Jeilah Chan is a partner at Stikeman Elliott LLP, a leading Canadian law firm.
Jeilah’s desire to foster community interest in the democratic process are rooted in her experiences as a refugee.
She was born in Haiphong, Vietnam during the Vietnam War. Her family was forced to flee as part of the flotilla of refugees who became known as “boat people”. Jeilah, her family and fifty others were set adrift by their smugglers in the South China Sea aboard a small wooden boat. Fortunately picked up by the Macau Coast Guard, they were handed over to authorities in Hong Kong where they were granted refugee status and lived in the refugee camp. They were eventually allowed to settle in a one room apartment with two other families in the largely ungoverned Kowloon Walled City.
When Canada accepted a limited number of Chinese-Vietnamese refugees, a generous family in McBride, BC sponsored them. The Chans eventually relocated to Cambridge, ON where Jeilah’s parents found steady jobs, allowing Jeilah to pursue her education and learn English. With the aid of student loans and part-time jobs, Jeilah obtained a BSc Hons. (U of T) and a law degree (Osgoode Hall).
As a leading lawyer in her field, Jeilah delivers strategic advice on transactions involving intellectual property (IP), and IP enforcement, commercialization, and branding.
Jeilah is serving a two-year term as the Editor-in-Chief of the Canadian IP Review Law Journal. She is recognized in the Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory, Managing IP, World's Leading Trademark Professionals, Chambers Global and Canada, and Legal 500. Jeilah is also involved in other charitable endeavors, including Chiefs In IP (an organization promoting women in policy, technology and law) and the MINA Project (a charity that challenges inequalities and systemic barriers faced by racialized and underserved youth).
Jeilah is forever grateful for the kindness and generosity of Canadians and the opportunities Canada affords its citizens. Taking an active role in the Samara Centre for Democracy strongly resonates with Jeilah’s appreciation for Canada's stable and democratic society.