The Board

The Trans-Tasman IP Attorneys Board (The Board) administers the regulatory and disciplinary regimes for patent attorneys in Australia and New Zealand, and trade marks attorneys in Australia.

The Board's role

The Board is an independent body established by the Australian and New Zealand governments to regulate the patent attorney profession in Australia and New Zealand, and the trade marks attorney profession in Australia.

It is established under section 227A of the Patents Act 1990 and constituted under the Patents Regulations 1991.

The Board:

• assesses applications for patent attorney qualifications
• assesses applications for exemptions against a topic group
• develops and oversees the curriculum of studies to assist applicants in meeting their knowledge requirements
• develops guidelines for attorneys to help meet their continuing professional education obligations
• investigates complaints and assesses if an attorney's conduct needs to be reported to the Disciplinary Tribunal
• administers the Code of Conduct
• accredits university courses that meet the knowledge requirements to become an attorney.

The Board's Terms of Reference and Impartiality Policies are as follows:

The Board's structure

The Board consists of 7-10 members. All members, except ex-officio members, are appointed by the Australian Minister for Industry and Science in consultation with the New Zealand Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs.

The Board consists of the following members: 

• a Chair   
• the Director General of IP Australia   
• the New Zealand Commissioner of Patents   
• at least 2 members nominated by the New Zealand Patents Minister to represent the New Zealand patent attorney profession   
• at least 2 other members.

The other members are usually registered attorneys. They can also be academics or people experienced in public administration. All appointed members need to have substantial standing, experience or knowledge in a field relevant to the Board's functions.

The current Board

The current Board members are:

• Professor Andrew Christie (Chair), trade marks attorney, VIC
• Michael Schwager (ex-officio), Director General, IP Australia*
• Ross van der Schyff (ex-officio), NZ Commissioner of Patents
• Dr Belinda Hartmann, patent attorney, QLD
• Viet-Chau (Veg) Tran, special counsel, NSW
• Gregory Chambers, patent and trade marks attorney, VIC
• Michelle Goldsmith, legal practitioner, VIC
• Dr Jason Coonan, patent and trade marks attorney, VIC
• Lynell Tuffery Huria, patent and trade marks attorney, NZ
• Dr Duncan de Geest, patent attorney, NZ

*The General Manager of the Governance Group, IP Australia is the deputy for the purpose of attendance at all meetings of the Trans-Tasman IP Attorneys Board held in 2024 and 2025.

The Secretariat

The Board and Designated Manager are assisted by a secretariat team, which consists of the Secretary and 2 administrative assistants.

The Secretariat are employees of IP Australia. They coordinate attorney registration, renewals and audit matters on behalf of the Designated Manager and support the Board in carrying out its Statutory functions.

The Board have granted delegation to the Secretary to approve applications on their behalf for:

• academic qualifications to become a trade marks attorney
• exemptions for A1-Legal Process and B-Professional Conduct (only under certain circumstances)
• knowledge requirements for patent and/or trade marks attorneys (only if applicants have completed an accredited course of study or have gained an exemption from the Board).

These types of applications have no cut-off date, as the Secretary can approve these at any time.

You can contact the Secretariat for all Board related queries.

Contact the Secretariat