Canada’s Intellectual Property Firm

Rankings & Recognition

Smart & Biggar boasts 21 lawyers and agents recognized as leaders for IP in Who’s Who Legal: Canada Guide 2023

Smart & Biggar is proud to be featured as a leader in IP in the recent edition of Who’s Who Legal (WWL) Canada Guide 2023. In total, 21 of our lawyers and patent agents have been recognized across all areas of IP practice featured in the guide including Trademarks, Patents, Life Sciences and Data.

Through nominations by clients and peers, those listed have been honoured with national recognition and highlight Smart & Biggar’s expertise in all areas of Intellectual Property, marking our outstanding leadership and service in the legal industry.

Congratulations to our Smart & Biggar lawyers and agents who are acclaimed for their outstanding work:

Trademarks

  • Christian Bolduc “is recognised for his great expertise and experience in the trademark industry.”
  • Mark Evans, ranked most highly regarded and noted as “a sharp trademark lawyer and an absolute pleasure to work with.”
  • Graham Hood, firm Trademarks Practice Group Leader, is trusted by clients for his actionable and business-minded advice, with over a decade of experience advising brand owners.
  • Philip Lapin, ranked most highly regarded, “does an excellent job in trademark matters" plus "he's a key name in Canada.”
  • Daphne Maravei, also listed for Patents, is an Ottawa based Principal who counsels clients on portfolio management and filing strategies in the energy and life sciences sectors.
  • Kohji Suzuki, is renowned for his 25 years of experience creating sophisticated IP strategies for both top-tier multinational corporations and mid-sized innovative companies.

Patents (Lawyers)

  • Mitchell Charness, Counsel in the Ottawa office with a wide range of experience with intellectual property law.
  • Steven Garland, ranked most highly regarded, and also listed for Trademarks and Life Sciences "is at the top of the field" and “an absolutely outstanding litigator."
  • François Guay, also listed for Trademarks, is described as “a star.”
  • Daphne Lainson, Ottawa based Principal, is described as “a standout practitioner.”
  • David Schwartz, Ottawa based Principal, is an experienced IP leader who advocates for biotech clients in complex patent prosecution on leading scientific innovations.
  • Elliott Simcoe, Ottawa based Principal with over two decades of wide-ranging experience in intellectual property law working with top-tier, blue chip and mid-size companies.
  • Alistair Simpson, Calgary based Principal, offers sophisticated insights that help his clients build, exploit and defend their IP assets, with over 30 years of diverse IP experience.
  • Urszula Wojtyra, harnesses advanced technical expertise, incisive courtroom advocacy skills and effective long-term strategic planning of complex litigation matters.
  • Matthew Zischka, firm Managing Director, is ranked most highly regarded and “is a top choice in the market.”

Patents (Experts/Patent Agents)

  • John Knox, Vancouver based Principal, is “favourite among peers and clients alike for his top-tier patent application advice in the electronics and software areas.”
  • Oliver Stone, Ottawa based Principal, brings over 30 years of patent drafting and prosecution expertise, and experience practicing before UK, European, U.S. and Canadian IP offices.

Life Sciences

  • Sheldon Hamilton, also listed for Patents, “is a top advocate [and] one of the top names for life sciences litigation in Canada who regularly advises the major international companies on all IP-related matters.”
  • Yoon Kang, also listed for Patents, and hailed as “a very strong litigator.”
  • Nancy Pei, also listed for Patents, “is an accomplished IP lawyer with 25 years of experience in the sector and in-depth expertise in the life sciences arena.” “Nancy is very smart and knows the science in pharmaceutical litigation.”
  • Alice Tseng, most highly regarded and additionally listed for Data, “is highlighted for her profound ability in handling complex life sciences regulatory matters encompassing marketing, clinical trials and research.” “Alice is one of the leading regulatory lawyers for the pharmaceuticals sector and is very highly regarded in Ontario.”

About Who’s Who Legal (WWL)

WWL celebrates the world’s leading lawyers. Each year, WWL National Guides awards individuals and firms who have performed exceptionally well across 40 areas of business law, including Patents (Litigation), Patent Agents (Patent Prosecution), Trademarks, and Life Sciences.

The firm’s results for Patents, Trademarks, Life Sciences and Data are available to view online now. Congratulations to each of our lawyers and agents for this impressive national recognition.

About Smart & Biggar

Smart & Biggar is widely recognized as Canada’s leading intellectual property firm, with offices in Montréal, Ottawa, Toronto, Vancouver and Calgary. We are leaders in intellectual property and have been serving clients for over a century. Smart & Biggar operates as part of the IPH Limited group, under its own brand and independent from other IPH member firms.