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[IPLoya]

I stumbled upon this phrase in another forum topic.  I hadn't heard it applied to patent prep/pros.  I am curious to know others' opinions - how common is it for an Nth-year associate (USPTO-registered attorney) to still be serving as a ghost-writer, that is, having no appreciable client contact and only limited inventor contact?  I know at some large boutiques, it is common for the managing partner to sign off on everything...does the size of the firm matter?  What if an associate had, say, 8 years of experience, with 4-6 years at a firm, with lots of positive inventor feedback to his/her work?

[blakesq]

"Nth year associate", covers just about any associate imaginable: 1st year through 12th year or more associates.  So, your question is pretty hard to answer.  The less experience you have, the more likely you will have little client contact in the larger firms.  "What if an associate had, say, 8 years of experience, with 4-6 years at a firm, with lots of positive inventor feedback to his/her work?"  It is hard to see what you are trying to get at with this question?  "What if an associate had black hair and wore glasses?"; "What if my car has four doors, and a luggage rack?". 

Are you asking if an associate has 8 years of exp, and lots of positive feedback, will he have more client contact?  Probably.   

I stumbled upon this phrase in another forum topic.  I hadn't heard it applied to patent prep/pros.  I am curious to know others' opinions - how common is it for an Nth-year associate (USPTO-registered attorney) to still be serving as a ghost-writer, that is, having no appreciable client contact and only limited inventor contact?  I know at some large boutiques, it is common for the managing partner to sign off on everything...does the size of the firm matter?  What if an associate had, say, 8 years of experience, with 4-6 years at a firm, with lots of positive inventor feedback to his/her work?

[IPLoya]

Not so much will he, but should he.  Stated differently, is it unusual for an associate of that level of experience to have no client contact and only limited inventor contact, despite having good feedback.

[blakesq]

Yes.

Not so much will he, but should he.  Stated differently, is it unusual for an associate of that level of experience to have no client contact and only limited inventor contact, despite having good feedback.

[bleedingpen]

Oliff and Berridge

[smgsmc]

I stumbled upon this phrase in another forum topic.  I hadn't heard it applied to patent prep/pros.  I am curious to know others' opinions - how common is it for an Nth-year associate (USPTO-registered attorney) to still be serving as a ghost-writer, that is, having no appreciable client contact and only limited inventor contact?  I know at some large boutiques, it is common for the managing partner to sign off on everything...does the size of the firm matter?  What if an associate had, say, 8 years of experience, with 4-6 years at a firm, with lots of positive inventor feedback to his/her work?

I'm confused here.  How do you get lots of positive inventor feedback while having only limited inventor contact? 

I'm an agent, not an attorney.  I had direct contact with inventors right from the start.  But that was mainly because I had 20+ yr R&D experience, and inventors were happy to talk to someone who had a good technical understanding of what they were talking about.  For the first year, my boss would attend the first meeting or phone call.  After a year, he let me fly on my own.  He was happy to do that because meetings with inventors often sap up a lot of time.  And, of course, if the inventors decide not to proceed with an application, that time often does not get billed.

[IPLoya]

How do you get lots of positive inventor feedback while having only limited inventor contact? 

The inventors really like the work on the applications.