Gowling WLG is pleased to announce that Michael Crichton and Natalie Rizkalla-Kamel, both partners in the firm's Intellectual Property Litigation Group, have been named among Lexpert's "Rising Stars: Leading Lawyers Under 40" for 2017.
Crichton and Rizkalla-Kamel were honoured alongside other "Rising Stars" winners at a gala event held at the Fairmont Royal York in Toronto on Nov. 16.
"Natalie and Michael are remarkable lawyers, who have both accomplished a great deal early in their careers," said Peter Lukasiewicz, CEO of Gowling WLG Canada. "They represent the very best Gowling WLG has to offer, consistently providing our clients with creative solutions to highly complex intellectual property disputes."
Natalie Rizkalla-Kamel
Based in Toronto, Natalie Rizkalla-Kamel possesses a breadth of experience in all aspects of intellectual property (IP), and is recognized as a leading IP practitioner by the World Intellectual Property Review - one of the world's premier IP publications.
A licensed Professional Engineer (P.Eng) in Ontario, Rizkalla-Kamel brings a strong technical background to contentious patent, trademark and copyright matters across multiple sectors. On her "Rising Stars" nomination form, one colleague praised her "unwavering dedication to giving the best and most practical advice to clients" who "quickly come to trust and rely upon [her] and view her as an important part of the team."
Outside of her legal practice, Rizkalla-Kamel co-founded and has remained actively involved in a project called the Kamel Cup - an annual golf and spa charity fundraising event that has raised over $200,000 for local and international charities.
Michael Crichton
Michael Crichton is the Canadian leader of Gowling WLG's Intellectual Property Litigation & Strategy Group. Based in Ottawa, Crichton has been repeatedly recognized in The Best Lawyers in Canada and was named among the winners of the 2015 Ottawa Business Journal Ottawa Chamber of Commerce "Forty Under 40" awards for both his business and community accomplishments.
With well over a decade of experience, Crichton is widely regarded as a versatile and dependable litigator with sophisticated technical and engineering know-how. On his nomination form, one person described him as a "sharp engineer and lawyer, who gets up to speed quickly" and noted his ability to "distill a case to the most important issues and communicate those issues clearly to clients."
Outside of the firm, Crichton gives back to his community by acting as Gowling WLG's team lead for the annual motionball campaign, which raises funds and awareness in support of Special Olympics Canada through sporting events across the country.
Presented annually by Lexpert, the "Rising Stars" awards celebrate lawyers under 40 from across Canada who are at the top of the legal profession - both within the office and their local communities. Winners are selected by an advisory board of distinguished members of the legal community. A complete list of all the honourees can be found in the November/December issue of Lexpert.
Scott Jolliffe, Natalie Rizkalla-Kamel, James Buchan, Michael Crichton, Brigid McKennirey, Tina Woodside and Robert MacDonald
Intellectual property litigation and strategy is a core strength at Gowling WLG. Our professionals have been protecting innovators' rights for over 100 years, and work with clients to provide legal strategies that meet their business objectives.