Overview

Throughout his remarkable career, he has represented clients before the Manitoba, Ontario and British Columbia Courts, the Federal Court, the Federal Court of Appeal, and the Supreme Court of Canada. He has appeared before the World Intellectual Property Organization, the National Arbitration Forum, the International Chamber of Commerce, and the International Centre for Dispute Resolution. Other international activities include the coordination of litigation before the courts in the Republic of Singapore, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, and numerous jurisdictions in the United States.
John has a passion for advocacy and is very committed to ensure he is always looking out for his clients’ best interests. His expertise, commitment and skills have won John numerous awards including Best Lawyers in Canada in the field of Intellectual Property Law since 2012, and the Richard J. Scott Award for his commitment to public interest advocacy in 2017. Further details of Johns’ many awards, litigation cases and achievements can be found in subsequent sections of his profile.
Outside of running an extremely demanding law practice, John spends a significant amount of time giving back to his community. He has held positions on the Board of Directors for the Manitoba Institute of Child Health Inc. (now called the Children’s Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba), Children’s Hospital Foundation of Manitoba Board of Directors (as well as President for 2 years) and Operations Chair of the Teddy Bears’ Picnic for 31 years (He is currently serving as a Board Member and Secretary with the Royal and McPherson Theatres Society in Victoria). These are just a few of the many volunteer leadership roles that John has held over the past 35+ years. On top of all this, John also continues to teach at the University of Manitoba Faculty of Law and is a frequent speaker at conferences and seminars on issues related to Intellectual property and Medical Assistance in Dying.
• Royal McPherson Theatres Society Board of Directors (October 2024 -present) currently serving as Secretary
• Canadian Bar Association’s Federal Courts Bench and Bar Liaison Committee – (October 2023-present)
• Adult Abuse Registry Committee, Panel Member, Appointed by the Lieutenant Governor in Council (January 2016-December 2019, and re-appointed January 2023-present)
• Harold G. Fox Moot, Co-Coach for the University of Manitoba Team (2014-present)
• Canadian International Pharmacy Association, Secretary and General Counsel (2002-present)
• Taylor McCaffrey LLP Intellectual Property Group, Chair, (1997-present)
• Performing Arts Lodge (PAL Winnipeg Inc). (2015-Present) currently acting as Chair

Practice Areas

• Civil Litigation
• Media & Communications Law
• Information Technology Law
• Intellectual Property

Bar Information

Called to the bar: 1991 (MB)