This is especially useful in diskette form, especially where the attorney prepares the patent application directly on a personal computer. Although there will not be a page for-page savings, since the provided materials will still have to be integrated and re worked, the savings can be substantial in larger cases. Remember that a fixed fee is a contract bet in which the attorney will try to make an estimate which is low enough to get the job, but also high enough to cover any additional work which may not be apparent during the initial interview and presentation of the invention. Making a long-term estimate for fees occurring after the filing of the patent application is usually counterproductive due to the uncertainty on both sides of such an arrangement. Inventors should also consider the time of completion the inventor expects from the patent attorney.
Most patent attorneys charge a premium for rush work.
The inventor should get an estimate of cost, before discussing the timing, to ferret out a timing cost differential. In cases where drawings are required, a short turnaround timing objective may be limited by the patent draftsman s schedule, requiring the draftsman s assent to the short turnaround as well. The firm should have a standard letter or booklet outlining options relating to the patent application, including petitions to make special which allow applicants to have their patent applications examined out of turn, foreign patent application filing, and the filing of an assignment, to name a few Since the object of practicing in the patent field is to educate the client to make informed choices, providing the above information is a minimum requirement. Even if a firm is fortunate enough to have been able to position itself in the higher priced section of the market, it should still provide its prices and charges prominently in order that the more cost sensitive clients can make an early evaluation in a minimum amount of time. He is a member of the Long Beach Bar Association Board of Governors, and the Japan America Society of Southern California.