Intellectual Property

Gonzalo Lavin is a partner and patent agent in Lavery’s intellectual property group. He is a registered patent agent in both Canada and the United States and started his career in 1995 working at a Montreal-based intellectual property firm. He also worked in the intellectual property department of an international telecommunications company. He is a member of the Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec and of the Intellectual Property Institute of Canada.

Gonzalo practices in the telecommunications, electronics, software, electrical and mechanical areas, working closely with a full range of clients, including universities, high tech companies, and foreign patent firms. He helps his clients obtain patents throughout the world, and provides opinions and counselling in patentability, validity and infringement matters.

Serge Shahinian is a partner and patent agent in Lavery’s intellectual property group. He is a registered patent agent in Canada and the United States and has been practicing in the intellectual property field since 2000, following prior doctoral and post-doctoral training in biochemistry, biology, and genetics.

Serge's practice includes the areas of biotechnology, pharmaceutical and chemical, covering a wide range of related technologies in the health, agricultural, food, environmental and industrial sciences. He works with a full range of clients including universities and public research institutions, small and medium sized companies, and large multinational corporations, helping them develop and execute intellectual property strategies oriented towards their business goals. His practice includes the procurement of patent rights in domestic and foreign jurisdictions, as well as opinions and counselling in patentability, validity and infringement matters. He also works closely with our litigation group providing support on patent matters. He further has experience in due diligence in the context of transactions and financing in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical sectors.

Serge is recognized as one of the World’s Leading Patent Professionals, IAM Patent 1000, 2019 - 2023.

Benoit Yelle is a patent agent licensed in Canada and the United States and a partner in Lavery's Intellectual Property group.

Benoit helps companies develop and enhance their intellectual property. He identifies their business opportunities and helps them establish a protection plan. He sees the potential of technologically innovative projects and maximizes their impact. Benoit adapts his approach and provides services that contribute to achieving the business objectives set by the client.

The technical expertise Benoit has developed over the years ranges from mechanical inventions to quantum technologies, hand tools, medical devices, network protocols, telecommunications, software and mobile applications.

Benoit learned his trade as a patent agent in-house at a multinational telecommunications company. Before joining Lavery, Benoit was in private practice with a national general firm.