Established in 1893, Ridout & Maybee has 30 lawyers and 60 legal and business support staff. Smart & Biggar, founded in 1890, has over 100 lawyers, patent and trademark agents, and 235 legal & business services employees.
Smart & Biggar and Ridout & Maybee are complementary businesses
Zischka says Smart & Biggar and Ridout & Maybee are “complementary businesses” in terms of their “highly experienced teams, strong heritage and quality clients.”
He adds that not only will the merger bring scale to the combined law firm, enabling it to serve more and larger clients, but it will also bring greater expertise and add to the services that can be provided.
Ridout & Maybee partner Peter Everitt said members of the firm are “really excited” about joining Smart & Biggar and believe the move will “best position” it for the future, both in Canada and internationally.
“As a combined firm, we can provide enhanced career opportunities for our people and an enhanced service offering for our clients as part of a larger firm,” he says. “We believe Smart & Biggar is a good strategic fit for us.”