gowling WLG would like to thank all the students who applied for this year's scholarship.

The application period for the 2025 scholarship will begin in February 2025.

For more information and terms of eligibility, visit the scholarship page.

About Gowling WLG's Life Sciences Group

Whether working with biotech startups, research organizations or large pharmaceutical companies, Gowling WLG's team has the depth of life sciences experience clients look for. By engaging us, you'll gain access to advice on all relevant legal issues from professionals who are immersed in your sector and can guide you through every stage of your products' life cycles, as well as your company's development. Learn more about Gowling WLG's Life Sciences Group.