Phillips Lytle LLP, one of the region’s best-known law firms, today announced it has established an office in Waterloo Region, Ontario.

 

More than a dozen Phillips Lytle lawyers, who currently serve more than 200 Canadian clients, will spend time in its new Kitchener office, providing U.S. legal counsel in key areas such as corporate, tax, labor, intellectual property and other areas encountered in cross border business expansion.

 

“Waterloo Region is a powerhouse of start up activity. Phillips Lytle’s history with assisting innovative companies combined with our expertise in cross border legal services makes this area in Ontario a natural fit for our first office outside of the U.S.,” said David J. McNamara, Managing Partner, Phillips Lytle.

 

Douglas W. Dimitroff and Thomas E. Popek will serve as team leaders for ongoing Canadian efforts.

 

The Waterloo area is one of Canada’s leading hubs for growth in the high-tech sector, counting Blackberry-maker Research in Motion, Google and dozens of other fast-emerging, young firms. The new Phillips Lytle office will be located in the innovative Communitech Hub, a digital media innovation centre intended to accelerate the development and success of digital media companies, ideas and collaboration.

 

The Hub is located in downtown Kitchener, Ontario occupying 30,000 square feet of space in the former Lang Tannery building that has been renovated while keeping the authentic historic character of the building. The premise of The Hub is to provide an environment where business infrastructure is in place so that start up digital media companies can locate in a well equipped facility and concentrate on developing their business. The Hub also houses established partner companies and educational institutions that can collaborate with and advise entrepreneurs, seeding innovation that benefits all parties.

 

Phillips Lytle, which is the only U.S. law firm among several other professional service firms located at The Hub, will make U.S. legal services readily available to start up companies looking to take advantage of U.S. markets.

 

“Communitech is pleased to have Phillips Lytle LLP become a resident company in the Communitech Hub, serving the start up community and other technology companies in

Waterloo Region,” said Iain Klugman, President & CEO, Communitech.

 

The Hub now houses 28 emerging companies and five established multi-nationals, along with a suite of professional services organizations, such as Phillips Lytle, to serve as expert resources and expedite commercialization of their innovative solutions.