There are many ways to choose a patent attorney.

Certainly, one could make a snap judgment based merely on hourly rates. Or one could compare estimated fees and quickly decide the matter.

From discussions with many clients, other attributes can be more important.

For example, while sometimes difficult to measure, quality and efficiency can have a huge bearing on the overall value provided by the patent attorney.  And although both should increase with experience, at some point these expected increases can fade, while hourly rates continue to soar.

Patent law continues to change rapidly, especially in the courts. Thus, some value an attorney who stays current enough to modify approaches based on where the law is going, rather than blindly following outdated traditions that can lead to toothless patents when the time comes to license or litigate.

Others value the patent attorney's business knowledge and strategic advice. After all, patents should be part of an integrated business strategy and should be pursued according to a plan to obtain a fair return on the investment.

Additional considerations can be the warmth of the relationship, or the ability to complete matters relatively quickly or when promised.

Of course, choosing a patent attorney is predicated on having control over which specific attorney works on your matters.  Some clients have found this control missing when dealing with a large group of patent attorneys. Instead, they have suffered the frustration of training a parade of inexperienced patent attorneys, with the expected mixed and frequently expensive results.

So there can be more to consider than simply hourly rates or estimated fees.  Feel free to contact us to explore these thoughts further.