Unlike many other fields of law where the need of a lawyer is felt only after an issue has come up, a patent lawyer is required even before any issue arises. The most crucial responsibilities of a patent lawyer are to guide the client in acquiring the patent, advising him on steps to make sure of security of the patent, and representing the case if infringement occurs.

The patent filing and registration procedure is generally a very long drawn and tedious one. Thus, the necessity for an expert and capable lawyer is felt keenly. However, you must make sure that you are hiring a competent person, who has in depth understanding of not just the patent laws but also of the subject of creation. A lawyer who has a different education from the focus of your patent, may not be able to correctly assist you in patenting your idea.

Another fact that the inventor must pay attention to before employing a patent lawyer is his performance record in successful grant of patent applications. You must make sure that you verify the qualifications of the lawyer in terms of the challenges overcome and rejection of the patents filed by him. By doing this, you can assess how effective the lawyer is and whether you have a good likelihood of success in your patent application since only a capable patent lawyer can make sure that your application does not have any loopholes.

There are a number of lawyers who have established themselves in this kind of work now and it should be fairly easy to identify one who has detailed understanding of your subject and whose fee is also affordable.

In addition, you must make sure that unless there are any grave lapses on part of the lawyer in processing your patent, you stick to the same lawyer from the filing stage to any future disputes that might crop up with regard to your patent as this lawyer would have the most comprehensive understanding of the patent in question.