Patent attorneys work with inventors to safeguard their inventions from illegal use and also to help them maintain the money value of their inventions. The decision to hire this type of lawyer is different from hiring any other attorney for reasons like custody or personal injury because patent law is national while other cases can be handled by a local attorney because of the difference in county or state laws. Therefore, you have to be keen when choosing the right one to hire. Below are some steps to follow.
To start with, you need an attorney who is also an engineer. This is because, such a lawyer will not only follow the right legal procedures, but he will be able to easily prepare the application in patenting language. It will be even better if you manage to get an attorney whose engineering background is related to the field of your invention.
The other thing you should consider is the track record of the attorney. To achieve this, you need to ask the attorney about his engineering background as well as the number of patents that he has successfully handled in his career time. You also need to know the period he has offered patenting services, and most importantly how many of your kind. If the attorney is proud of his work, then he will willingly give you references to ascertain if the clients he has ever served were satisfied with his services.
The lawyer should not charge exorbitantly for his services. Just like any other service, one should always consider the price at which it is offered. A detailed bill for the services should always be demanded by the potential customer. The bill is supposed to specify how the cost is spread and the payment schedule. To avoid unnecessary exploitation, one should always compare the price with other firms.
Choose the attorney that you are comfortable working with. You do not want to make mistake since the person you choose will be around working with you for quite a long time, about 2 to 3 years. The best thing to do when selecting an attorney is to use an agent who understands these lawyers more than you do. By so doing you will make sure that you do not make mistakes that will cost you in the future.
The attorney should be licensed. The kind of attorney you choose to work with should have a patenting license which permits him to provide such services. If possible you should confirm the validity of his license to avoid the risk of dealing with an unqualified person.
When you are sure about the choice of the attorney you have settled on, he should help you to find a professional and independent patenting agent. The work of this professional is to examine the invention. The attorney can be very helpful in finding a qualified agent because in his field he must have come across a number of them.
Hire an agent who comes from an independent professional agency. Private agencies ensure that patenting process is with fewer conflicts. You should also ensure the reliability of the agents and patent attorneys since these professionals play major roles in the patenting process.
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