5 Signs that Indicate You have a Good Patent Attorney

5 Signs that Indicate You have a Good Patent Attorney

Attorneys don’t come cheap. So, if you’ve chosen a patent attorney who is to write the patent you will file, it is better you check the credentials and capabilities of the attorney well. But, how will you know his worth? You can try these 5 tips while you go hunting for your patent attorney services:

1. It is you who have hired the attorney and not the other way

Just because the attorney is highly educated and learned in his field does not mean he can take you for a ride. Be very specific about your expectations from the job right from the start. Make sure you make meticulous and defined negotiations in terms of money. Expenses may escalate really fast because of the nature of the job. You must also remember that you would be working with your attorney for a long time, so take effort to make the marriage work till the end. Both you and your attorney will need to be able to communicate with each other, so make sure you two can smile and do your work.

2. Word-of-mouth referrals work best

You may look for your patent attorney services online or using the directory. However, it is much better to work with someone who has already worked with an individual you know, or your peers have known. Personal endorsements are best when it comes to choosing these kinds of services. Also, inform your friends and family about the specialization you are working on. It goes a long way in getting attorneys who have the same field of specialization you are working on. Of course, it is not absolutely mandatory to have one from the same specialization. If you have the basic idea, a good patent advocate will do an excellent job of getting it legally framed.

3. Don’t limit yourself with physical locations

Most of those who have gotten their patents drafted find attorneys from East Coast and West Coast being more expensive. Also, some say the patent attorneys from the Midwest are reasonably cheap with their charges. With big cities, the cost of hiring an advocate is usually high. Hence, if you get to know about someone good from a smaller city, you may actually land up with a good deal.

4. Good and bad- larger firms versus individual professionals

If you pick a large firm, it will be because they provide full service to you. They will cover a series of intellectual property like licensing agreements, copyrights, trademarks, and also litigations. You will most likely be working with an experienced attorney. You know you are covered better with a large firm if you have to go to the court. Yet, with all these plusses, large establishments are expensive. Plus, there won’t be just one person handling your case down the line. You may start with a senior attorney and gradually get shoved on to someone less experienced. Hence, there will not be a single point of contact that can be considered responsible for any discrepancy, in case situation happens.

While with an independent patent attorney, you will shell much less fees. You can work directly with the person and together make the draft much better and meaningfully. Of course, as this department is extremely specialized, you may end up working with more than one advocate to meet all your requirements.

5. All attorneys, irrespective of their expertise, will only work on the information you give them

It’s a patent for you. You have designed the entire work. So, you are the expert. To make your patent good, you need to know your invention inside-out. This means a lot of reference research. You need to check what is there in archives in the same subject and understand what differences exist between yours and the other files for you to be eligible for the patent. Don’t think your attorney will proactively do it while you sit back and claim the final results. Of course, while you are doing it, keep your attorney in the loop, so that you are not explaining to him once again.

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