Janet Fuhrer, a partner at Ridout & Maybee LLP in Ottawa, has been appointed as a judge of the Federal Court and a judge ex officio of the Federal Court of Appeal. Fuhrer replaces Justice Anne Mactavish, who was elevated to the Federal Court of Appeal on June 11.
Janet Fuhrer, a partner at Ridout & Maybee LLP in Ottawa, has been appointed as a judge of the Federal Court and a judge ex officio of the Federal Court of Appeal. Fuhrer replaces Justice Anne Mactavish, who was elevated to the Federal Court of Appeal on June 11.
Fuhrer studied economics and political science at the University of Toronto for two years before being admitted to study law at Queen's University, where she obtained her LLB in 1985. She was called to the Bar of Ontario in 1987 and later obtained her LLM in e-business from York University.
Fuhrer has spent the past 21 of her 32 years of practice in the intellectual property law field with Ridout & Maybee LLP and is certified by the Law Society of Ontario as an intellectual property lawyer, as a specialist in trademarks and copyright. She is also a past president of both the Canadian Bar Association and the Intellectual Property Institute of Canada and was among the first Canadian members invited to become a fellow of the American Intellectual Property Law Association. She has served in various leadership roles with all three organizations, as well as with the Ontario Bar Association and the International Trademark Association.
In addition to her professional practice, Fuhrer also taught the Trademarks and Unfair Competition Law course at Queen's University Faculty of Law and served on the Dean's Council. She is a previous associate editor of the Canadian Patent Reporter and a former chairperson of the Trademark Agents Examination Board.
