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.

Firm News

Smart & Biggar expands in Montreal with two new litigation associates

January 16, 2019

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.