From aspiring comic book artist to accomplished copyright lawyer

In his youth, Rob McDonald ('88 LLB) was an avid comic book collector and hoped to be a comic book artist one day, but he knew the odds of making it in the industry were slim. At the ripe old age of 12, he figured he needed a ‘Plan B’ — something related to the industry, but more certain.

“Having read comic books cover to cover, I knew there was a legal notice that talks about copyright in the art and the written word. I thought I could become a copyright lawyer,” he says.

McDonald did just that, earning his law degree at the University of Alberta in 1988 and ultimately becoming one of the best Intellectual Property (IP) lawyers in Canada, while remaining in Alberta. When he began his career, there were only a couple of IP lawyers in all of Western Canada, and specializing in this area typically required moving to Ottawa or Toronto. McDonald says fellow alumnus Gordon Sustrik (‘78 LLB), then a partner at the firm Emery Jamieson, helped him get his start without heading east.

“Gordon had connections with the innovation ecosystem in Edmonton and was able to plug me into his clients, and give me the foundation to develop an IP practice,” he says. In fact, by the early ‘90s, Emery Jamieson had become the largest IP group west of Toronto thanks to the work of Sustrik and his associates.

Today, McDonald is a partner and trademark agent at Bennett Jones, and is considered one of the best IP lawyers in all of Canada. During his career, McDonald has litigated a myriad of copyright, trademark and patent infringement actions at all levels of court, and represented clients around the world in diverse industries like finance, life sciences, computer technology and cannabis. He has served a number of national organizations, such as the Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada (as legal counsel) and Access Copyright (as director). He also advises startups and technology companies through the new National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program’s Legal Assist Program.

McDonald has also served the profession through teaching. Since 1990, he has taught a course in IP law at the U of A Faculty of Law, and has also taught courses for the Legal Education Society of Alberta and Osgood Hall Master of Laws program. Additionally, he’s given lectures at Oxford University, Cambridge University, McGill University and other notable institutions.

For his many contributions to IP law, McDonald is the recipient of this year’s Distinguished Service Award for Service to the Profession awarded by the Canadian Bar Association and the Law Society of Alberta. Fellow U of A alumnus Howard J. Sniderman, K.C. (‘81 LLB) is the recipient of the Pro Bono Legal Service Award.

“In addition to being alumni, they have been valued sessional instructors of our JD program,” says Faculty of Law Dean Barbara Billingsley. “Over the years, our students have benefited directly from their legal expertise and their commitment to the education of future lawyers, as well as to the betterment of the legal and broader community.”