Brianna HarrisonA Review of the 5 Best Patent Lawyers in Toronto
You don’t want anyone to steal your invention right?
The best way to protect your intellectual property rights is by getting a patent for your product. To help you with this endeavor, we selected the best patent lawyers in Toronto in this review.
Check out the costs of hiring a patent lawyer first before getting right into the reviews.
Top Patent Lawyers in Toronto
We evaluated the following firms based on:
The Cost of Hiring a Patent Lawyer in Toronto
In Canada, the cost of a patent can range from $5,000 to $25,000. This is based on the complexity of the work and the experience of the agent.
Within the respects of legal matters, you can expect the following fees when hiring a patent lawyer:
1. Heer Law
| Experience and reputation | ★★★★☆ (4/5) |
| Success rate | ★★★★☆ (4/5) |
| Client satisfaction | ★★★★☆ (4/5) |
| Years in service | ★★★★☆ (4/5) |
| Knowledge | ★★★★★ (5/5) |
| Strategic guidance and team | ★★★★★ (5/5) |
| Expertise in patents | ★★★★★ (5/5) |
| Technical background | ★★★★★ (5/5) |
| Attorney fees | ★★★★☆ (4/5) |
| Communication and character | ★★★★★ (5/5) |
Heer Law specializes in all major areas of intellectual property law. Coupled with 7 years of experience and solid education, we reckon they’re a great choice for all your concerns with property rights.
One of the things we liked about them is that they offer a complimentary initial telephone appointment. It makes the communication process so much easier for all prospective clients.
Speaking of clients, they have more experience with small businesses as well as international companies seeking to expand in Canadian territories. If you fall within these categories, then you might want to check them out.
In terms of experience with patent laws, the firm works best with software and other computer-implemented inventions. They also have a significant background in health care innovations, making them a solid choice for these inventions.
Through client interviews, we were pleased to find a favorable success rate at favorable costs as well.
Although there were certain instances of pricing issues, we don’t see it as a major red flag in the bigger picture.
Finally, their respectable team consists of IP lawyers, patent agents, trademark agents, and a lawyer certified by the Law Society of Ontario as an intellectual property law specialist. With all these combined, we’re not surprised with their exceptional services.
Pros
- Specializes in computer-implemented inventions and health care innovations
- Complimentary initial telephone appointment
- Experience with small business and international clients
- Solid team of legal professionals
- Law Society of Ontario certified intellectual property law specialist
- Competitive rates based on client’s budget
Cons
- Certain cases can cost a lot of money
Customer Reviews
Great resource for businesses
Chris and the Heer Law Team are a great resource for any entrepreneur, business owner or investor looking to protect their intellectual property. I have referred numerous people to Chris and the team and find their process to be simple, transparent and tremendously helpful for anyone they are dealing with. – Joseph Chiummiento
Valuable services for patents
Chris is my go-to resource for IP and patents. I have referred him to both friends and family and everyone has had wonderful things to say about Chris, his team, the services they provide, and the price of their services. Given what is at stake with your valuable IP and patents, you should be seeking the best. You will be well served by Heer Law. – Hermie Abraham
2. Shift Law
| Experience and reputation | ★★★★★ (5/5) |
| Success rate | ★★★★★ (5/5) |
| Client satisfaction | ★★★★★ (5/5) |
| Years in service | ★★★★☆ (4/5) |
| Knowledge | ★★★★★ (5/5) |
| Strategic guidance and team | ★★★★★ (5/5) |
| Expertise in patents | ★★★☆☆ (3/5) |
| Technical background | ★★★★★ (5/5) |
| Attorney fees | ★★★★★ (5/5) |
| Communication and character | ★★★★★ (5/5) |
Shift Law is a small entrepreneurial law firm that has in-depth experience with handling high-profile cases. They’re also significantly fast in patent prosecutions and have the highest satisfaction rate in our list.
What sets them apart is their approach to strategic guidance. Their team of professionals has a reputation for giving smart suggestions that lead most cases to success.
As a small firm themselves, the company also caters to small business and individuals. In fact, as mentioned, they can also handle cases with a success that’s difficult to emulate.
Although relatively young at 7 years old, the firm already has significant expertise in IP litigation and has even managed to score recognition in prestigious lists.
One example is the list of 2022 Best Lawyers, where John Simpson (the firm’s principal founder and trademark agent) was named. Working alongside him are other IP lawyers who specialize mostly in Information Technology (IT) and branding protection.
In terms of pricing, they offer bundled discounts for small businesses seeking trademark registration. Overall, their fees are fair as services go, according to past clients.
Pros
- Experience in high-profile cases
- High success rate
- Expertise in copyright infringement cases
- Specializes in the commercialization of IP and IT
- Experience with both small business and big corporations
- Featured in the Best Lawyers 2022 list
- Bundled discounts for small businesses
Cons
- Doesn’t offer complimentary consultations
- Little experience in patents in particular
Customer Reviews
Smart, clear, and practical approach
Shift Law is Lake of Bays Brewing Company’s go-to law firm for trademark issues. They are responsive, give us smart, clear and practical advice and are generous with their time. They are a pleasure to work with and I’d recommend them for anyone needing guidance in this space. – Darren Smith
Brilliant, thoughtful, and caring
John is such a pleasure to work with. A brilliant and down-to-earth advisor who is perfect for a start-up and equally comfortable advising on a complex transaction. Shift Law is responsive, thoughtful and caring – and the fact that they’re great IP lawyers is a bonus. – A. Hill
3. UIPatent Inc.
| Experience and reputation | ★★★★☆ (4/5) |
| Success rate | ★★★★☆ (4/5) |
| Client satisfaction | ★★★★☆ (4/5) |
| Years in service | ★★★★★ (5/5) |
| Knowledge | ★★★★★ (5/5) |
| Strategic guidance and team | ★★★★☆ (4/5) |
| Expertise in patents | ★★★★★ (5/5) |
| Technical background | ★★★★★ (5/5) |
| Attorney fees | ★★★★☆ (4/5) |
| Communication and character | ★★★★★ (5/5) |
UIPatent are certified experts when it comes to patentability of inventions, patent infringement, and patent validity. Basically, they specialize in all things patent, making them an exceptional choice in this field.
Unlike other law firms, the team of professionals in this firm has remarkably diverse technical backgrounds. They specialize in engineering disciplines to pharmaceuticals, software, energy, and even aerospace.
This can make them a good choice if you need more versatile patent lawyers… or ones with experience in the aforementioned fields.
On top of that, they’ve also handled various types of clients from universities and individual inventors to large corporations. If you add their decade of experience, we can say that they’ve mastered the field of patents.
In line with patents, the firm has the most comprehensive approach to all patentability matters. Even past clients still praise them today with the successful results they were able to deliver.
We love that they’re transparent with their fees but the charges do tend to go high depending on the case’s nature. To make up for this, we see the free consultation as a great bonus.
Pros
- More than a decade of experience
- Experts in patentability, patent infringement, and patent validity
- Specializes in diverse technical disciplines
- Experience with a wide range of clients
- Transparent fees for all services
- Free consultation for prospective clients
- Video conferencing available for clients
Cons
- Small team of professionals
- High fees on certain cases
Customer Reviews
Satisfactory outcome
The person I worked with at this firm explained things to me in a very clear manner. He provided my options for protecting my invention and suggested the best way to do so. He was quick in responding to my questions until we finalized my patent application. I am very happy with the final outcome. – Maryam Medghalchi
Prompt and courteous at all times
I found them very qualified, they internalized PO requirements and have good people to fully comply. Rates are normal and they provided prompt and courteous responses to all my questions. This office is five star – Soorena Merat
4. Sander Law
| Experience and reputation | ★★★★★ (5/5) |
| Success rate | ★★★★★ (5/5) |
| Client satisfaction | ★★★★★ (5/5) |
| Years in service | ★★★★★ (5/5) |
| Knowledge | ★★★★☆ (4/5) |
| Strategic guidance and team | ★★★★☆ (4/5) |
| Expertise in patents | ★★★★☆ (4/5) |
| Technical background | ★★★★★ (5/5) |
| Attorney fees | ★★★★★ (5/5) |
| Communication and character | ★★★★★ (5/5) |
Unlike the other entries, Sander Law is a small practice with Jennifer Sander, a freelance patent attorney. While that means that there isn’t a team of professionals here, she’s still one of the best in the league.
One of the best advantages of hiring her is her length of experience. She’s a licensed lawyer, a registered patent agent, and a registered trademark agent who’s been in the business for 10 years.
She specializes in various areas of IP law including registering IP rights, IP assignments & licenses, and IP enforcement. It’s not a practice solely focused on patents, but we can infer that her track record speaks for itself.
With perfect ratings on Google Reviews, she’s one of the highest-rated lawyers in this list with a solid success rate. The best part is, she offers flat rate fees for certain services, making the entire process cost effective for clients.
Another edge that you can get by hiring her is flexibility in time and working process. You can hire her by the hour or contract her for part-time or long-term projects.
Lastly, she specializes in mechanical, electrical & computer related inventions. You might want to consider a consultation with her if your case falls under these categories.
Pros
- Specializes in mechanical, electrical & computer related inventions
- Lawyer and patent agent
- 10 years of experience
- Offers flat rates on most services
- Flexible work structure and schedule
- High success rate
Cons
- Not backed by a team of legal professionals
Customer Reviews
Smooth and great experience
Working with Sander Law has been a really smooth and great experience from start to finish. Jennifer was great help filing a trademark and industrial design and her pricing was very reasonable. I would definitely recommend her to anyone that needed the same services. – Alex Sauret
Wonderful and responsive
We used Sander Law for handling our trademarks. Jennifer was wonderful, responsive and helpful to work with. Thank you again! I look forward to working together again in the future. – Vicky Wang
5. Ridout & Maybee LLP
| Experience and reputation | ★★★★☆ (4/5) |
| Success rate | ★★★★☆ (4/5) |
| Client satisfaction | ★★★★☆ (4/5) |
| Years in service | ★★★★★ (5/5) |
| Knowledge | ★★★★★ (5/5) |
| Strategic guidance and team | ★★★★★ (5/5) |
| Expertise in patents | ★★★★★ (5/5) |
| Technical background | ★★★★★ (5/5) |
| Attorney fees | ★★★★☆ (4/5) |
| Communication and character | ★★★★★ (5/5) |
Ridout & Maybee LLP, in our opinion, is one of the best when it comes to having a robust track record. Other than that, they have a large team of industry professionals and have been leading the IP game since 1893.
As they’ve been in the business for 126 years, it’s not surprising that they’ve already handled 190,000 Canadian patents. With that amount of experience, you can tell they’re more than seasoned in the area of IP laws.
As per specialization, their legal services are tailored to specific industry sectors, though they do handle almost any case imaginable. Still, to set it fair and straight, we think they work best for IT, science, and engineering-related cases.
Were also impressed with their record of 56,000 international clients. Other firms have yet to achieve this (considering the years of service) so they might just be the best choice for foreign businesses.
As a final note, the prices are normal for the city and nothing too ridiculous for what they do. They are also very hands-on with the clients, leading to favorable success rates over the years.
Pros
- 126 years in services
- Handled 190,000 Canadian patents
- Worked with 56,000 international clients
- Solid technical background in diverse sectors
- Specializes in IT, science, and engineering-related patents
- Competitive rates
Cons
- Certain services can be expensive
Customer Reviews
Professional and easy to communicate
Very professional group. Very easy to communicate and work with. Helped us to file a provisional patent application. Although our system is a high-tech system, it was very easy to communicate with them and they understood all aspects of our design perfectly. – Younes Sadat-Nejad
FAQs About Patent Lawyers in Toronto
Patent lawyers in Toronto are just a small fraction of a pantheon of legal professionals you can find in the city. For all your legal needs, check out some of the reviews below:
