Questions Established Attorneys Tend to Ask

No. Many of the attorneys we talk with are years away from retiring, and some are not certain they ever want to fully stop. A conversation now is about understanding your options, not committing to a date.

In most cases, yes, at least for a period you help define. How long, and in what capacity, depends on your goals, your clients, and the structure ultimately developed. Clients themselves retain the freedom to choose their counsel throughout.

That is one of the more common arrangements we discuss. Rather than a single retirement date, many attorneys prefer to reduce their workload over several years. The pace is something we work out together, based on your practice and preferences.

Remote and flexible arrangements may be possible, depending on the attorney, the clients, applicable licensing, practice area, and the structure involved. This is a national platform, and geography alone is rarely the deciding factor.

This depends heavily on your specific situation — the size of your practice, the roles involved, and what makes sense for the people who have worked with you. It is a subject worth discussing directly and early, rather than assuming a single outcome.

Structures are developed individually based upon the attorney, practice, clients, transition timeline, and applicable professional-responsibility requirements. We do not use a standard formula, and we would rather discuss your situation directly than describe hypothetical numbers here.

No. Some attorneys transition their full practice; others transition a portion of it while continuing to handle certain matters or clients themselves. What makes sense depends on your goals and your clients’ needs.

That is often the best time to have this conversation. Attorneys who plan a transition years in advance generally have more flexibility and more options than those who wait until a decision feels urgent.

We understand that succession discussions can be sensitive, and we treat initial conversations accordingly. That said, we are not your attorney and this is not a privileged legal relationship, so we would encourage discretion on both sides as you would with any confidential business discussion.

Patent prosecution and strategy, trademark practice, IP transactions, IP litigation, and general IP practices have all fit well in different circumstances. What tends to matter more than the specific practice area is an established, recurring client base and a reputation the attorney has reason to protect.

Then we say so, and that is a perfectly normal outcome. Not every practice and platform are a match, and recognizing that early is better for everyone than forcing a structure that does not fit.