Recently, Patterson & Sheridan was identified in a survey by Intellectual Property Today as the firm with the second highest rate of growth, year-to-year, in the number of patents prosecuted among the top 50 intellectual property law firms in the United States. In a typical year, the firm may prepare and file over 1,000 patent applications and prosecute as many as 500 patent applications to issuance. Our attorneys and patent agents have extensive legal experience as well as diverse engineering and scientific backgrounds in a broad variety of fields.
We have helped a large number of companies navigate the patent process in the United States which, on average, lasts 18 to 36 months to complete. We are also very comfortable and capable of securing patents or PCTs in international markets as well. We have helped clients in numerous industries including biotechnology, semiconductors, consumer electronics, telecommunications, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, oil and gas, hand tools, automotive products, bioinformatics, computers, computer networks, computer software, information retrieval systems, microwave circuits, video technology, fiber optics, analog and digital integrated circuits, and medical and optical devices.
Throughout our geographically distributed offices and our team-oriented approach to addressing legal issues, we are well-positioned to establish strong, long-term relationships with our clients. Our clients receive, in a uniquely cost effective manner, the highest quality legal services involving a broad spectrum of technologies and legal matters through synergy between our offices. We have an in-house drafting department that works with inventors to put their ideas into engineering specific drawings to support the patent application.
Bringing companies together to form a more valuable entity is the heart of the merger process. Our attorneys are skilled in corporate law as well as the technical aspects involved in intellectual property law. Our lawyers have assisted firms in a variety of industries including energy, electronics, computer science, and semiconductor manufacturing. IP products are valuable assets that need to be properly assessed during the development of a deal. However, M&A work is extremely delicate and requires the highest amount of respect and discretion which Patterson & Sheridan provides.
The sum of all intellectual property products and tools constitutes a company’s IP portfolio. We partner with our clients to protect and defend the value of this portfolio. Many of our practitioners have held positions as in-house counsel for large corporations. We understand the client’s perspective. We work together to ensure that inventions are not only protected but are also winners in the marketplace. In all industries, we prepare a thorough analysis of a client’s entire portfolio. We constantly monitor and review the portfolio to identify licensing opportunities or gaps where complementary technology can be added. We also identify non-core technology that can possibly be licensed out or divested for financial return. We also watch for threats from competitors and potential allegations of infringement. Our attorneys specialize in providing on-going maintenance and monitoring services to clients for the effective development of their IP portfolio and strategy. We also help our clients set intellectual property budgets. We help them prioritize their intellectual property legal services so that time, effort and money can be directed where it will bring the greatest rewards. Our intention in every client relationship is to work as a member of the client’s team by putting the most appropriate people in our firm on the job while meeting the client’s budgetary requirements.