Gowling WLG is delighted to announce that its partners Selena Kim and Malcolm Ruby have been selected for inclusion in Canadian Lawyer's 2020 "Top 25 Most Influential Lawyers" list. This distinction is not only a testament to both lawyers' ability to achieve successful outcomes in highly complex matters, but also serves as meaningful recognition of their clients' significant success in recent years.

Selena Kim

Selena Kim is a Law Society of Ontario Certified Specialist in intellectual property (patents, trademarks and copyrights) and is the first woman in the law society's history to hold the designation for patents. She focuses her practice on helping clients manage, protect, enforce and commercialize a range of intangible assets – including patents, designs, copyright, and trademarks.

Whether being represented in court or making inroads into new jurisdictions, Selena's clients deeply value her strategic approach to the multifaceted challenges they face as they grow their business and expand their IP portfolios. She complements her legal acumen with an advanced technical background (including a graduate degree in molecular biology), which through her career has allowed her to engage with her clients' inventions on a highly sophisticated level.

In recent years, she has done extensive work for several leading companies, both in Canada and around the world, for whom she continues to provide full-lifecycle patent enforcement strategies – from initial prosecution to ongoing patent administration through to formal federal court litigation. Selena's talent for distilling complex information into practical plans of action helps these businesses maximize their IP assets with confidence, while anticipating potential obstacles and opportunities down the road.

Malcolm Ruby

A senior member of the litigation bar who is routinely ranked among the country's top litigators, Malcolm Ruby focuses his practice on class actions, securities litigation, and trans-border disputes. Over the course of his career, he has successfully represented clients in a number of high-stakes and high-profile matters, all of which demand a keen ability to navigate intricate, and oftentimes uncharted, legal territory.

Early last year, Malcolm led Gowling WLG's litigation team in working alongside Colonel Michel Drapeau to achieve a remarkable victory on behalf of a class of disabled Canadian Forces veterans in the nationally certified class proceeding Raymond Michael Toth v. Her Majesty the Queen (2019 FC 125). The Federal Court approved an all-inclusive "mega-fund" settlement of $100 million for disabled veterans and their families, along with funds to cover legal fees and disbursements. The settlement allows for veterans, and their eligible families or estates, to receive compensation for suffering harm based on past discriminatory policies and practices.

More recently, Malcolm, again in collaboration with Colonel Drapeau, commenced a proposed class proceeding against gun manufacturer Smith & Wesson Corp. on behalf of the victims of the 2018 Danforth Avenue shooting in Toronto and their families. The statement of claim alleges that the tragedy was preventable had Smith & Wesson honoured an earlier commitment to adopt authorized user – or "smart gun" – technology that would have prevented the stolen weapon from being used and the violence from taking place.

View the full list of this year's winners.