About Us

Paige Backman

Paige is the Practice Group Leader of the firm's Corporate Commercial Group. She is also Chair of the firm’s Privacy & Data Security Group, Co-Chair of the Technology Group and a member of the Sports, Media & Entertainment Group.

Paige counsels multinational and domestic entities on compliance with Canadian privacy laws and cyber security, including cyber terrorism, preventing and managing data breaches, obligations on breach notification and processes surrounding complaints and investigations relating to breaches.

One of Paige’s great personal interests is high performance sport and the sporting industry. She has represented and been an advisor for national and international, professional and amateur sports organizations. Her range of experience in high performance sport includes acquisitions, divestitures, corporate structuring, corporate governance, risk management, sponsorship and agency relationships. Paige has also advised and consulted on investigations and disciplinary proceedings relating to high performance athletes, coaches, officials and political appointees. 

Jennifer A. Bishop

Jennifer Bishop is a partner in the firm’s Corporate/Commercial Group and Co-Chair of the Sports, Media & Entertainment Group. Her practice focuses on a broad range of corporate law matters, including mergers and acquisitions, reorganizations, divestitures and day-to-day corporate advice.

Jennifer’s passion for sports law is driven by her own experience competing at the national and international levels. She serves on many boards and holds key leadership positions in the sporting world. Jennifer is currently the Chair of the Board of Tennis Canada, a member of the Davis Cup Committee, and, in 2020, was appointed to one of the most prestigious committees of the International Tennis Federation, the Billie Jean King Cup Committee. Jennifer fuels her passion for giving back to sport as Chair of the Board of the Doug Philpott Inner-City Children’s Tennis Foundation, the only tennis charity in Canada dedicated exclusively to children in priority needs neighbourhoods serving over 8,500 participants each year.

Ken Clark

Ken Clark is a member of the firm's Intellectual Property and Litigation & Dispute Resolution groups. Ken’s practice focuses primarily on intellectual property law enforcement, including copyright, patents and trademarks and related areas such as Internet law. Ken litigates copyright, patent and trademark disputes and has a particular interest in mass copyright enforcement. He has appeared at the Supreme Court of Canada and at all levels of the Federal Court. On the solicitor side, Ken’s practice includes trademark prosecution, intellectual property licensing and assistance with strategic IP planning for new and existing businesses. Ken is certified by the LSO as a Certified Specialist in Intellectual Property (Patents, copyright and trademark) and is a registered trademark agent.

Peter K. Czegledy

Peter Czegledy is a member of the firm's Corporate/Commercial Group, as well as the Intellectual Property, Mergers & Acquisitions/Private Equity, Technology and Licensing Groups. He is Chair of the Gaming Group and co-Chair of the firm’s Esports & Gaming Group and Sports, Media & Entertainment Group. His practice includes assisting a spectrum of clients ranging from start-up private businesses to large multinationals.

Peter’s esports practice includes corporate, commercial, transactional and regulatory matters for domestic and international clients. He has advised game publishers, platform providers, financing parties, regulators, payment processors, hardware manufacturers, underwriters, industry associations and other parties active throughout the sector.  He frequently writes and speaks on legal issues related to the esports industry.

Donald B. Johnston

Don Johnston is Co-leader of the Aird & Berlis Technology Group, as well as a member of the Corporate/Commercial and Mining Groups.

Don is a well-known technology lawyer with broad experience as a corporate and commercial lawyer. He also has a wealth of experience in health law, health informatics, information technology, health care privacy law, biotech and pharmaceuticals law, technology financing, telecommunications, procurement and outsourcing.

Don has over two decades of expertise in technology procurements, licensing and related transactions. He has acted for numerous technology developers and has been involved in major technology projects (including nuclear and oil and gas), acquisitions, financing and development projects in both Canada and the United States.

Stephen Zolf

Stephen Zolf is a partner with Aird & Berlis. His practice focuses on media and telecom regulation and competition/foreign investment law relating to merger clearance under the Competition Act and the Investment Canada Act. Stephen has specific expertise on the legislative and regulatory framework governing Canada’s communications sector under the Broadcasting Act, the Telecommunications Act and the Canadian Copyright Act.

Stephen provides strategic and regulatory advice to media clients on a broad range of matters including Canadian content rules and regulations, funding of Canadian producers and content creators and intellectual property issues relating to the acquisition of content for online and digital platforms. He also advises clients on telecom matters such as the provision of competitive access to cable/telecom telecommunications facilities and networks and wireless spectrum policy. Stephen has acted as regulatory/legal counsel in a number of major high profile media transactions in Canada. He has appeared before various administrative tribunals and agencies, including the CRTC, the Canadian Copyright Board, the Competition Bureau and Industry Canada.