Top 10 Reasons to Choose Me as Your Patent Attorney
Reason No. 1: Because I Teach Patent Law to Other Lawyers and Law Students
For the past nine (9) years, I have been an Adjunct Professor at Nova Southeastern University Law School teaching patent, trademark, and copyright law to graduating law students.
In addition to being an Adjunct Professor at Nova Law School, I lecture and teach patent and trademark law to other attorneys and members of the South Florida Inventor’s Society and other business groups. Some of my past lecturing experience has been:
“Preservation of Legal Rights in Medical Innovations” before the Florida International Medical Exposition (August 2007).
2000 – Present: Adjunct Professor, Nova University, Shepard Broad Law Center, teaching annual International Practice Clinic on Intellectual Property Law including patent, trademark, and copyright law to third year graduating law students.
“Licensing Your Intellectual Property” before the Inventor’s Society of South Florida (June 2002).
“Patent Protection for New Ideas” before the Inventor’s Society of South Florida (July 2003)
Florida Bar Approved CLE Seminar for attorneys entitled “Mining Patents for Competitive Intelligence” for the Society of Competitive Intelligence Professionals (SCIP), based in Alexandria, Virginia. (February 2003)
Tradewinds 2004 International Business Conference. Taught Seminar entitled “International Trade Secret Protection in Central America & the Caribbean“. (October, 2004)
Florida Bar Approved CLE Seminar for attorneys entitled “Patent Essentials for the Nonspecialist” for the Broward County Bar Association Section on Intellectual Property (April 2005).
I believe my teaching patent law to other attorneys, law students, and business people makes me a better patent lawyer myself. You really do not know a subject unless you are able to teach it to someone else.
Reason N. 2: Because Focused and Specialized Experience Matters
All lawyers will eventually get grey hair (or have no hair) no matter what area of law they practice or how often they bounce around from one practice area to another. The key to excellence in any field is specializing.
I have been focusing my practice on patent law for the past 12 years—before the internet developed and before national television shows like American Inventor and The Big Idea made patents a household name.
There is a well known song by country singer Barbara Mandrell entitled
“I was Country When Country Wasn’t Cool”.
Well, I was a patent attorney years before forming new patent practices became a trend for general practice firms. Patent law is not “just another practice area” for me or my law firm. It truly is my passion.
Wouldn’t you feel better with your patent rights secured by an experienced patent attorney that has spent years perfecting his skills to solve your specific legal issue?
Reason No. 3: Because Where I Have Practiced Law Makes a Difference
Prior to starting my own law firm, I worked at the internationally known law firm of Fish & Neave (now merged with Rogers & Wells) in New York City. At the time, the firm had over 200 attorneys practicing in ONLY one practice area—patent law and is still regarded as one of the top patent law firms in the world.
The firm has had a long history specializing in preserving intellectual property rights. We were retained by legendary inventors Thomas Edison (lightbulb), Henry Ford (automobile), the Wright Brothers (airplane), and Alexander Graham Bell (telephone) when they desired protection for their ideas.
In 1992, the firm made history, once again, by procuring a $972 million dollar judgment against Polaroid for patent infringement. To date, this remains the largest patent infringement judgment in history.
I believe I was trained by the very best. In my own practice, I am able to offer top law firm credentials and expertise while avoiding the expense and billing pressures that a large New York City law firm requires.
Reason No. 4: Because I Have Been Practicing Patent Law Since I was 3 years Old
OK, I didn’t start quite that early. Unlike Tiger Woods, I can’t claim to be perfecting my art as a patent lawyer since I was able to walk.
However, I was already a Registered Patent Agent before I even finished law school. You see, I took and passed the Patent Bar Examination for practice at the United States Patent & Trademark Office while in my second year of law school. Additionally, I worked my way through law school as a patent agent at Malloy & Malloy, P.A., a South Florida patent law firm where I focused exclusively on patent law. I took patent law as an elective course while at the University of Miami and, already having passed the Patent Office Bar Examination, I naturally obtained the highest grade in the course.
There was another student, however, at the University of Miami School of Law who also chose patent law as his life’s endeavor right from the start. In fact, we studied for the patent bar examination together, split gas and shared a ride on the drive up to Orlando to take the exam, and we both became admitted to the patent bar at the same time. Neither one of us had finished law school at the time at the time.
You probably want to know who that other attorney is and where he is practicing today?
You guessed it…he is Glenn E. Gold, my partner at John Rizvi, P.A. and fellow Idea Attorney®. Incidentally, he is also my best friend from law school. We dreamed of forming a law firm focusing on protecting ideas and worked hard over the years to build the reputation of John Rizvi, P.A. and bring it to where it is today. Together we make an unbeatable team—The Idea Attorneys®.
Isn’t that what you want in your patent law firm?
Reason No. 5: Because I am Respected by My Colleagues and Opposing Lawyers
Although you have heard quite a bit about my own qualifications and experience from me in patenting matters, I think it is far better for you to learn what others have had to say.
I’m not talking about glowing testimonials from past clients that you can not verify (although I have plenty of unsolicited testimonials from clients).
I am speaking of candid surveys of other attorneys from respected and verifiable sources.
In this regard, I am proud to have been AV Rated by The Martindale Hubbel Law Directory. An “AV” Rating is the highest rating possible and represents the highest level of competence in the field and ethical standards. Martindale Hubbel bases their ratings system on a system of blind confidential surveys it conducts of other practicing attorneys and members of the judiciary.
In addition to my AV Rating by Martindale Hubbel, The South Florida Business Journal has consistently chosen me as a “Best of the Bar Finalist” in the field of patent law. Again, the nomination and selection process is based on blind confidential surveys taken exclusively from other practicing attorneys licensed by the Florida bar.
Attorneys confidentially evaluating the competence of fellow attorneys makes sense.
Don’t you want to hire a patent lawyer that shines under the scrutiny of his peers and professional colleagues?
Reason No. 6: Because Experts are Less Expensive
A common misconception is that a general practice attorney at $150/hour is a lower cost alternative than a $250/hour specialist. The difference is that the specialist knows what he is doing and can accomplish in a matter of hours what will take the general practitioner days to complete. If you do the math, you will see that the experienced specialist is the real bargain.
Abraham Lincoln reportedly said “If I had six hours to shop down a tree, I would spend the first four hours sharpening the axe”.
Well, I have spent my entire professional career sharpening my skills and focusing on excelling at patent practice.
You won’t pay me to spin my wheels at your expense. Your matter is handled quickly and efficiently. And done right the first time.
Call me to discuss your patenting matter so I can take the time to review your concept and provide you with a fixed-fee estimate of fees.
There is no obligation to proceed with my firm. At the very least, you’ll see that doing things the right way is not more expensive.
Reason No. 7: Because I Love Being a Patent Lawyer
What difference should this make in your hiring decision? Well, I believe lawyers who love what they do are much better at their jobs, more apt to return client phone calls and keep them updated on the status of their matters, and more likely to be successful and persuasive advocates.
A 2005 Survey of Intellectual Property Attorneys (53 U. Kan. L. Rev. 875) revealed that 85 to 90% of intellectual property attorneys were either “dissatisfied” or “very dissatisfied” with their career. This affirms what I have known for years.
Too many lawyers have stumbled onto intellectual property law or come into it for the wrong reasons. These same attorneys later wonder why they are not any good at it.
You simply WILL NOT and CANNOT succeed at something you hate doing.
Does your patent attorney REALLY even want to be a patent attorney?
Reason No. 8: Because You Deserve Better Than the Closest Local Patent Attorney
If your idea is worth stealing, it is worth patenting—and patenting right.
If you were looking for a heart surgeon for an important operation, would you limit your search to those advertising in your local phone book or within driving distance?
Of course not. You would look for the most experienced, recommended, and qualified doctor you can find–and travel to him or her to have the operation.
Since hiring a patent attorney requires no travel, why limit your search to the closest attorneys you can find?
All patenting matters can (and usually are) handled by me via telephone, facsimile, email, and overnight delivery) without any required in-person meetings. A significant number of my clients are located outside of Florida and many are even outside of the United States.
Today, most patent applications are filed ELECTRONICALLY over the internet using the Patent Office’s digital filing software—making a lawyer’s distance from the Patent Office completely irrelevant. In fact, the U.S. Patent Office stopped maintaining paper copies of patents at their patent search facility years ago.
If you happen to live in South Florida and would like to meet in person, you are welcome to make an appointment and come in for the initial meeting. Otherwise, we can have the initial consultation via telephone or video conference. In fact, I have even had local clients choose this option because of the convenience it offers over coming in for the first meeting.
Less than 1 percent of all lawyers are registered to practice before the United States Patent Office. Why limit your choice of a lawyer to the tiny handful that happen to be within drivingdistance?
Reason No. 9: Because I Take the Time to Learn About Your Invention BEFORE Providing an Estimate of Fees
How do you think new or inexperienced lawyers find clients for patenting matters? What about lawyers that have practiced for a number of years but have a poor track record, a reputation for shoddy work, or just want to make a mid-career shift to patent law?
Simple–they make sure they bid often, bid early, and bid low.
The internet has made it easier than ever for unskilled lawyers and law firms to get their foot in the door for patent work. They simply bid early, bid often, and bid low.
This is not just true for patent law, of course, but if you bid low enough and bid often enough in any field, you will eventually get some work. Every practice area, including patent law, has a small trickle of clients looking for an attorney ONLY based on price and a struggling practice only needs a few patenting clients a year to keep the lights on and the water running until they finally learn the practice area (if they ever learn it at all!).
I occasionally run into inventors that have been given a price quote by a competing law firm BEFORE the lawyer takes the time to learn what the invention is and how it works? This is a red flag in my opinion. Particularly when a flat-fee estimate is thrown out during the initial telephone call.
It is impossible for a patent lawyer to provide an estimate before he knows about your invention.
Suppose you wanted to have your backyard fenced in and called around for estimates from fencing contractors. Would you trust a fencing contractor that gave you an estimate without understanding the scope of the project? How can a legitimate contractor give you an estimate without knowing the size of your backyard, the type of fence you want, the number and type of gates, and the height of the fence?
I take the time to review your concept before throwing out numbers. I understand the need for a budget but providing you with a budget only makes sense if the budget is accurate.
Isn’t this what you would expect from a professional?
Reason No. 10: Because With Me–the Buck Stops Here
John Rizvi, P.A. is my law firm. Over the years, I have seen my practice grow because of my reputation.
When you hire me, you get me.
Unlike at other firms, your matter won’t be handed down to some “wet behind the ears” associate while you still pay for senior partner rates.
It takes years to get a grasp of patent law, arguably the most difficult specialty of law, and a new associate typically doesn’t know his head from his rear end. Not only that, but associates routinely jump ship to move to other law firms, work in-house for a corporation, or get burned out (from practicing an area of law they aren’t excited about) and leave the law altogether.
Where will your patent attorney be when you need him?