Three Smart & Biggar partners recognized in Who’s Who Legal: Thought Leaders Global Elite 2020
Smart & Biggar is pleased to announce that three partners are named in Who’s Who Legal: Thought Leaders Global Elite 2020, a select and exclusive guide to the world’s foremost lawyers and experts. Mark Evans, Gunars Gaikis and John Knox, who are listed for Trademarks, Life Sciences and Patents, and Patent Attorneys & Agents respectively, have been identified not only for their vast expertise and experience advising on some of the world’s most significant and cutting-edge legal matters, but also their ability to innovate, inspire, and go above and beyond to deliver for their clients.
Mark Evans is a seasoned trademark lawyer and highly respected litigator. With more than 30 years of experience and an impressive record of success in numerous high-profile, precedent-setting cases, Mark is widely recognized as one of Canada’s leading trademark lawyers. In addition to being named a Thought Leader Global Elite, He has been honoured as Canada's "Trademark Litigator of the Year" in 2014 and 2015 by Benchmark Canada, and was one of Managing Intellectual Property’s six nominees as Canada’s “Outstanding IP Practitioner” for 2015. The World Trade Mark Review 1000 has repeatedly selected Mark as the only Canadian for their gold or silver bands of all areas of trademark law and practice: prosecution and strategy; enforcement and litigation; and anti-counterfeiting.
Gunars Gaikis is a pre-eminent and pioneering leader in life sciences intellectual property and is consistently recognized by his peers and clients for his expertise and contributions over the past 25 years in the highly specialized field of pharmaceutical patent, trademark and related litigation. Among his many accolades, Gunars has been listed as one of the top thirty patent attorneys globally and named as one of the world’s leading life sciences patent litigators. Known for his unrelenting client commitment and fierce courtroom advocacy, clients praise Gunars as an “IP star” and “seasoned gladiator.” A strong proponent of protecting pharmaceutical innovation, Gunars has acted as counsel in many ground-breaking court decisions on behalf of innovators seeking protection in Canada. This includes his win for AstraZeneca when the Supreme Court “wholly rejected the promise doctrine” and clarified the requirement for patent utility.
John Knox is a persuasive and successful prosecutor. He applies his extensive patent expertise and practical insights gleaned as a hardware design engineer to protect the electrical, electronic and computer-related inventions of his clients. He has prosecuted patent applications for his clients in virtually every country of the world. In addition, patent professionals in other countries rely on John to prosecute patent applications for them before the Canadian Intellectual Property Office. John is a Member of Honour, Fédération internationale des conseils en propriété intellectuelle (FICPI); Past President of the Finance Advisory Board of FICPI; and Past President of FICPI Canada;
Smart & Biggar is widely recognized as Canada’s leading firm for intellectual property law, with offices in Ottawa, Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver and Calgary. We are leaders in intellectual property and technology law and have been serving clients for over a century.