Austin D. Nguyen (he/him/his)

Austin D. Nguyen joined JSS Barristers as an Associate in 2025. Prior to joining JSS Barristers, Austin articled with and practiced at a multi-national law firm, where he gained valuable experience in intellectual property (“IP”) prosecution (i.e., patent and trademark registrations), IP-related transactions, and several areas of litigation.

Austin has a general civil litigation practice but has a particular interest in the following areas of law: IP (plant breeders' rights, copyright, trademark, patents, trade secrets, and designs); employment; class actions; public and regulatory; privacy; product liability; and defamation and communications.

Education

Austin attended the University of Calgary, where he earned a Bachelor of Science (BSc) in microbiology in 2016, a Master of Science (MSc) in biochemistry in 2019, and a Juris Doctor (JD) in 2022.

During law school, Austin worked as a summer research student on faculty projects in patent law and legal ethics. He also participated in several moot competitions, and was awarded Top Oralist in the Bennett Jones Cup in Health Law Advocacy during his second year.

Personal

Austin is a classically trained pianist; he worked as a piano instructor for over a decade while completing his studies. As a born-and-raised Calgarian, he is a lifelong Calgary Flames fan, and he also tries to keep up with the NFL and Formula 1. In his free time, he enjoys cooking and learning new recipes and cuisines, playing music with friends, and spending time with his wife — often all at once.

Community

In law school, Austin was a volunteer at Student Legal Assistance and Pro Bono Students Canada, and president of the Diversity & Law Society. As a junior associate, he served as a co-chair of the diversity committee at his previous law firm, and as a volunteer lawyer for Calgary Legal Guidance.

Other previous community work includes volunteering at the Mustard Seed as a Support Centre Helper, and at Alberta Health Services as a volunteer pianist.

Currently, Austin volunteers with the Court of King’s Bench Amicus program. He is also on the Board of Directors for Salingpusa Creatives, a Calgary-based arts and culture non-profit that showcases Filipino-Canadian creativity across various artistic disciplines.