Canada’s Intellectual Property Firm

Rankings & Recognition

IAM Patent 1000 recognizes Smart & Biggar for its “unwavering commitment to quality” with ‘Gold’ band status and 10 recommended partners

Smart & Biggar is pleased to announce that the firm has again been recognized as a Canadian leader for patents with a “Gold” band status in prosecution and litigation, and as a recommended firm for transactions in the IAM Patent 1000, The World’s Leading Patent Professionals, 2019 edition.

The guide touts Smart & Biggar’s “impressive statistics” as Canada’s number one patent filer, and recognizes the firm’s “continuous investment in some of the most sophisticated back-office systems and IP management tools around.” Researchers also commend our “world-class prosecution practice combined with a hard-hitting litigation offering that has led to major wins and many Supreme Court appearances.”

For prosecution the guide highlights three Smart & Biggar partners in the top tier of prosecution, out of a country-wide total of 13. For litigation, “[g]old-tier placement is well deserved”, and recommended individuals on the transactions table prove the firm’s “all-around IP credentials.”

Smart & Biggar has a total of 10 partners featured overall in the guide as “recommended” and “highly recommended” for patent prosecution, litigation and transactions.

To view the full IAM Patents 1000 2019 results, click here.

Patent Prosecution:

  • Ronald Faggetter, by virtue of his expertise in US and international patent prosecution, is dubbed a “reliable guide for Canadian companies with global interests.”
  • John Knox plays a key role in bringing in the next generation of patent professionals at the firm but is really a mentor to all. From a client perspective: “John’s thorough, practical and sensible counselling is a key enabler. He doesn’t make anything more complex than it needs to be.”
  • Daphne Lainson plies her trade in the pharmaceutical and biotech industries and is cited as an “experienced and pragmatic partner.” “[She] is brilliant at the intersection of IP and regulatory law and has fantastic legal and business acumen, which she uses to provide thorough, best-in-class legal advice. She also has a tremendous ability to simplify and explain complex issues to non-lawyers, which helps hugely with decision making.”
  • Matthew Zischka is “much more than just a prosecution agent – he embeds with clients on a strategic and business level and plays a pivotal role in helping them establish IP best practices and forge IP-driven deals.”

Patent Litigation:

  • Gunars Gaikis’ gold-tier placement is well deserved. He “reigns supreme in pharmaceutical litigation.”
  • François Guay offers hard-hitting litigation in the high-tech and computer fields.
  • Steven Garland keeps a cool head when only a win will do. He litigates diverse cases across the technical spectrum as far as patents are concerned, making him one of the most versatile trial lawyers in the Canadian IP community. Clients boast that he is “incredibly strategic in his approach to litigation and a true leader for the firm.”

Patent Transactions:

Three partners, Theodore Sum, Sanjay Goorachurn and Alistair Simpson, have earned recognition in every edition of the IAM Patent 1000 and were highlighted as stalwarts of the commercial IP scene. They understand what keeps clients awake at night and “what can make or break a deal” and have the skills to see negotiations through to a successful close.

IAM Patent 1000: The World’s Leading Patent Professionals is a unique guide that identifies the top patent professionals in key jurisdictions around the globe and shines a spotlight on the firms and individuals that are deemed outstanding in this pivotal area of practice. The guide is compiled over five months and 1,800 interviews with numerous attorneys at law, patent attorneys and in-house counsel to gather market intelligence on the leading players in the field. Only those individuals identified by market sources for their exceptional skill sets and profound insights into patent matters feature in the IAM Patent 1000.

Smart & Biggar is Canada's largest firm practising exclusively in intellectual property and technology law, with offices in Ottawa, Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver and Calgary.