People

Smart & Biggar is Canada’s largest and highest ranked intellectual property firm. Our reputation and strength is a measure of the quality of our people, and we are proud to have the broadest and deepest bench for IP in Canada. With over 180 lawyers, patent agents and trademark agents, we offer legal expertise and technological knowledge across a wide range of industries and scientific and engineering disciplines, with leaders in every field.

Services

Today’s fast-paced innovation economy demands a higher level of expertise and attention to detail when it comes to IP. Our highly skilled team of lawyers, patent agents and trademark agents advise clients on a wide variety of strategic business, brand and technology matters leveraging their deep expertise in intellectual property to help them succeed with IP.

Industries

Across all industries, intellectual property is at the heart of innovation and is key to accelerating business value and growth. Developing a clear IP strategy and knowing how to tap and leverage IP to align with business goals can unlock competitive advantages and make the difference between industry leaders and followers.

Insights

At the forefront of IP in Canada, and actively involved as leaders in industry committees and associations, we stay up-to-date and proactively report on the latest developments in intellectual property law in Canada and around the world. Breaking IP news, changes in the law, important new decisions, and information on key IP issues are provided here through our IP publications and resources.

Careers

Many of the world's most commercially important innovators and most prominent brands trust Smart & Biggar to protect and enforce their IP and to provide them with strategic IP counsel. We have developed a reputation as a firm of talented lawyers and patent and trademark agents with integrity, business savvy and tremendous acumen. That’s why we look for the brightest people with combined talent and strengths in law, business, science and technology.

Who we are

Smart & Biggar is widely recognized as Canada’s leading firm for intellectual property, and with over 180 lawyers, patent agents and trademark agents in six offices, we are also Canada’s largest firm focused purely on IP and related specialty areas.

Rankings & Recognition

Smart & Biggar honoured by Managing Intellectual Property with 17 ‘IP Stars’ and as leading the Canadian trademark field

May 12, 2020

Smart & Biggar is pleased to announce that seventeen of the firm’s practitioners have been ranked as “IP Stars” by Managing Intellectual Property’s (MIP) 2020 edition.

MIP also released its 2020 firm rankings for Trademarks with Smart & Biggar topping the charts again for both contentious and non-contentious work.

Earlier in the year, MIP awarded Smart & Biggar with “IP Boutique Firm of the Year” as well as the “Canadian Trademark Contentious Firm of the Year” at the MIP North America Awards. In addition, Toronto Managing partner Mark Evans was awarded the “Canadian Outstanding Trademark Practitioner” award, reinforcing our position as a tier one firm for trademarks.

Congratulations to all of our 2020 ‘IP Stars’:

Mark Biernacki (Trademark Star)
Allan Brett (Patent Star)
Mark Evans (Trademark Star)
Gunars Gaikis (Patent Star)
Steven Garland (Patent Star, Trademark Star)
Stephan Georgiev (Patent Star)
Sanjay Goorachurn (Trademark Star)
François Guay (Patent Star, Trademark Star)
Sheldon Hamilton (Patent Star)
Yoon Kang (Patent Star)
Daphne Lainson (Patent Star)
Philip Lapin (Trademark Star)
Nancy Pei (Patent Star)
David Schwartz (Patent Star)
Elliott Simcoe (Patent Star, Trademark Star)
Jeremy Want (Patent Star)
Matthew Zischka (Patent Star)

The full ranking for MIP IP Stars in copyright, patents and trademarks can be found here.

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.

Related News & Media

Rankings & Recognition

Smart & Biggar maintains Band 1 rankings in Intellectual Property and IP Litigation in Chambers Canada 2027

Christian Bolduc, François Guay, Yoon Kang, Daphne Lainson, Nancy Pei and Alice Tseng
September 24, 2026
Smart & Biggar is proud to announce its continued position as a top-ranked law firm in the 2027 edition of the Chambers Canada Legal Guide, maintaining Band 1 rankings in both Intellectual Propert...
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Rankings & Recognition

Christian Bolduc awarded the Shelley Jones Outstanding Contribution Award at IPIC2026

Christian Bolduc
October 08, 2026
Smart & Biggar proudly congratulates counsel Christian Bolduc on receiving the Shelley Jones Outstanding Contribution Award at the 2026 Intellectual Property Institute of Canada (IPIC) Conference.
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Rankings & Recognition

Isi Caulder awarded the Citizenship Award at the Engineering Alumni Network (EAN) Impact Awards 2026

Isi Caulder
October 09, 2026
Smart & Biggar proudly congratulates Principal Isi Caulder on receiving the Citizenship Award at the 2026 University of Toronto Engineering Alumni Network (EAN) Impact Awards.
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