Smart & Biggar welcomes five new associates in Ottawa and Toronto
Smart & Biggar is pleased to welcome five associates, who were recently called to the bar after articling with the firm.
Each of our new associates has demonstrated outstanding graduate-level academic and professional achievements, in addition to their legal qualifications, and will add to the firm’s deep legal and technical expertise and the high calibre of our IP teams in Ottawa and Toronto.
Nicole Boyle — Associate, Barrister & Solicitor, Ottawa
With a background in Biopharmaceutical Science, Nicole brings complex problem solving and analytical thinking to her IP litigation practice. She advises clients on patent, trademark, copyright and industrial design-related matters and routinely assists with the development of litigation strategy and the preparation of written arguments and opinions.
Before beginning her legal career, Nicole obtained a Bachelor of Science, specializing in Genomics. Her studies included 16 months of co-operative education where she worked in various research labs. She completed approximately 50% of her classes in French and graduated summa cum laude.
Christina Pan — Associate, Barrister & Solicitor, Ottawa
As a member of Smart & Biggar’s Life Sciences team, Christina brings a background in pharmacology and an interest in patents related to pharmaceuticals and biotechnology to her practice. With a focus on patent procurement and enforcement, she supports and assists both the patent prosecution and litigation teams.
Prior to completing law school at the University of Ottawa, she obtained a master’s degree from the University of Toronto in pharmacology. Her thesis project focused on the acute and residual effects of cannabis on driving performance in young drivers. The study was the largest clinical trial, and the first of its kind in Canada conducted on cannabis and driving.
Robert Baker — Associate, Barrister & Solicitor, Toronto
Robert utilizes his experience as an engineer to understand his clients’ inventions and to identify opportunities to protect them to leverage commercial value. He offers practical and strategic counsel on issues related to consumer electronics, software and the manufacturing/mechanical industry, and he provides his clients with patentability, freedom to operate, and infringement and validity opinions. In addition to patent drafting and prosecution, Robert also offers counsel on contractual IP matters.
Prior to his legal studies, Robert interned as a hardware engineer at NVIDIA Corporation in Santa Clara, California, and Apple Inc. in Cupertino, California. He also interned as a programmer at Cineplex Entertainment in Toronto, and Ontario Die International in Kitchener, Ontario.
Reagan Seidler — Associate, Barrister & Solicitor, Toronto
With a focus on litigation and trademarks, Reagan’s practice serves companies of all sizes, from local start-ups to multinational corporations, to develop strong trademark portfolios that protect and strengthen the value of brands.
As a former director in the civil service, Reagan was involved in major constitutional files before the Supreme Court of Canada, the passage of over 30 pieces of new or amended legislation, and the management of stakeholder relations on a multi-billion-dollar portfolio of public infrastructure assets. In this role he was recognized with the Premier’s Award for Excellence in Public Service.
Reagan is the former editor-in-chief of the Dalhousie Journal of Legal Studies, the author of numerous published works and the recipient of more than a dozen awards, including in intellectual property and administrative law.
Skylar Yoo — Associate, Barrister & Solicitor, Toronto
Calling on her technical expertise, Skylar helps clients navigate the intricacies of innovation. In her practice, she drafts and prosecutes patent applications, conducts patent searches, and advises clients on issues relating to patentability, patent validity and infringement, with a focus on technology and industry sectors including information technology, homeland security, medicine, transportation, energy, food safety, and environmental science.
Prior to beginning her legal studies, Skylar graduated from the University of Waterloo with a B.Sc. in Nanotechnology Engineering.
We welcome our new associates and look forward to their continued success at Smart & Biggar as they follow the firm’s tradition of providing expert counsel to our clients across all areas of IP.
Smart & Biggar is widely recognized as Canada’s leading firm for intellectual property law, with offices in Ottawa, Toronto, Montréal, Vancouver and Calgary. We are leaders in intellectual property and technology law and have been serving clients for over a century.