Laurence MacPhie

Laurence MacPhie is a Canadian lawyer and partner with Bereskin & Parr LLP working out of the firm’s Toronto office. Laurence was a Commonwealth Scholar at the University of Oxford where he completed his doctoral degree on the genetics of complex traits before attending law school at the University of Toronto. Laurence’s practice focuses on drafting and prosecuting patent applications in various aspects of the life sciences, including stem cells, cancer and chemotherapies, bioinformatics and diagnostics, as well as enzymes for commercial and industrial applications. He also provides advice on patent strategy and opinions with respect to validity, infringement and freedom to operate.

Laurence works with a number of Universities and organizations across Canada regarding technology transfer as well as a variety of companies in the life sciences including both start-ups and clinical stage companies focused on cancer therapeutics and diagnostics. He also has lectured on IP strategy, commercialization and patent law at Seneca College, Ryerson University, Guelph University and the University of Toronto.

Laurence has co-authored several articles in journals such as Nature Genetics, Molecular Psychiatry, and The American Journal of Human Genetics (AJHG). He is also a past member of the IP Institute of Canada’s (IPIC) Canadian Intellectual Property Review (CIPR) Editorial Board and has written on patents and patent strategy related to stem cells, natural health products and computer-implemented inventions in the life sciences.