Looking for Patent Counsel? Do your homework.

We hear a lot these days about cost cutting and austerity.  I also hear a bit of grousing from time to time from people who use IP legal services about costs.  I believe inventors and companies can find reasonably priced intellectual property law services when the potential client does her homework.

First, check out smaller cities, towns and suburbs. Larger cities have higher overhead costs.  Firms pay more for rent, salaries etc.  Smaller cities and towns have many talented patent firms, attorneys and agents equally qualified to do the work at more reasonable rates.

If you are focusing on patent preparation and prosecution, you don’t need to stay in your own backyard.  With the internet, Skype, and all of the wonderful modern tools of connectedness, your patent agent or attorney can be as close or as far away as you want them to be.  Documents are easily exchanged via the internet, and telephone and video conferences can connect folks who are time zones apart.  Where there is a significant distance, time zones may become an issue, but you will find that most patent attorneys and agents are willing to provide the necessary flexibility to make the relationship work, including trips to your offices at a discount or gratis in exchange for keeping your business.

Background matters.  Take a look and ask questions about what kind of work your patent attorney does.  What was his or her major in college?  Did they work as a scientist or engineer before they practiced patent law?  If so, what did they do?  What is the focus of their present practice?  If you are looking for someone to prepare and file a patent application, you don’t want to work with someone whose experience is limited to patent litigation.   Just like you wouldn’t allow your internist to perform heart surgery, you don’t want someone with a chemistry background preparing patent applications for you if you are in the high tech industry.  Find someone who has the technical background suited to your project, as well as the experience needed to meet your needs.  In looking for possible patent attorneys or agents, check out the US Patent and Trademark website which enables you to search either for a particular person or those registered to practice before the US Patent Office in a particular location.  Once you have that, check out their credentials and ask questions before you make your decision.

Selecting the right patent attorney is important to ensure your patent strategy is managed by someone with the appropriate experience and background.  The Law Office of Kathleen Lynch PLLC has over 20 years of experience in the preparation and prosecution of patent applications and is designed to help businesses such as yours keep ahead of the game.   The first telephone consultation is free.  Email us at klynch@kliplaw.com.