Finding a Patent Attorney

The US Patent Office keeps track of all registered patent attorneys. (Patent Attorney Listing). Using this data, we compiled a rank based on the number of patent attorneys in various cities. Washington DC remains the patent attorney stronghold, although its number one rank may be fading as proximity to the PTO becomes less and less useful. New York and Chicago have their fair share of patent attorneys. LA, on the other hand, is at number nine in terms of the number of patent attorneys even though it has the second largest population of any city in the U.S.

Rank/City
1. Washington DC
2. New York NY
3. Chicago IL
4. Houston TX
5. Boston MA
6. Minneapolis MN
7. Palo Alto CA
8. San Diego CA
9. Los Angeles CA
10. Dallas TX
11. Philadelphia PA
12. San Francisco CA
13. Austin TX
14. Atlanta GA
15. Alexandria VA

Tim Uy of oncloud8 has developed a simple tool for finding a patent attorney in your area. (Patent Attorney Locator). Tim’s tool probably works best for those who want to hire a patent attorney that works right next to where you live.

Comments on hiring a patent attorney: Although there are some times when proximity is helpful, it may not be in your best interest to hire a patent attorney just because he or she is located in your zipcode. Modern technology (telephone, fax, e-mail, internet) allows for easy communication and transfer of documents. Just this past week, for example, I worked with inventors or companies located in India, California, Florida, Connecticut, Indiana, and Illinois!