Paula Clancy

Bio

Paula Clancy is a partner and trademark agent in Gowling WLG's Ottawa office. She is a member of the Intellectual Property Group and her practice focuses on trademarks.

Paula has almost 30 years of experience as a corporate/commercial and trademark lawyer, and she is certified by the Law Society of Ontario as a Specialist in IP (Trademarks). Her background in business law and intellectual property law is a valuable asset to her clients.

Paula is very active in the intellectual property community, and currently serves as a member of council for AIPPI (Canada), as well as past-president for the Intellectual Property Institute of Canada (IPIC). She has previously served as a director of the International Trademark Association (INTA), and as the Canadian national delegate for the Inter-American Association of Intellectual Property (ASIPI).

Paula works with in-house counsel as an extension of their legal team to assist with trademark filing strategies, global portfolio management, and procurement. Her clients range from start-ups and SMEs to prominent public companies, including a number of global brands. These clients operate in industries including, technology, fashion, consumer goods, cosmetics, food and beverage, sports, banking, manufacturing, and life sciences. Paula also has experience working with women-owned and minority-owned businesses.

Paula has been ranked for 15 consecutive years as one of the world's top IP lawyers in World Trademark Review's WTR1000, and has recently been recognized in Lexpert’s Leading 500 Cross-Border Lawyers: A Guide to Doing Business in Canada 2025, The Legal 500 Canada 2025 – Leading Individual, The Best Lawyers in Canada 2025, and Who’s Who Legal: IP 2024 – Trademarks.  She has received the prized Lexology Client Choice Awards for two consecutive years (2023 and 2024). Paula is a past recipient of the Ottawa Business Journal's Top 40 Under Forty Award and Distinctive Women Magazine's Entrepreneur of the Year Award. She was a finalist for the Women's Business Network's Businesswoman of the Year Award.

Prior to re-joining Gowling WLG (she practised with the firm from 1994-2008), Paula founded and operated a boutique intellectual property firm in Ottawa. Her firm was ranked in the WTR1000 as a leading Canadian trademark prosecution firm; was certified by WBE Canada as a Women Business Enterprise; and was selected as an Amazon IP Accelerator firm. As a founder and entrepreneur, Paula has picked up valuable insights that help her effectively advise start-ups and SMEs. She knows from experience how to help them navigate their pain points and challenges.

Qualifications

Publications & speaking engagements