Shift Law
5 lawyers · Established 2011 · City of Toronto
One of 2,345 law firms listed in Toronto, and one of 195 handling Intellectual Property.
About Shift Law
Shift Law is a small Toronto law firm that has worked on trademark and copyright matters exclusively since it opened its doors in 2011. Founder John Simpson, a registered trademark agent and a Law Society of Ontario Certified Specialist in Intellectual Property Law, was called to the Ontario bar in 2004 and holds an LL.B. from Western University's Faculty of Law. The firm's five lawyers and trademark agents handle trademark registration and clearance in Canada, the United States and beyond, trademark and copyright litigation, IP agreements built into commercial contracts, and IP audits, due diligence and strategy work.
The firm's own site reports it has helped more than 2,200 clients, filed more than 3,500 trademark applications and resolved more than 1,200 IP disputes since it opened. Its litigation team says it brings more than twenty years of combined IP litigation experience and has litigated more than 400 IP cases across six judicial forums, from cease and desist letters through trial. Shift Law's office and lawyers are based in Toronto; the firm's site also lists meeting availability in several other Canadian cities for clients elsewhere in the country.
Practice areas
Milestones & recognition
- Founder John Simpson is a Law Society of Ontario Certified Specialist in Intellectual Property Law (Trademark/Copyright) and a registered trademark agent, called to the Ontario bar in 2004.
- Simpson was recognized in the 2025 edition of The Best Lawyers in Canada, a peer-review directory, for intellectual property law.
- Simpson is ranked in World Trademark Review's WTR 1000 list of trademark practitioners and is listed as 'Repeatedly Recommended for Intellectual Property' in the Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory.
- Simpson is the updating author of Hughes on Copyright & Industrial Design and has lectured on intellectual property law at Osgoode Hall.
- The firm's litigation team reports more than twenty years of combined IP litigation experience and more than 400 IP cases litigated across six judicial forums.
In the community
- Founder John Simpson has taken part in the Enbridge Ride to Conquer Cancer.
- Simpson has been involved with the Leaside Baseball Association.
- Simpson does pro bono legal work and has served as a past executive member of the Ontario Bar Association's IT and IP Law Section.
- Simpson is a member of the Intellectual Property Institute of Canada and the International Trademark Association.
Good to know
Wheelchair accessible
By appointmentLawyers 5
Aaron Ricard
Lawyer
Intellectual Property
Bushra Amir Ali
Lawyer, Registered Trademark Agent
Intellectual Property
John Simpson
Lawyer, Registered Trademark Agent
Intellectual Property
Rebecca Kupfer
Lawyer, Registered Trademark Agent
Intellectual Property
Sharn Mashiana
Counsel
Intellectual Property
This firm’s lawyers at a glance
- Called to the bar
- 2004 · median 22 years in practice 1 of 5 lawyers
- Law schools
- Western University (2), Osgoode Hall Law School, University of Calgary, University of Windsor 5 of 5 lawyers
Who handles what
The neighbourhood
Shift Law's office is on the third floor of 60 St. Clair Avenue East, a ten storey building two blocks east of Yonge and St. Clair, in the midtown Toronto office district, and steps from the Yonge subway line. It's an area built around office towers, banks and mid-rise commercial space rather than a courthouse, which fits a firm whose work is mostly filings with the Canadian Intellectual Property Office and negotiated resolutions rather than daily court appearances.
When a dispute does need a hearing, the firm's litigation team says it appears before the Federal Court of Canada, the Ontario Superior Court and the Trademarks Opposition Board rather than any single local court, which is typical for a national trademark and copyright practice run out of a midtown office rather than a courthouse row address.
Frequently asked questions
- What kind of legal work does Shift Law do?
- Shift Law works only on trademark and copyright matters. That includes trademark registration and clearance in Canada, the United States and other countries, trademark and copyright litigation, IP terms in commercial agreements, and IP audits and strategy.
- Can Shift Law register a trademark for my business outside Canada?
- Yes. The firm's trademark registration work covers Canada, the United States and other countries, not just domestic filings.
- Someone is using a name or logo that's confusingly similar to mine. Can Shift Law help?
- This is the kind of dispute the firm's litigation team handles, from a cease and desist letter through trial if needed, including trademark infringement and trademark opposition proceedings.
- I've been accused of infringing someone else's trademark or copyright. Does Shift Law defend those claims too?
- Yes, the firm represents clients on both sides of IP disputes, defending infringement accusations as well as pursuing them.
- Does Shift Law handle disputes with a former employee over confidential information?
- The firm's litigation practice covers trade secret and confidential information disputes, including cases involving departing employees, alongside its trademark and copyright litigation work.
- How long has Shift Law been operating and how big is the firm?
- Shift Law opened in 2011 and has five lawyers and registered trademark agents. Its office is at 60 St. Clair Avenue East, Suite 300, in Toronto.
Where to find them
60 St. Clair Ave. E., Suite 300, Toronto, ON M4T 1N5 · 647-361-7533
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Intellectual PropertyBusiness & Corporate LawListing compiled from the firm’s public website in August 2026. Verify licence status in the Law Society of Ontario directory ↗