Now that we’ve covered the filing fees and how much that is going to cost you, it only makes sense to move onto a patent lawyer. You must be wondering, how much does a patent lawyer cost? What exactly are they going to do for me? Is that work worth the price?
Keep in mind the fee for a patent lawyer will vary quite a bit depending on the current market for such work and the patent lawyer’s level of experience. In 2001 the national average was about $250.00 per hour. The basic range was between about $200.00 and $300.00 per hour. Big cities, especially Boston and New York City, tend to be more expensive than the rest of the country. In addition the top two highest priced states were California and Texas.
Also remember that this average was very low because it took into account not only patent lawyers but their agents as well. So it added in the fees that the assistants were charging for their services. That drives the price range down. To get a highly experienced and licensed patent lawyer, with a reputable firm, expect to pay a premium price. For that experience the average price would be around $300-$400.00. Sometimes up to $500.00 is possible with the most experienced patent lawyers.
Don’t be afraid to do a little price shopping. Also, try calling a few law firms that are not strictly filled with patent lawyers. You may find that someone who is not traditional concerned with this market can offer you a price break for handling the filing of your patent. It is almost impossible to estimate the amount of hours it will take to get the patent application filed, as this is very dependent on the invention itself.
If you hire a patent lawyer to do all the work for you, it should be expected that they do the patent search for you. They may suggest at some point to get an outside professional source to do a second patent search, and this will be for an additional fee. After these searches are done the patent lawyer should either verbally or in writing give you their professional opinion on the patentability of your invention.
After the patentability discussion it is up to you to give the patent lawyer the go-ahead to continue. You must decide if your invention is worth the considerable expense of the application. If it is, the patent lawyer will file the application for the patent. This will also include any follow-up needed on the application. With all of this information it’s up to you to decide if you want a patent lawyer. Notably the stress and strain can be significantly reduced by doing so, but is by no means a necessity