Following Norton Rose Fulbright‘s (NRF) acquisition of a Vancouver firm earlier this month, DLA Piper is to merge with Canadian intellectual property firm Dimock Stratton with sixteen partners joining the global outfit in November.
Dimock Stratton specialises in intellectual property litigation and the acquisition, licensing and portfolio management of patents, trade-marks and copyrights, as well as trade secret protection with clients including BMW, Cisco Systems, A&W Food Services and Magna.
Commenting on the merger DLA’s global co-chair Roger Meltzer said that the move was an important step to boost the firm’s competitive edge and execute its growth strategy.
The firm’s Canadian managing partner Robert Seidel added: ‘It is a tremendous growth opportunity to be joining forces with an industry heavyweight such as Dimock Stratton, which has been involved in many influential cases in patent, trade-mark and copyright law in Canada. We are excited for what this combination will achieve for our clients.’
The move follows DLA’s first foray into Canada last March when the firm merged with Vancouver-headquartered firm Davis, adding 250 Canadian lawyers, including 112 partners, to DLA’s 4,000-strong operation.
Davis is ranked by The Legal 500 as a top-tier firm in infrastructure and projects, alongside Blake, Cassels & Graydon, Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg and McCarthy Tétrault, and is ranked in the fourth-tier for work in the power sector. The firm is also ranked in the fourth-tier of The Legal 500 for banking and finance work. The firm’s biggest clients include Rio Alto Mining and Japanese corporates Sumitomo and Mitsubishi.
The expansion follows the merger of Wragge Lawrence Graham & Co and Canadian firm Gowlings to form Gowlings WLG, a combination which went live in February this year and was driven by both firm’s IP practices.
kathryn.mccann@legalease.co.uk
