Get to Know Your Execs in Five Minutes (or less) – Part I

  • November 07, 2022
  • Jenny Thistle

In this ongoing series, we will profile each of the members of the OBA IP/ IT Law Section Executives to learn about them in five minutes or less. It’s five minutes or less because we know that a lot of you docket in six-minute increments!

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Name: Jenny Thistle

Position: Member at Large

Who is Jenny Thistle? This is my first year as a member of the OBA IP/ IT Law Section’s Executive Committee. I’m a Newfoundlander living in Ottawa, practicing as an IP litigation associate at Gowling WLG with a focus on patent, trademark, and industrial design disputes.

Why did you choose IP/IT and what would you tell a young lawyer entering the IT/IP Field? With a background in medicinal chemistry and a passion for advocacy, IP litigation felt like a natural choice. I chose to stay in the field because no two days are the same – as an IP lawyer every new file involves an innovative technology, different scientific principles, or a new product that you get to explore. I am a lover of learning and practicing in IP allows me to learn every day.

As a young lawyer myself, I don’t have much advice to pass on other than to figure out what you want and go for it. There is not one singular way to become a lawyer in this space, and there is no mould as to what an IP lawyer “should” be. The profession can only benefit from your diverse experience and ideas.