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Firm News

Smart & Biggar expands in Montreal with two new litigation associates

Smart & Biggar is pleased to announce that Julie E. Larouche and Marie Christine Bernier have joined our litigation team in Montreal.

“Our practice in Montreal continues to grow in response to the expanding needs of our clients. With the addition of Julie and Marie Christine we reinforce the strength of our litigation team through their proven expertise, technical skill, and business insight.”  - Francois Guay, Managing Partner

We are pleased to welcome them both to the firm, and extend our added congratulations to Marie Christine on her recent call to the bar.

A litigator with a high standard of excellence

Julie E. Larouche ( Associate, IP Litigation) joins the firm as an associate, with an established track record practicing civil and commercial litigation representing clients involved in complex commercial disputes.

Prior to joining Smart & Biggar, Julie acted as an in-house counsel for a large international aerospace company where she advised the company’s senior management on various legal and business issues and managed lawsuits and claims.

She has significant experience preparing for lengthy trials and hearings, drafting court materials, preparing witnesses for examination and cross-examination, preparing and responding to discovery requests and working with experts in highly technical industries. She has appeared for clients before the provincial courts and in arbitration proceedings.

Legal guidance and strategy informed by business insight

Marie Christine Bernier (Associate, IP Litigation) has been hired back following her articles with the firm and her call to the Quebec bar.
 
Focusing on intellectual property litigation in the areas of trademarks, patents and copyright, Marie Christine is involved in all steps of litigation, including collecting evidence and drafting written submissions to the Federal Court.
 
Her trademark practice focuses on counselling throughout the trademark lifecycle and she regularly performs trademark clearance searches and provides availability opinions, prepares and files trademark applications and prosecutes trademark applications before the Canadian Intellectual Property Office.
 

In addition to her legal qualifications, she also holds an MBA which provides her with a strong foundation in strategic business issues.

Previous new hire announcements for Montreal include:

Smart & Biggar welcomes technical consultant Surena Hesami to Montreal
Smart & Biggar builds on strengths in Montreal with new additions in Litigation, Transactions and Patents

Smart & Biggar is Canada's largest firm practising exclusively in intellectual property and technology law, with offices in Ottawa, Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver and Calgary. We have been leaders in intellectual property and technology law for over a century. For more information, please visit smart-biggar.ca.