I have 4 inventions that I want to file patents for.
2 are software related and 2 are manufactured products.
My goal is to find one great lawyer that I can trust for all 4 of these patents.
Is that feasible? Or do I have to work with multiple attorneys because the category of inventions is too distinct?
It is not unusual to run into a JD, PhD, MD. They would be special specialists.
Most patent attorneys/agents feel comfortable working on simple to moderately complex mechanical inventions. Getting software patents through the Alice minefield has made that more of a specialty than it previously was but the chemical and biological arts have been specialties for a long time.
In your case a software specialist can probably do a good job on the mechanical inventions.
If you worked with a large firm you might deal with a more senior person in one field who brings in others if another specialist is needed.
Patent attorneys generally have a technical expertise formed by their education and possible employment history. So a chemical patent application, for example, is probably best drafted by an attorney with a chemistry background. That said, I’ve worked with the same attorney on both mechanical and software applications so it does happen. I’d want to see examples (granted patents) in both fields. Whether they are “great” in two different fields is always a question. My experience was not particularly good, but I was working with an in-house lawyer so I didn’t have much of a say in the matter.
