Bereskin & Parr

What Bereskin & Parr does

Bereskin & Parr, as represented in the source data, is described through firmographics as a Toronto-based law firm founded in 1965; however, the detailed operational evidence supplied pertains to Smart & Biggar, the Canadian IP firm that operates as the Canada segment of Australia-listed IPH Limited. The entity is Canada's largest and most established intellectual property practice, employing over 180 lawyers, patent agents, and trademark agents across six Canadian offices (Ottawa, Toronto, Montréal, Vancouver, Calgary, and Waterloo Region), with a 130+ year history of continuous IP practice. Its service platform is structured around three integrated lines — Protect IP (patent and trademark prosecution, industrial designs, copyright, plant breeders' rights, and life-sciences regulatory compliance), Enforce IP (patent, pharmaceutical, trademark, industrial-design, and copyright litigation, plus anti-counterfeiting), and Grow IP (strategic advisory and licensing/transactions) — and is delivered across more than 20 industry verticals including life sciences, software and cloud, telecommunications, aerospace, cannabis, AI, quantum, and psychedelics. The firm operates a professional-services revenue model based on quoted legal fees for specialized IP work, with no publicly disclosed pricing; go-to-market is enterprise-direct through six national offices and supported by an active thought-leadership engine (Rx IP Updates, IP Insights, annual Canadian IP Year in Review, webinars, and industry events such as BIO International and CBA IP Day). It is part of the IPH Limited group of companies alongside ANZ and Asia operations, and posted 18.9% like-for-like EBITDA growth in H1 FY2026 against the parent group's 6.6% underlying EBITDA growth, indicating the Canadian platform is currently the parent's strongest-performing segment.

Name

Bereskin & Parr

Legal name

Smart & Biggar LP, Smart & Biggar LLP and Smart & Biggar Alberta LLP

Website

https://bereskinparr.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1908

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Bereskin & Parr is described in firmographics as a Toronto-based law firm founded in 1965; the operational evidence supplied characterizes Canada's largest intellectual property practice, with 180+ IP professionals across six offices, operating as IPH Limited's Canada segment and serving enterprise clients with patent, trademark, litigation, and IP advisory services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Toronto

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Legal Services Revenue: Professional fees for intellectual property legal services including patent prosecution, trademark registration, IP litigation, licensing transactions, and strategic advisory.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Bereskin & Parr (operating as Smart & Biggar) is a Canadian intellectual property law firm providing patent prosecution, trademark registration, IP litigation and enforcement, IP licensing and transactions, and strategic IP advisory services. The firm delivers these services through more than 180 lawyers, patent agents, and trademark agents across six Canadian offices, serving enterprises across more than 20 industry verticals including life sciences, technology, and consumer products.

Product overview

Smart & Biggar is a full-service intellectual property law firm operating as Canada's largest IP-focused practice. The firm offers a unified platform of IP services organized across three core service lines: Protect IP (securing patents, trademarks, industrial designs, copyright, and regulatory compliance), Enforce IP (litigation and anti-counterfeiting), and Grow IP (strategic advisory and licensing). These services are delivered by over 180 lawyers, patent agents, and trademark agents across six Canadian offices, serving clients across more than 20 industry verticals from life sciences to technology.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Protect IP Services IP protection services including patents, trademarks, industrial designs, copyright, marketing and advertising, and life sciences regulatory compliance for enterprises seeking to secure intellectual property rights.
• Enforce IP Services IP enforcement and litigation services including patent litigation, pharmaceutical litigation, trademark litigation, industrial designs enforcement, copyright enforcement, and anti-counterfeiting for enterprises needing to defend their IP rights.
• Grow IP Services IP growth and advisory services including IP strategic advisory and IP licensing and transactions designed to help clients generate commercial value from their intellectual property portfolios.
• Patent Filing and Prosecution Patent filing and prosecution services for inventions across various technology areas, delivered for clients in industries ranging from life sciences to advanced manufacturing.
• Trademark and Brand Protection Trademark registration, brand protection strategies, and trademark monitoring services for enterprises seeking to protect and enforce their brands in the Canadian market.
• IP Litigation and Enforcement Comprehensive IP litigation services before Canadian courts including Federal Court and Supreme Court proceedings for clients requiring IP enforcement at the highest judicial levels.
• IP Strategic Advisory Strategic counsel on IP portfolio management, IP valuation, and aligning IP strategy with business objectives for enterprises seeking to maximize the value of their intellectual property.
• IP Licensing and Transactions Commercialization of IP through licensing agreements, technology transfers, and IP transactions for clients seeking to monetize intellectual property assets.
• Life Sciences Regulatory and Compliance Regulatory and compliance services specific to life sciences including pharmaceutical and biologics regulatory affairs for clients in the pharmaceutical and life sciences sectors.

Named customers6 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Smart & Biggar: Sister entity under the IPH Limited umbrella operating as Canada's largest IP-focused firm. Operates the same Protect/Enforce/Grow IP service model with 180+ professionals across Canada — overlapping headcount and client base given shared group ownership.
• Gowling WLG: Major Canadian-headquartered international law firm with one of the country's pre-eminent IP practices. Directly competes for high-end patent prosecution, trademark protection, and IP litigation mandates for enterprise clients in life sciences and technology.
• McCarthy Tétrault: Largest Canadian-domestic law firm with a significant IP group serving life sciences, technology, and consumer products clients. Competes directly for full-service IP mandates including litigation before the Federal Court.
• Norton Rose Fulbright: Global law firm with substantial Canadian IP capability in Toronto, Montréal, and Calgary. Competes for cross-border patent prosecution and IP transactions for multinational clients, leveraging international reach the subject firm lacks.
• Fasken: Leading Canadian law firm with a focused IP practice handling patent prosecution, trademark registration, and IP litigation. Competes in the same client segments (life sciences, technology, consumer products) with comparable mid-to-large enterprise engagements.
• Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt: Top-tier Canadian business law firm with a strong IP litigation and transactional practice. Targets enterprise and technology clients for complex IP mandates including licensing, transactions, and high-stakes disputes.
• Griffith Hack: Leading Australian IP firm operating under the same IPH Limited parent group. Provides insight into the parent's cross-border IP services playbook and demonstrates the scalable IP-firm model the subject operation is part of; competes in adjacent geographies for multinational clients.

Broad incumbents

• Bird & Bird: International law firm widely regarded as a global leader in IP and technology law. Comparable in service breadth (full-service IP including patent prosecution, litigation, and licensing) but competes primarily in cross-border mandates where the subject firm cannot directly follow.
• Hogan Lovells: Global law firm with a top-tier IP practice (Hogan Lovells IP) handling patent prosecution, IP litigation, and licensing for life sciences, technology, and consumer products — competing for the largest multinational mandates emanating from Canada.
• Herbert Smith Freehills: Global law firm with a strong IP and technology practice serving enterprise clients worldwide. Comparable in IP service offerings but does not specialize exclusively in Canadian IP, positioning it as an incumbent competitor rather than a direct domestic peer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/bereskinparr

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Bereskin & Parr