Corporate Representative

Beyond our skills and experience in securing patent and trademark protection, preparing licensing agreements, drafting joint venture and other strategic alliance agreements, and handling "bet-the-company" IP litigation, you can count on our lawyers' business judgment.

We know, from our experience in dealing with all levels of management within a company, the importance of understanding the company's product lines, its competitors, its customers, its business objectives, and where each particular matter we are working on fits within this overarching context, as well as the relative value of a particular matter to the company. Although we are capable of building a "Mercedes," clients at times can achieve their goal with a much less-expensive vehicle. It takes judgment, feel, and experience to know how to deliver what the client needs and to avoid over-delivering at unnecessary expense.

That's why many of our institutional corporate clients without legal departments view us as their "in-house counsel." For example, from time to time our lawyers attend and participate in our clients' regular project and team meetings, and otherwise plug directly into the client's business environment. Furthermore, our clients can pick up the phone or shoot us an e-mail soliciting our thoughts and advice, as if we were located down the hall, without being billed for every such communication.

Our corporate clients also have the opportunity to log on to a secure intranet website to check on the up-to-date status and details of all of its IP matters being handled by the Firm. Moreover, they can check the fees and expenses billed to each matter, which are updated monthly.

The Firm's nonlawyer staff also provides value-added assistance to our clients in the management of their IP portfolios and legal budgets. These professionals are highly skilled paralegals and business advisors with degrees, advanced degrees, and experience in business administration and accounting, who deal directly with client representatives on billing matters, budget setting and compliance, developing special billing arrangements, and preparing periodic billing analyses that client representatives use in reporting to their senior management and board of directors.

In conjunction with our growing number of strategic alliance partners in Erie, Buffalo, Pittsburgh, London, Munich, Montreal, and Pisa, we provide our corporate clients with the unique combination of the breadth and depth of a large international general practice firm, and with the individualized attention that only can be provided by a boutique firm. At the same time, this novel approach to the delivery of legal services ensures that our clients' global needs are met in the most efficient manner. Our strategic partners share our client-centric philosophy, billing rates, and commitment to prompt attention. Billing is coordinated through our Firm and clients enjoy dealing with us as the principal contact on matters.