Good advice from Craig Thompson, JD/EE/PE, an engineering colleague turned attorney. I first met Craig many years ago as an engineer in Minnesota. He now practices patent law in Texas.

These five tips are from a recent mailing (comments are mine.)

(1) Create – and Use – Strong Contracts.

We used a few simple two page agreements, vetted by our attorney. One page of “boilerplate” and one page with specifics. Simple, but with enough details to clarify responsibilities and protect both us and our clients.

As such, we could turn out a engagement letter/agreement in minutes.

(2) Incorporate your business

Always a good idea, both for legal and marketing reasons. In the latter, is shows you are serious. But don’t do this yourself — use an attorney to make sure it is right.

(3) Standardize Policies and Procedures

We kept ours simple. Many were incorporated in the one-page “boilerplate” attached to our agreements. Since every client received a copy, we were consistent.

(4) Provide Top-Quality Customer Service

No need to say more. Do a great job — happy clients don’t sue. Address misunderstandings immediately. And if you screwed up (it happens) apologize and fix it.

(5) Purchase Liability Insurance 

Two types – general and professional liability (errors and omissions.) Discuss with your attorney, along with incorporation options. Both types are available from professional societies.

First, a disclaimer… Do NOT consider this legal advice. Rather, contact Craig (ThompsonPatentLaw.com) or your attorney of choice for professional help.

For more details… and Craig’s take on each tip, download his FREE REPORT here. It is short, sweet, and filled with good ideas.

Finally… Bill Kimmel and I had the pleasure of meeting Craig over lunch many years ago about the time he was starting out in patent law. It has been a pleasure to watch his firm grow. Although we never used his services for patents, he did provide a good referral for some trademark work. I’m delighted to pass Craig along as a resource.

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