Stéphanie Girard

With close to a decade of experience as a lawyer and trademark agent, Stéphanie provides her clients with legal counsel and advice to help them protect and manage Intellectual Property in the context of their overall business strategy and goals. Her experience as in-house counsel enables Stéphanie to better understand client needs and offer a practical approach and strategic solutions that expertly balance legal and business interests related to IP.

In her practice, Stéphanie works with a wide range of clients advising them on the IP aspects of various commercial arrangements, including joint ventures, strategic alliances, M&A deals, cross-border transactions, technology transfers and procurement projects. She regularly drafts commercial agreements related to IP, including IP ownership and licensing agreements, and conducts IP due diligence.

In addition, Stéphanie advises clients on matters related to trademarks, copyright, trade secrets, and advertising law. She also has extensive expertise on the Charter of the French Language, which is critical for clients doing business in the Province of Quebec.

Another key area of experience Stéphanie offers clients is guidance on privacy and confidentiality matters, including drafting policies related to data governance and security, and privacy. She applies this expertise in her role as the Privacy Officer for Smart & Biggar.

Stéphanie has worked with in-house counsel and business leaders, particularly in small and mid-sized companies, across North America as well as international associate firms. She brings a strategic approach when working with clients to assess their needs, understand their business and the competitive landscape, and develop solutions that maximize the value and potential of their IP.