Expertise
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Practice Areas:
- Bar Admissions:
- Education:
- Western University Faculty of Law (2024) JD
- University of Toronto (2021) PhD (Pharmacology)
- University of Toronto (2016) BSc (Honours - Specialist in Pharmacology and Major in Biochemistry) (With Distinction)
Details
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Natalie Workewych (she/her)
is an associate at Lenczner Slaght.
Natalie summered and articled at Lenczner Slaght where she gained experience in a variety of practice areas, including intellectual property, public law, and professional liability.
Natalie completed her JD at Western University with an Area of Concentration in Intellectual Property, Information and Technology. During law school, Natalie integrated her passion for science and technology with her legal studies by working as a Clinic Fellow for the Western Intellectual Property & Innovation Clinic and as legal intern for a biotechnology startup. She sharpened her legal research and advocacy skills by participating in the Harold G. Fox Intellectual Property Moot and Tort Law Moot Competition.
Upon graduating, Natalie received the Ailbe C. Flynn LLB '97 Memorial Scholarship in Intellectual Property and the Law Society of Ontario Prize for ranking among the top 15 students of her graduating class.
Natalie holds a PhD in Pharmacology from the University of Toronto, during which she bioengineered microfluidic organ models to study the passage of drugs into breastmilk.
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Chief Rupert Meneen v Jeffrey RW Rath
Co-counsel (along with OKT LLP) to Chief Rupert Meneen and the Tallcree First Nation in proceedings commenced against the Respondents, Jeffrey Rath and his professional firm, to recover and protect assets of the Tallcree First Nation Trust. In these ongoing proceedings, Chief Meneen has obtained orders replacing Mr. Rath’s professional corporation as trustee of the Trust, granting a Mareva injunction over the assets of the Respondents, and appointing an investigative receiver, among other relief.
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Genentech Inc and Hoffmann-La Roche Limited v Biosimilar Collaborations Ireland Limited
Counsel to Genentech Inc and Hoffmann-La Roche Limited in a PM(NOC) action in the Federal Court in respect of Canadian Patent Nos. 2,788,253 and 2,711,798.
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Counsel to Hoffmann-La Roche Limited in an application for judicial review in the Federal Court, in respect of a decision made by the Minister of Health and its continued course of conduct in respect of the filing of a new drug submission by Biosimilar Collaborations Ireland Limited.
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The Advocates’ Society
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Ontario Bar Association
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Canadian Bar Association
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Sharpen Your Razors: Court Guidance on the Gillette Defence to Patent Infringement
Two recent Federal Court decisions bring welcome clarity to the scope of the Gillette defence – the argument that a defendant cannot infringe a valid patent because its product is the same as what the prior art already disclosed.
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Health Canada’s Ministerial Reliance Order: A New Era in Canadian Drug Regulation
Health Canada has introduced a new Ministerial Reliance Order (MRO) that represents a significant development in Canada’s drug regulatory framework. The MRO creates a new mechanism allowing Health Canada, in defined circumstances, to rely on decisions or documents produced by comparable foreign regulatory authorities (FRAs) when reviewing certain drug submissions. The initiative aims to improve the efficiency of regulatory review while maintaining Canada’s standards for safety, efficacy, and quality.
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“Non”: Federal Court Refuses a $68.9 Million Translation Bill
Imagine inheriting a library of 6,000 old court decisions – handwritten, typed, and printed over nearly a century – and being told you owe up to $68.9 million to translate them because you scanned them and put them on a website. That was the argument before the Federal Court in Droits collectifs Québec v Office of the Registrar of the Supreme Court of Canada. The Court was not convinced.
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Two Steps Forward: CIPO Resets on Non-Patentable Subject Matter
On March 24, 2026, the Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO) released a new practice notice on patentable subject matter under the Patent Act (the March 2026 Practice Notice), together with updated examples illustrating its application. The March 2026 Practice Notice replaces the 2020 Practice Notice, which we have previously commented on at length.
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Making a Splash in Patent Law: The Federal Court of Appeal Clarifies Overbreadth and Utility
ProSlide Technology and WhiteWater West Industries are the two largest competitors in the global water slide market. That competitive pressure has, perhaps inevitably, spilled into the courtroom.
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Not My Lack of Use, Not My Problem
Comité interprofessionnel du vin de champagne v Coors Brewing Company marks the second recent FCA decision addressing how a change in trademark ownership affects whether “special circumstances” exist that excuse non-use of a mark in a section 45 proceeding.
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DABUS Down, Not Done: Thaler Appeals Canadian Ruling on AI Inventorship
As we predicted in our earlier comment, Dr. Stephen Thaler – who created an AI system that allegedly conceived two disparate yet novel products – is not giving up his bid to have that system (DABUS) awarded a Canadian patent.
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Dusome v Canada (Attorney General) (“Dusome”) is the latest successful appeal from a decision of the Commissioner of Patents refusing a patent application on the basis of non-patentable subject matter.
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In the recent decision Centric Brands Holding LLC v Stikeman Elliott LLP, the Federal Court of Appeal (FCA) clarified how a change in trademark ownership affects the analysis of whether “special circumstances” exist that excuse non-use of a mark in a section 45 proceeding. The FCA’s decision should be welcomed by companies interested in purchasing or selling marks.
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Reasonable Request for Samples Required
In the recent decision in Bayer Inc v Amgen Canada Inc, Case Management Judge Duchesne of the Federal Court dismissed a request for samples on the basis that Bayer failed to demonstrate that the proposed testing could lead to a result that would assist the trial judge in determining an issue in the proceeding.
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Lenczner Slaght’s Matthew Sammon, Jessica Kras, and Natalie Workewych, acting alongside OKT LLP, have secured significant interim relief for Chief Rupert Meneen and Tallcree First Nation in ongoing litigation to recover and protect assets of the Tallcree First Nation Trust.
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Lenczner Slaght Welcomes Seven New Associates
Canada’s leading litigation firm welcomes seven talented new associates, further strengthening its expertise.
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Lenczner Slaght Welcomes Summer Student Class of 2023
Canada’s leading litigation firm continues to attract top talent with the addition of nine exceptional summer students.
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Lenczner Slaght Advocacy Competition in Legal Ethics and Professionalism 2026
Kyle Magee, Risa Kirshblum, Jim Lepore, Sean Lewis, Brieanna Miklaucic, and Natalie Workewych served as judges at Western Law’s Annual Advocacy Competition in Legal Ethics and Professionalism.
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2025 Snapshot: Through the Lens of Lenczner Slaght
We’ve released our 2025 Snapshot, highlighting the most significant developments, decisions, and trends in litigation from the past year across 21 practice areas. Reflect on 2025 and look ahead to 2026 through the lens of our expert litigators.