Our Team
Our Team
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Principal, Patent & Trade Mark Attorney
Main Technologies
- Mechanical
- Computing & IT
- Electronics
- Electrical
- Telecommunications
- Resources
- Clean energy
Rohan Wallace
Principal, Patent & Trade Mark Attorney
Rohan is a seasoned attorney with ~30 years’ experience. He is President of the Australian group of FICPI. Rohan was involved in a High Court case on patentability, has enforced patents against infringers and is an active member of IP Australia’s Patents, and Trade Marks and Designs consultation groups. He has worked globally across diverse technologies, offering unparalleled expertise to clients of all sizes.
Rohan graduated from Curtin University with a Bachelor of Computer Systems Engineering. Rohan entered the patent attorney profession soon after graduating and worked in a small Perth firm before working for a large national patent and trademark attorney firm for over a decade. In 2009, Rohan started his own firm, which changed to the original IP Sentinels in 2015. In October 2018, Rohan merged IP Sentinels with Golja Haines and Friend Patent & Trade Mark Attorneys, which is now IP Sentinels (again).
Rohan specialises in patenting IT and mechanical inventions, registering designs and trademarks in Australia and overseas. Rohan has numerous connections with overseas intellectual property attorneys and lawyers, and patent agents in numerous other countries to secure patent and trademark registrations in other countries.
Rohan has assisted a broad range of clients to protect their registered intellectual property in Australia and overseas in a large range of technologies, including individual inventors, SMEs, and large multi-national corporations.
Rohan is a Fellow of IPTA, President of FICPI Australia, Member of IPSANZ, Member of LESANZ, Member of APAA and Member of INTA.
Main Technologies
- Mechanical
- Computing & IT
- Electronics
- Electrical
- Telecommunications
- Resources
- Clean energy
Professional Associations
- Fellow of the Institute of Patent and Trade Mark Attorneys of Australia
- International Federation of Intellectual Property Attorneys (Australian Council Member)
- Intellectual Property Society of Australia and New Zealand
- Licensing Executives Society Australia and New Zealand
- Asian Patent Attorneys Association
- International Trademark Association
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Principal, Patent & Trade Mark Attorney
Main Technologies
- Biomedical
- Biotechnology
- Pharmaceuticals
- Biodegradable polymers
- Agriculture
- Food Sciences
- Health Foods & Supplements
- Enzymology
- Medical Devices
- Diagnostics
- Biofuels
- Chemistry
- Plant Breeder’s Rights
- General Mechanical
Dr. David McCarthy
Principal, Patent & Trade Mark Attorney
David holds a PhD in molecular cell signaling in blood and other cancers and has been assisting his clients as a patent and trade mark attorney for 20 years, particularly in the biomedical, biotechnology, and pharmaceutical fields.
David holds a Bachelor of Science (biotechnology and biomedical science) with honours from Murdoch University. During his studies at Murdoch, David conducted research into novel compounds for use as anti-malarial agents, and in his honours project investigated peptides he found to be associated with multiple sclerosis. After graduating from Murdoch, David took up a position at the Western Australian Institute for Medical Research (now the Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research) researching cell signalling pathways involved in haematopoiesis and blood cancers. Three years later, David was awarded a Dora Lush Biomedical Postgraduate Research Scholarship and began a PhD project characterising a novel Lyn-associated cytoskeletal modulator protein and its role in cell signaling. Upon completion of his project, David graduated with a Doctor of Philosophy from the Department of Medicine, The University of Western Australia.
David entered the patent attorney profession joining a national Australian patent and trade mark attorney firm where he completed his training and graduated from the University of Technology, Sydney with a Masters in Industrial Property Law. David is a registered Australian patent and trade mark attorney and is a Fellow of the Institute of Patent and Trade Mark Attorneys of Australia. He is also a registered New Zealand patent attorney. David joined Golja Haines & Friend as a Principal in 2013.
David has considerable experience acting for clients in patent and trade mark matters and securing plant breeder’s rights. David has assisted a wide range of clients from sole inventors, start-up companies, universities, and SMEs, through to some of the largest biotechnology, pharmaceutical and enzyme corporations in Europe and North America. He has drafted and prosecuted patent applications across a wide range of technologies, particularly in the fields of life sciences, pharmaceuticals and medical devices. David has also prepared patent validity, infringement, and freedom to operate opinions, and has been involved with patent oppositions and litigation in acting for large biotechnology and pharmaceutical corporations. David continues to assist a number of clients in the areas of production as well as degradation of biopolymers, biofuels, and improved fuel efficiency. As an avid surfer, David’s clients also include companies specialising in surfboard, fin, and watercraft innovations.
Main Technologies
- Biomedical
- Biotechnology
- Pharmaceuticals
- Biodegradable polymers
- Agriculture
- Food Sciences
- Health Foods & Supplements
- Enzymology
- Medical Devices
- Diagnostics
- Biofuels
- Chemistry
- Plant Breeder’s Rights
- General Mechanical
Professional Associations
- Fellow of the Institute of Patent and Trade Mark Attorneys of Australia
- Intellectual Property Society of Australia and New Zealand
- Licensing Executives Society of Australia and New Zealand
- Ausbiotech (former Western Australian committee member)
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Senior Associate, Patent & Trade Mark Attorney
Main Technologies
- Additive Manufacturing
- Aerospace
- Composites
- Mineral Resources
- Agriculture
- Subsea
- Medical instruments
- Mechanical
- Automotive
- Water Treatment
Alan Jaques
Senior Associate, Patent & Trade Mark Attorney
Alan graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Sheffield Hallam University in the United Kingdom, and worked for some years at Rolls-Royce Aerospace as a Design Engineer on their fleet of large civil jet engines.
After a year backpacking in Australia, New Zealand and South East Asia, Alan emigrated to Australia in 2008, and has worked in aerospace, composites production and resources industries. In 2015 he took a Technical Assistant role at a small Perth firm, where he completed his Masters of Intellectual Property to become a registered attorney. He spent the next 6 years providing advice and helping client protect their intellectual property, before joining Golja Haines and Friend in 2021 as a Senior Attorney.
Alan’s Intellectual Property experiences spans a range of industries including additive manufacturing, resources, automotive, composites, subsea and water treatment, and Alan firmly believes is discussing the needs of the client in detail to tailor their strategy appropriately, there is no “one size fits all” and effective strategy is something that should be carefully considered.
In addition to patent drafting, prosecution and contentious matters, Alan has significant experience in providing Freedom to Operate and Validity opinions, having helped many clients understand their risk and navigate the landscape safely.
Outside of work Alan enjoys spending time with his two young children, he also enjoys cycling, paddle boarding and discovering more of Australia.
Main Technologies
- Additive Manufacturing
- Aerospace
- Composites
- Mineral Resources
- Agriculture
- Subsea
- Medical instruments
- Mechanical
- Automotive
- Water Treatment
Professional Associations
- Member of the Institute of Patent and Trade Mark Attorneys of Australia
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Senior Associate, Trade Mark Attorney
Main Technologies
- Trade mark filing and prosecution
- Trade mark oppositions and infringement
- Strategic trade mark advice
- Designs
- Domain names
- Trade practices and passing off
- Trade mark protection in the Pacific Islands
Sunni Wentzel
Senior Associate, Trade Mark Attorney
Sunni is an experienced trade mark attorney with over 18 years of dedicated practice in trade mark law, providing forward-thinking advice on risk management, brand clearance, rebranding, and expansion into new markets.
Sunni holds a Bachelor of Legal Studies (majoring in Politics and International Studies) and a Certificate in Trade Mark Law and Practice. After graduating from Murdoch University, Sunni worked as a paralegal for a large commercial law firm. In 2008, Sunni entered the trade mark attorney profession joining a national Australian patent and trade mark attorney firm where she completed her training and graduated from the University of Technology, Sydney with a Certificate in Trade Mark Law and Practice.
Sunni is a registered Australian trade mark attorney and is a Fellow of the Institute of Patent and Trade Mark Attorneys of Australia. She is also a registered New Zealand trade mark attorney. Sunni joined Golja Haines & Friend in 2019. She brings a deep understanding of trade mark protection, enforcement, and strategy, developed through nearly two decades of advising a broad spectrum of clients — from multinational corporations with extensive IP portfolios to innovative SMEs and start-ups.
Sunni has significant experience managing local and international trade mark portfolios, including conducting clearance searches, filing and prosecuting trade mark applications, managing oppositions and disputes, and enforcing rights through administrative and judicial channels. Her work spans a diverse range of industries including fashion, consumer goods, food, technology, healthcare, and professional services. Sunni partners with clients to develop tailored IP strategies that align with their commercial objectives.
Sunni also assists clients with domain name registration and disputes, including those under the Uniform Domain-Name Dispute-Resolution Policy (UDRP) and .au Dispute Resolution Policy (auDRP). She also advises on brand protection strategies in digital and e-commerce environments.
Main Technologies
- Trade mark filing and prosecution
- Trade mark oppositions and infringement
- Strategic trade mark advice
- Designs
- Domain names
- Trade practices and passing off
- Trade mark protection in the Pacific Islands
Professional Associations
- Fellow of the Institute of Patent and Trade Mark Attorneys of Australia
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IP Consultant, Patent & Trade Mark Attorney
Main Technologies
- Chemistry and Chemical Process Technology and Engineering
- Mineral Processing
- Pharmaceuticals
- Electronic and electrical technology based inventions
- Mechanical inventions
Stephen R Friend
IP Consultant, Patent & Trade Mark Attorney
Stephen co-founded Golja Haines & Friend in 2008 and with more than 25 years’ experience practising as a patent and trade marks attorney, continues to assist his clients in the chemical, mechanical and electrical fields.
Stephen graduated from the University of Canterbury with a Bachelor of Science majoring in chemistry, whereafter he pursued a long-time interest in electronics, working for companies in Australia and New Zealand in roles of research development and design, production engineering and quality control, across applications including fire protection, security, and control and signaling.
Stephen subsequently joined the patent attorney profession and commenced study to qualify as a patent attorney. Stephen was registered in Australia as a patent attorney and trade marks attorney in 1999. Stephen is also a registered patent attorney in New Zealand.
Stephen practises in patents, trade marks, and designs, and has extensive experience in drafting patent specifications and prosecuting patent applications in a wide range of technologies, and in preparing and prosecuting trade mark and design applications. Stephen’s experience in industry before joining the patent profession provides a useful background for formulating strategies for protecting the intellectual property of clients.
Main Technologies
- Chemistry and Chemical Process Technology and Engineering
- Mineral Processing
- Pharmaceuticals
- Electronic and electrical technology based inventions
- Mechanical inventions
Professional Associations
- Fellow of the Institute of Patent and Trade Mark Attorneys of Australia
- Intellectual Property Society of Australia and New Zealand
- Asian Patent Attorneys Association
- Licensing Executives Society of Australia and New Zealand
-
IP Consultant, Patent & Trade Mark Attorney
Main Technologies
- Business processes and methods
- Consumer products
- Lasers
- Electronics
- Gaming systems
- Fire extinguishing
- Fluid flow control devices
- Medical instruments
- Electrical
- Mechanical
- Physics
- Telecommunications
Boris Golja
IP Consultant, Patent & Trade Mark Attorney
Boris co-founded Golja Haines & Friend in 2008 and has over 30 year experience practising in patent and trade marks attorney firms with a focus on inventions in the mechanical and ICT fields.
Soon after graduating from The University of Western Australia with a Bachelor of Science degree, majoring in physics, Boris moved to Canberra to take up a position at the Australian Patent Office. During his time at the Patent Office as an Examiner of Patents and Senior Examiner of Patents, Boris examined patent applications in many technologies including solar heating, heat exchange and heat transfer apparatus, combustion apparatus and processes, refrigeration, live-saving equipment, fire fighting, electric discharge tubes and lamps, optical elements and systems, paper manufacturing machinery and processes, printing machines, motor vehicle fittings, cycles, transmissions, plastics manufacturing and working of plastics material, valves, boilers and steam generation, fluidised bed equipment, and industrial mixing and separation equipment and processes.
After five years at the Patent Office, Boris entered the patent attorney profession and has over 30 years experience practising in patent and trade marks attorney firms. He is registered as a patent attorney and trade marks attorney in Australia and New Zealand. He has practised in the fields of patent, trade mark and design law.
Boris has extensive experience in drafting patent specifications for inventions in a diverse range of technologies, as well as filing and prosecuting patent applications in Australia. In addition, he has extensive experience in handling post-acceptance oppositions to Australian patent applications. He has also filed and prosecuted patent applications and handled patent cancellation proceedings in many countries for Australian based clients.
Boris has acted for clients in trade mark matters in Australia and other countries, including filing and prosecuting applications as well as handling pre-registration trade mark opposition proceedings and post-registration trade mark cancellation proceedings. He has acted for a broad base of clients that includes large multi-national corporations, universities, university spin-out corporations, small and medium sized organisations as well as individual applicants.
In addition to membership of several professional associations, he is a past Chairperson of the Western Australian branch of the Intellectual Property Society of Australia & New Zealand and is also a past Member of the Trans Tasman Committee of the Intellectual Property Society of Australia & New Zealand.
Main Technologies
- Business processes and methods
- Consumer products
- Lasers
- Electronics
- Gaming systems
- Fire extinguishing
- Fluid flow control devices
- Medical instruments
- Electrical
- Mechanical
- Physics
- Telecommunications
Professional Associations
- Fellow of the Institute of Patent and Trade Mark Attorneys of Australia
- Intellectual Property Society of Australia and New Zealand
- Asian Patent Attorneys Association
- Australian Institute of Physics
- Institute of Physics (London)
