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Smart & Biggar Review

Depends

Should I use Smart & Biggar?

Canada's largest intellectual property law firm - smartbiggar.ca

· 1 week ago

Buy if you need heavyweight Canadian patent or trademark work and Federal Court litigation — they are the country's top-ranked IP firm. Skip if you are filing one simple trademark on a budget; a boutique agent or direct CIPO filing costs far less.

Confidence

Medium. Based on ~30 public sources; mostly rankings and employee reviews — no client reviews or published pricing found.

Ratings

  • Value for moneyNo published pricing or client cost evidence
  • Ease of useNo client experience evidence found
  • Feature depth
  • Support qualityNo client-side support evidence found
  • Security posture

Pricing

Not disclosed

ModelNot disclosed
Monthly feesNot disclosed
HardwareNot disclosed
Free tierNo

Best for

  • Enterprise Canadian patent portfolios
  • Federal Court IP litigation
  • Life sciences IP and regulatory
  • Multi-jurisdiction trademark strategy

Not for

  • Solo founders filing one trademark — fees dwarf the filing cost
  • US-only or EU-only IP needs — this is a Canadian firm
  • Anyone wanting transparent, published pricing
  • Tight budgets; boutiques and agents charge far less

Gotchas - check before you buy

high

Parent IPH's 2023 cyber incident — ask what client-data safeguards changed since

medium

Pricing is opaque — fees scale with matter complexity; demand estimates up front

low

Canada-focused expertise; budget separate counsel for US or EU filings

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Top Tier IP ranking in Legal 500 Canada for ten consecutive years
  • Named Law Firm of the Year by Best Law Firms Canada 2026
  • Won multiple MIP Americas Awards in 2025
  • Full IP coverage: prosecution, litigation, due diligence, portfolio management
  • Widely recognized in World Trademark Review rankings

Cons

  • No published pricing; premium big-firm rates likely
  • Parent IPH Limited disclosed a cyber security incident in March 2023
  • Acquisition by IPH prompted practitioner debate about the firm's future
  • Public feedback is employee reviews; client reviews are scarce

Sources & method

- 12 sources - No known vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed; however, parent company IPH Limited disclosed a cyber security incident in March 2023.

official x2review x3security x1news x6
  • IPH Limited cyber security incident (2023), IPH Limited, the ASX-listed group that owns Smart & Biggar, disclosed a cyber security incident in March 2023.

Key stats

  • Feature depth: 5/5

    Rating

  • Not disclosed

    Starting price

  • 12

    Sources

  • Analyzed

  • Value for money. No published pricing or client cost evidence
  • Ease of use. No client experience evidence found
  • Feature depth: 5/5. Top Tier IP ranking ten consecutive years
  • Support quality. No client-side support evidence found
  • Security posture: 3/5. Parent IPH disclosed 2023 cyber incident
  • Top Tier Legal 500 Canada 10 consecutive years
  • 36 lawyers Best Lawyers 2022 recognized firm-wide
  • 77 Glassdoor reviews employee reviews
  • Multiple wins MIP Americas 2025 firm awards

Pricing

Free tier: No

Security

No known vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed; however, parent company IPH Limited disclosed a cyber security incident in March 2023.

  • IPH Limited cyber security incident (2023)IPH Limited, the ASX-listed group that owns Smart & Biggar, disclosed a cyber security incident in March 2023.⁸

What users say

reviews are overwhelmingly from employees, not clients; rankings and awards dominate the external picture.

Full analysis

Based on ~30 public sources; mostly rankings and employee reviews — no client reviews or published pricing found.

Canada's top-ranked IP firm: ideal for serious patent/trademark work and litigation, overkill for a simple filing.

Methodology

Based on ~30 public sources; mostly rankings and employee reviews — no client reviews or published pricing found.

Read how a report is made.

Sources

  1. Smart & Biggar — official sitesmartbiggar.ca
    official
  2. Top Tier IP firm, Legal 500 Canada 2024smartbiggar.ca
    news
  3. Law Firm of the Year, Best Law Firms Canada 2026smartbiggar.ca
    news
  4. MIP Americas Awards 2025 winssmartbiggar.ca
    news
  5. Glassdoor employee reviewsglassdoor.com
    review
  6. Indeed employee reviewsindeed.com
    review
  7. Reddit r/patentlaw — reaction to firm's salereddit.com
    review
  8. IPH Limited ASX cyber security incidentiphlimited.com
    security
  9. Canadian Lawyer — Top 10 IP Boutiquescanadianlawyermag.com
    news
  10. World Trademark Review profileworldtrademarkreview.com
    news
  11. Benchmark Litigation profilebenchmarklitigation.com
    news
  12. Product security pagesmartbiggar.ca
    official

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