Best Lawyers in Canada for Biotechnology Law

Peter Pliszka, a senior partner in Fasken’s Litigation Group, is regarded as one of Canada’s leading litigation lawyers. Peter’s practice is focused primarily on product liability, class action, commercial and insurance litigation matters, and it is national in scope. Peter conducts litigation proceedings across Canada and has appeared at all levels of court in Ontario and other Canadian provinces as well as the Supreme Court of Canada. Peter is Fasken’s Chair-Life Sci...

Nikki is a partner in the McKercher LLP Saskatoon office where she assists numerous clients with finance, commercial land transactions and general business matters. Nikki has assisted numerous clients with finance, commercial (non-First Nations and First Nations) land transactions and general business matters. This work includes: commercial lending and financing arrangements, including private placements and public offerings; purchase, sale, leasing and development of real property including ...

Christian Leblanc is first and foremost a litigator. He has extensive experience with respect to commercial and intellectual property litigation, including class actions and arbitrations. Christian has been appointed as a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers (ACTL), one of the most prestigious legal associations in North America. This is a testimony to the highest standards of trial advocacy, ethical conduct, integrity, professionalism and collegiality displays with his clients and...

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...

Randy Sutton practises dispute resolution and regulatory law. Mr. Sutton has represented clients in the provincial and federal courts across Canada, in arbitrations (both domestic and international) and in a variety of administrative proceedings. He is a member of the British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Ontario bars. His litigation practice includes the representation of clients in commercial, class action, competition, environmental, product liability, product recall, insurance, defamation an...

For over 20 years, Brian Kingwell has been engaged in patent prosecution and strategic patent portfolio counseling in the areas of molecular biology, biochemistry, chemistry, chemical engineering and medical devices. He has wide-ranging experience in obtaining patents for products such as a novel family of heterocyclic antibiotics, the InsectSelect™ protein expression vector, high oleic acid brassica juncea plants, in situ combustion processes for recovery of hydrocarbons, heavy metal w...

Lisa Thorne is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Biotechnology and Life Sciences Practice and Intellectual Property Law. Lisa, who practices law in Vancouver, British Columbia, has been recognized since 2021. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Lisa is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Paul Armitage is a partner in the firm's Vancouver office practising in the Intellectual Property and Technology Law Groups. His practice focuses on procurement, technology licensing, outsourcing, commercial contracts, privacy law, data security, cloud computing, e-commerce, and anti-spam and anti-spyware (CASL) compliance. Paul has extensive experience in the information technology, financial services, telecommunications, life sciences and health industries, as well as infrastructure and fac...

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...

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.

Jay Lefton practices corporate and securities law. Jay advises clients on public and private mergers & acquisitions transactions, private equity matters and public and private financings, as well as assisting with strategic alliances, technology transfer and licensing. He works predominantly in the technology and life sciences sector. Assisting acquirers and target companies and their boards of directors, Jay advises on negotiated transactions and unsolicited takeover bids, most of which ...

Roger Kuypers practices in the areas of life sciences, emerging technologies and intellectual property law in Fasken’s Vancouver office. He is the Chair of the region’s Life Sciences industry group and the Intellectual Property practice group. Roger advises businesses and institutions on the development, acquisition and commercialization of technologies. He also assists with corporate matters, finance and acquisitions. In the life sciences area, his clients include biotech, medica...

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...

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...

David Turgeon is the leader of the Global Intellectual Property group, a lawyer and a patent agent. He represents clients before different courts, protects their inventions through patents and provides strategic advice. David represents clients operating in a variety of industries, more particularly the life sciences (namely biologics), biomedical devices and manufacturing sectors. David specializes in high-stakes patent litigation involving clients’ flagship products. As lead counsel o...

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...