Smart & Biggar

IP powerhouse Smart & Biggar joined Australia-headquartered IPH Limited Group — an international IP services network — in September 2022. Since then, IPH’s ambitious acquisition strategy has seen it absorb long-established Ontario IP boutique Ridout & Maybee (September 2023) and leading IP specialist Bereskin & Parr (August 2024), creating the largest IP-focused law firm in the country. Among the names to note on the trademark side, Mark Evans (Toronto) is a go-to expert for both portfolio management and litigation, while Graham Hood (Toronto) heads the trademark group and advises on counselling, prosecution and litigation. The senior leadership team additionally includes firm managing director Matthew Zischka (Toronto); litigation and legal group head Jean-Sébastien Dupont (Montreal); patents and life sciences chair Daphne Lainson (Ottawa); and Jonas Gifford (Vancouver), who leads the patents: electrical, industrial, computer and technology group. A deep bench of litigators includes go-to specialist François Guay (Montreal), who contributes over four decades of experience in IP disputes; Mark Biernacki (Toronto), whose practice spans patents, trademarks, copyrights and industrial designs; and Sheldon Hamilton (Toronto), who focuses on patent litigation. Toronto-based life sciences specialists Yoon Kang and Nancy Pei are also noted for their expertise in patent litigation. Other recommended IP litigators include Jeremy Want (Ottawa) and Urszula Wojtyra (Toronto). Steven Garland retired in October 2024.