Over nearly 19 years, I have filed several thousand trademark applications (nearly 3,000 registered!). As you might imagine, a lot of questions come up all the time. And some questions never come up, such as:
- Where did you go to law school?
- Were you in the top of your class?
- What was your undergraduate degree it?
- What score did you get on the bar exam?
- Did you pass the bar exam on the first try?
- What classes did you take in law school?
- Are you active in any legal associations?
- What grade did you get in your law school trademark course?
The questions my clients do ask all the time include:
- Do you have experience with type of issue?
- What do I get for the fee you charge?
- Can you guarantee the outcome? (No!)
- What would you do if you were in my shoes?
- Do you charge for an initial consultation (No)
- Can I call or email you anytime if I have questions? (Yes)
I share this because I know that many law students and younger attorneys read my blog. When you are in school, or just starting out, those questions at the top seem like a big deal and all-consuming. And many of them are important at the time to some degree. But once you are helping clients, and providing value to them, the clients really only care about your value proposition — what is your experience, what will you do for me, and how much will it cost? Who do you think they are more likely to hire: the lawyer who went to a top law school but has only filed 10 trademark applications and charges top tier prices; or the lawyer who went to a middle of the pack school but who has filed hundreds of trademark applications, charges a reasonable fee, and doesn’t bill by the hour?
