Cohen, Lawrence S - Lawrence S Cohen Law Offices

05/08/10

Great IP attorney based in L.A.

by M McFarlin

Our business is in consumer product development and we have worked with several patent/trademark attorneys over the last 10 years. We have quite a bit of experience and have spent a tidy sum on over half a dozen patent applications. I can honestly say that, without a doubt, Larry is the best attorney with whom we’ve worked. This assessment is based on several metrics that I believe are important.

There are many attorneys (including the ones we worked with previously) who are competent and can dutifully put your invention in proper legalese. Larry has specialized in IP law for several decades and has literally worked on more than a hundred patent applications. There is no question that Larry is very proficient at what he does. However, what sets him apart is how he approaches his work. During our first meeting/interview with Larry, he stated that when he took on an assignment, one of the things he’d do was to put on a competitor’s hat and try to figure out how he could copy the basic design and modify some elements of it to bypass any patent protection the invention might have. And he has done just that for us. He has challenged us to think and asked us questions such as ‘What if I did such and such to your design, could it still perform as well as your invention?” This process is very beneficial as it allows us to either confirm that we have the best design or broaden our patent application claims to cover alternate embodiments.

Larry is also very ethical in terms of his charges. His billings are based on the amount of time he spends AND how productive he is. If he does not feel he is as productive as he should be, he’ll adjust the number of hours he charges to reflect what he believes is the added-value of his work. Now, how many attorneys do you know who are as principled as Larry is?

Lastly, Larry is personable and a pleasure to work with, which is an added bonus. I highly recommend him to anyone who is in search of an IP attorney.

• Pros: proficient, client-oriented, ethical, personable