216 Horseshoe Dr, Mars PA 16046
How to Choose Patent and Trademark Services
Attorney Shopping is like Shoe Shopping: Pay Attention to Value
Shopping for patent or trademark help is a lot like shoe shopping: with all those choices and price ranges, finding a good fit can be difficult.
Should I pay top dollar for a big fancy law firm, or go LegalZoom or other DIY online services?
For most small businesses, startups, and individuals, neither one is the best choice if you consider value for your money:
Big Law is one-stop shopping at a premium price, but why pay extra for access to services you'll never use?
DIY online services force you into generic solutions that might be workable but not quite what you need.
Boutique firms like mine offer specific services, relying on networks with other trusted professionals to keep services affordable. Our personalized approach means we really get to know you and your business, and you get advice tailored to your specific needs, flexibility to accommodate your growing needs, and better value overall. I founded a virtual law firm in rural Pennsylvania in the Greater Pittsburgh area because I wanted to help underserved communities. My location allows me to serve rural communities across the United States.
Cost vs. Value: Why DIY is a Low Value Proposition
On the other end of legal services are DIY sites like LegalZoom that offer low cost legal services and which on the surface look like a bargain. But are they?
Let's Compare:
DIY trademark registration services:
- limited procedural help only with the initial application process
- questionnaires guide your DIY filing, not people
- no strategic or substantive review of your application or mark
- general/generic advice, not specific to your situation or needs
- allows filing of weak and unregistrable marks
- no post-filing help during examination of the application
- low flat fee pricing purchases limited services
- you have to pay extra to answer specific questions or concerns
- DIY services do as your direct, right or wrong
- you are responsible for deadlines after filing
- search does not provide analysis of search results
Karen's trademark registration services:
- prior to filing, background information about your business and the mark is gathered and evaluated to provide advice tailored specifically to your situation
- strength of your trademark is evaluated
- substantive advice specific to your trademark strengths and weaknesses
- search and analysis included
- strategic advice regarding timing of application filings and types of filings
- ensuring each application is in its best possible position for registration prior to filing
- expert help responding to registration objections and other roadblocks during examination
- flat fee pricing includes substantive advice and professional care for your application
- I take care of everything; no need for you to worry about deadlines
Trademarks filed by attorneys have a significantly higher grant rate than trademarks filed by others, mostly because application quality is better. DIY can save money upfront but often ends up costing far more money later.
Which service provides value for cost? Ever regret buying something initially cheap? You get what you pay for.
Cost Control: I offer simplified fees to help clients understand and control costs. I'm a business owner too. I run a modern, virtual law firm with low overhead. I'm located in the Cranberry Township-Adams-Wexford-Butler area north of downtown Pittsburgh, although my clients are located nationwide.
My focus is to provide personalized, creative problem solving.
It's what I do best!
Right-Sized Flexible Legal Strategies Tailored for You
Entrepreneurs and startups need more than standard legal services: they need the best practical advice for the cost as they build their businesses. Big Law prefers established clients, who offer steady work, and steady income. Their high fees are designed to price out startups and individuals, who are financially risky, and who require creative problem solving that doesn't always fit the standard model of legal advice.
When I worked at Big Law, if the client said to sue, we sued, no questions asked. Once, I talked a client out of suing by convincing him to pursue a non-legal solution and my boss was furious. That client saved me by calling my boss to tell him how much he appreciated my creative advice, and he was so pleased he was bringing all of his legal work to us. Did the firm mindset change? NO. My boss agreed that my approach was better ONCE, but next time: if the client said to sue, we sued.
I left that firm.
My philosophy today: give patent, trademark and other IP advice that fits the client. I'm an entrepreneur too, running a virtual law practice so I have first hand knowledge about the pitfalls of starting new businesses and creative solutions to help new and growing companies control cost. If I don't think a patent will add value to the client's business, I'll tell it like it is and why. Not everyone in Pittsburgh and the communities of Cranberry Township and Butler think this way.