Nicholas is a patent attorney who genuinely enjoys what he does — helping Australian inventors and businesses secure meaningful protection for their ideas, both in Australia and around the world. With over 20 years of experience in the profession, he has drafted more than 1,500 original patent specifications and successfully filed patent applications in over 80 countries.
What clients value most about working with Nicholas is his ability to make a complex process feel straightforward. He takes the time to listen, to understand the invention and the commercial context behind it, and to explain each stage of the patent process in plain language. Clients regularly describe him as approachable, pragmatic, and thorough — qualities reflected in over 130 five-star Google reviews.
Background
Before entering the patent profession, Nicholas worked as a registered professional engineer in the mining industry, designing and developing software and hardware for measurement and control systems. This hands-on engineering experience gives him a practical understanding of how inventions work at a technical level — which translates directly into stronger, more technically detailed patent specifications.
Nicholas holds degrees in both engineering and law, complemented by a postgraduate specialisation in intellectual property. This combination of technical depth and legal expertise is relatively rare in the profession, and it means he is equally comfortable discussing the intricacies of a mechanical design, a software architecture, or a complex electrical system.
Founding Patentec
In 2015, Nicholas founded Patentec with a clear vision: to provide a patent application process that is genuinely client-focused — transparent, well-structured, and designed to deliver the strongest possible outcome at every stage.
Central to this approach is the practice of drafting initial provisional applications in a complete patent specification format, with tiered claim sets and optional International-type searches to identify potential validity issues early. The goal is to give clients a clear picture of their patent prospects as soon as possible, so that every subsequent decision — whether to proceed to a complete application, file internationally, or adjust the claim strategy — is made with full information and confidence.
Qualifications, associations, and registrations
- Bachelor of Science (BSc) in Electrical Engineering, First Class Honours
- Bachelor of Laws (LL.B)
- Master's Degree in Intellectual Property (MIP)
- Registered Australian Patent Attorney
- Registered New Zealand Patent Attorney
- Registered Australian Trade Marks Attorney
- Member of The Institute of Patent and Trade Mark Attorneys of Australia
- Member of the Intellectual Property Society of Australia and New Zealand
Get in touch
If you have an invention you would like to discuss, Nicholas offers a complimentary initial consultation to assess your idea and outline the most appropriate path forward. Get in touch — he is always happy to have a conversation about what patent protection could mean for you.