Smart & Biggar is Canada's largest firm practising exclusively in intellectual property and technology law. Within industry and our profession, we have earned a national and international reputation for excellence. Related through common partners and personnel to Fetherstonhaugh, the firms have been dedicated to efficiently providing clients with service of the highest quality for over a century.
Global reach...national presence
We offer clients a strong national presence, with offices in Ottawa (where the Patent and Trademark Offices and the Federal Court of Canada are based), Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver and Calgary. Clients may draw on the services of any, or all, of our offices. All offices are closely integrated, thereby allowing coordinated activity across Canada, and the ability to draw on the extensive depth of experience in the firms. We also are able to advise and represent clients in both the common law provinces and the civil law system of the Province of Quebec.
Since the founding of the firms, our practice has been worldwide. We therefore have the sophisticated ability and experience to deal with intellectual property on a global basis. Our fluency in both English and French, as well as in other languages including German and Japanese, enables us to work and communicate effectively on intellectual property matters around the globe. We also have partners who have been trained and registered in the United Kingdom and Japan, thereby contributing their understanding of key international markets. Of course, as a long established firm, we have excellent relationships with firms around the world to assist us with international intellectual property and technology issues.
Unequalled depth
We have prepared, filed and prosecuted more patent and trademark applications than any other firm in Canada, and we have done so for over a century. We offer clients a level of technical depth and experience that is unavailable in any other intellectual property firm in Canada. Virtually every member of the firm has an engineering or scientific educational background and approximately 35 also have graduate degrees in a diverse range of areas. Over 70 members of our firm, including most of our lawyers, are registered patent agents. This sophisticated level of technical depth and expertise offers a powerful benefit to our clients.
As our offices across Canada are staffed with professionals who are both knowledgeable and experienced in all aspects of intellectual property law and practice, we have the skills and experience to act efficiently and effectively.
Strength in litigation
With a long and distinguished record in intellectual property, we can provide clients with the protection that is needed. Within our firms are several of the top intellectual property litigators in Canada, practising in both the common law and civil law courts, in both the English and French official languages. As a national firm, we are able to directly represent our clients across the country, in the Federal Court of Canada as well as in the provincial courts in Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia and Alberta. We have also appeared on behalf of clients in the Supreme Court of Canada on more than 50 occasions.
At Smart & Biggar, we strike the balance between our senior partner's depth of experience and the latest technical credentials of our younger partners and associates. That means we are able to match the best person - or a team of any size - to a client's specific needs.
Clients rely on us for advice that is practical and sound, and for fast and cost-effective service.
Leadership
As intellectual property law and technology change, so do our clients' needs. We therefore understand the importance of being at the forefront of intellectual property developments and advising our clients on the impact of these developments on their business.
From the day Russel Smart, Sr. authored Canada's first text on trademarks and designs, our partners have been among the most active contributors to intellectual property literature. In addition, our firms have been actively involved in intellectual property organizations in Canada, and internationally. For instance, our partners have regularly presided over the Canadian branch of AIPPI, the world's largest intellectual property organization; 10 times over the Intellectual Property Institute of Canada, and twice over the Canadian Bar Association's Intellectual Property Section. One of our partners is also a member of the International Trademark Association's Board of Directors. We have also participated in the drafting of domestic intellectual property legislation and advised the Canadian government on international diplomatic agreements.
