Smart & Biggar named a “powerhouse” for Canadian patent law with 11 individuals recommended in the 2017 edition of IAM Patent 1000

Smart & Biggar/Fetherstonhaugh announced today that the firm has once again received top ranking with “Gold band” status across transactions, prosecution and litigation in the IAM Patent 1000, The World’s Leading Patent Professionals, 2017 edition.

In the guide, IAM Patents recognizes that the firm is a “powerhouse” that “marries a laser focus on patents with enviable resources and coverage”, and that “with “unsurpassed depth and breadth of technical expertise”, the firm’s non-contentious practice is among the very best in the country.” “Smart & Biggar is also a leading light when it comes to the commercialisation of intellectual property”

• Sanjay Goorachurn, “a former global IP manager for Imperial Chemical Industries (now Akzo Nobel), knows better than most how to extract maximum value from portfolios”
• Alistair Simpson is a “licensing guru” who uses “transactions not only to increase revenue, but also to resolve intractable disputes”
• Theodore Sum is known for “blending creative flair with diligence and microscopic attention to detail when shepherding deals to close”

Recommended for prosecution:

• Ronald Faggetter, an “electrical and mechanical arts buff” who brings a quarter-century’s patent procurement experience to the table
• John Knox is a “great prosecutor” who has particular know-how in statutory subject-matter issues
• Christopher Robinson is a “life sciences maven” who brings a quarter-century’s patent procurement experience to the table
• Matthew Zischka is an “excellent” lawyer and is admired by clients and peers alike: “You need to meet him to understand how good he is; he’s a great ambassador for the profession. Matthew is a wonderful drafter – he is very technical and keeps up to date with the latest changes in the law. You can go to him with the most puzzling questions and can refer work to him with total trust.”

Recommended for litigation:

• Gunars Gaikis, a “seasoned gladiator” praised as a “a skilled fighter and lifecycle strategist for original drugs companies” and a “wonderful litigator”
• François Guay, known as a “major practitioner” with a “knack for finding the most efficient route out of trouble”
• Steven Garland is praised as a “Fantastic lawyer” who competes in a “broad array of contests”
• Sheldon Hamilton is a “pharma whizz” and “has prevailed in many tricky courtroom scenarios”

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 are leaders in intellectual property and technology law and have been serving clients for over a century. For more information, please visit smart-biggar.ca.