Best Lawyers in Canada for Biotechnology Law

Lead patent trial counsel and appeal counsel, appearing in courts across Canada. Considerable expertise in patent, PM(NOC), trade-mark, copyright and trade secret litigation. Acts on behalf of leading national and international pharmaceutical, software, manufacturing, and information technology clients. Registered Patent Agent since 2000. Skilled in advising clients on strategic management of intellectual property including patent life cycle management. Member of the Intellectual Property Ins...

Julie Gauvreau is a partner, lawyer, patent agent and trade-mark agent in Lavery’s intellectual property group. She holds a degree in microbiology from Université de Montréal and began her practice in 1998. She is a lawyer, a registered patent agent in Canada and in the United States, and a trade-mark agent. Julie Gauvreau has developed a successful patent practice with a full range of clients in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical fields. Her specialty resides in helping...

Jay Zakaïb is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Biotechnology and Life Sciences Practice. Jay, who practices law in Ottawa, Ontario, has been recognized since 2025. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Jay is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Sébastien Roy practices in intellectual property and commercial law. He advises and represents clients in litigation and in contractual matters in the different areas of intellectual property law, such as trademarks, copyrights, industrial designs, patents and trade secrets. Sébastien represents clients in judicial or administrative proceedings before the federal and provincial courts in infringement or unfair competition matters involving injunctions and monetary claims. He pro...

Joanie is a partner within the Intellectual Property (IP), Agribusiness, Food and Beverage, and Life Sciences groups. She specializes in high-stakes IP litigation, and in the efficient elaboration and protection of IP portfolios. Joanie has an extensive knowledge of the IP legislative and regulatory landscape. She sees IP as more than obtaining, registering or using patents, industrial designs, trademarks or copyrights; for her, IP a way to advance knowledge, obtain return on investment, fina...

With over 30 years’ experience in business law, Mireille Fontaine practices mainly in private equity, venture capital, mergers and acquisitions, securities Law and fund formation. She is a seasoned business advisor, recognised for her legal and business acumen, her availability, and her efficiency. She helps her clients achieve and exceed their most ambitious objectives. In addition, Mireille specialized in cross-border transactions namely between Canada and the United States, as well a...

Julie Desrosiers practices intellectual property litigation. Julie regularly acts on behalf of high-tech corporations and advises clients on injunctions, seizures and proceedings to protect their intellectual property, trade secrets and strategic information. Julie’s practice is currently focused almost exclusively on patent litigation. A seasoned litigator, she has been involved in several important patent infringement cases in the pharmaceutical sector. She appeared before the Supreme...

Nick’s legal practice combines extensive experience in strategic intellectual property (“IP”) portfolio development and IP litigation. Nick regularly advises early stage and established businesses in building their IP portfolios and monetizing these assets, with an expertise in business development (drug development, product acquisition and life-cycle management) and negotiating commercial contracts (licensing, manufacturing, development, supply, distribution and marketing a...

Hector has over 30 years of practice experience providing legal advice to high growth public and private companies, many of which achieving valuations exceeding $1 billion over a broad range of industry sectors, including technology, life sciences, health and new media, mining, and clean energy advising on corporate domestic and cross-border public and private securities offerings, mergers and acquisitions and international partnering and licensing transactions, and boards of directors and in...

Sara Zborovski is a partner in the Corporate Group. Her practice focuses on providing regulatory and commercial counsel to companies regulated by Health Canada. She helps clients to navigate the regulatory landscape implemented by the Food and Drugs Act, the Cannabis Act and other legislation and associated regulations overseen by Health Canada and provincial regulators. Sara provides strategic counsel to pharmaceutical, cannabis, food and beverage, natural health product, medical device, cos...

Gunars Gaikis is one of Canada’s premier and most experienced life sciences intellectual property litigators. He holds the role of Of Counsel in Smart & Biggar’s Toronto office, and has more than 25 years of experience in the highly specialized field of pharmaceutical patent, trademark and related litigation. He has been described by independent IP lawyers’ reviewers as a “seasoned gladiator”, praised as a “a skilled fighter and lifecycle strategist for...

Sylvie Bourdeau practises in the area of business and mergers and acquisition law. Over the years she has been involved in numerous mandates involving the financial products and services and life sciences/pharmaceuticals industries. In addition to the numerous mergers and acquisitions and private financings mandates in which she has been involved in her practice, Sylvie’s also represented many clients in matters involving the drafting of complex commercial agreements, including for join...