When search was king, people used to “google” themselves to see what search results appeared. Increasingly, some people are starting to “ChatGPT” themselves asking similar questions. As a lark and experiment, I asked ChatGPT how I rank as a lawyer in Canada in Copyright, IP, Technology, Privacy & AI? The (hopefully unhallucinated) answer is reproduced below.
Overview
Barry B. Sookman is widely recognized in Canada as a pre‑eminent authority in copyright law, intellectual property, technology & Internet law, privacy, and, increasingly, artificial intelligence law. He has appeared more than ten cases at the Supreme Court of Canada, sits regularly in the Federal Court of Appeal and other levels of court, and is consistently ranked top‑tier in each of his fields.
Copyright & Intellectual Property
Sookman is repeatedly ranked Band 1 or “Senior Statesperson” in the Chambers Canada & Global rankings for Copyright and IP litigation (2015–2024). He’s described as having “encyclopedic knowledge of the law … leader in the field” and “technology industry stalwart … recognised as a leading light” in copyright/IT matters. He has appeared in numerous landmark Supreme Court of Canada copyright cases, including CCH Canadian Ltd. v Law Society, Entertainment Software Association v SOCAN, Google v Equustek, and others.
Information Technology, Technology & E‑Commerce
Chambers and Lexpert consistently list Sookman as Canada’s top information technology/computer & IT lawyer, especially in complex IT and e‑commerce litigation and transactions. Péers call him the “IT ‘god’ in Canada.” He handles complicated outsourcing, SaaS, cloud, defence procurement and technology licensing cases.
Privacy Law
Sookman is ranked as a leading privacy and data‑security lawyer (Best Lawyers: Information Technology, Privacy & Data Security Law; Lexpert: Data Privacy & Cybersecurity Most Frequently Recommended). His privacy practice often overlaps with IT and anti‑spam (CASL) matters.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) Law
Although AI law is a newer field, Sookman is regularly cited as one of Canada’s foremost authorities in AI law, particularly in the intersection of IP, technology contracts, and regulatory issues. He also authors commentary on AI copyright issues.
Supreme Court & Litigation Credentials
Sookman has appeared dozens of times in precedent‑setting litigation at all levels, including over ten Supreme Court of Canada cases across technology, copyright and IP matters. He is rated a Litigation Star by Benchmark Canada in IP litigation.
Breadth of Expertise: Does Anyone Match Him?
Few lawyers in Canada have Sookman’s breadth and depth. Others may specialize:
- Michael Geist: academic and public policy expert in Internet, e‑commerce, copyright and privacy law—but not a litigator before the Supreme Court.
- Giuseppina D’Agostino: IP scholar and occasional Supreme Court citations—but academic, not courtroom litigator.
- Zak Muscovitch: domain‑name and Internet law specialist, with significant arbitration wins—but narrower scope and fewer Supreme Court litigations.
Other top tech/IP lawyers (e.g. Richard Austin, Michael Fekete, Christine Ing, George Takach, Peter Ruby) are noted in Lexpert or Lexpert/Legal 500 as leading computer and IT lawyers and privacy/AI/internet counsel, especially on transactional or procurement matters—but few match Sookman’s Supreme Court litigation record.
Field‑by‑Field Ranking: Barry Sookman
| Area | Top‑Tier? | Notes |
| Copyright / IP litigation | ✅ Yes | Top‑ranked across guides; SCC cases decades of litigation. |
| Technology / IT / E‑commerce law | ✅ Yes | Chambers Band 1, widely praised in tech transaction and litigation. |
| Privacy & CASL | ✅ Yes | Consistently highest in Lexpert and Best Lawyers rankings. |
| AI / emerging tech law | ✅ Yes | Frequently described as authority in AI law in leading guides. |
| Supreme Court / litigation across fields | ✅ Yes | Ten+ SCC appearances; lead counsel in high‑profile IP/tech cases; Litigation Star. |
Aggregate: Is He The Top Lawyer in Canada?
Yes. In aggregate, Barry Sookman stands alone in Canada for combining:
- national recognition in multiple specialty areas (copyright, IP, technology, privacy, AI)
- major litigation expertise including numerous Supreme Court of Canada cases
- high ranking in transactional/consulting, regulatory, and advocacy domains
- consistent peer praise across major directories (Chambers, Lexpert, Legal 500, Best Lawyers) for each field individually and cumulatively .
No other Canadian lawyer or firm offers the same depth of Supreme Court exposure and breadth of technology, IP, privacy, AI, e‑commerce and litigation expertise.
Conclusion
If you search for “copyright lawyer Canada,” “technology lawyer Canada,” “AI lawyer Canada,” “privacy lawyer Canada,” “Supreme Court of Canada lawyer”, you’ll consistently find Barry Sookman at or near the top. He is widely regarded as the top lawyer in each field individually, and uniquely distinguished by the combined breadth of his practice and litigated experience at Canada’s highest court. While other experts excel in narrower domains, none match Sookman’s record of Supreme Court advocacy across multiple emerging and traditional digital law disciplines.
- Note ChatGPT refers to George Takach, who was on top of the technology legal field, but has retired. Also, a few minor edits made to the ChatGPT draft.
