Calfee's preparation and prosecution practice, among one of the largest and strongest in the Midwest, provides valuable assistance to businesses in many different industries with respect to the development and administration of patent portfolios in the U.S. and worldwide.
Our patent attorneys handle preparation and prosecution matters for a variety of industries covering all disciplines. Most of the lawyers in our practice have undergraduate and/or graduate degrees in mechanical, aerospace, electrical, computer, biomedical, or chemical engineering; or in chemistry, biochemistry, or the biological sciences. We can form teams that cover industries where cross-disciplines are needed to fully protect a product portfolio.
Our patent preparation and prosecution attorneys are well-rounded patent practitioners that often work in conjunction with our patent litigators to shape and inform our overall approach to patent law.
While most of our patent attorneys themselves have experience in patent enforcement, collaboration with our IP Litigation attorneys is invaluable in a client counseling role and for developing strong patent portfolios. It allows us to anticipate potential portfolio development and management problems that other preparation and prosecution lawyers might not foresee, and it allows us to help our clients avoid disputes and optimize their position when patent litigation becomes necessary or unavoidable.
Our ability to collaborate with our IP litigators also enables us, when preparing and prosecuting patent applications, to obtain broad protection and to ensure the validity and enforceability of patent claims through critical insights on claim construction and drafting in the patent preparation and prosecution process.
Calfee’s patent lawyers have extensive experience managing complex patent portfolios and providing strategic IP counsel, providing services such as:
Our attorneys work closely with the inventors to ensure that there is understanding and agreement concerning the invention and the approach to patent protection, including determining the need or desire for patentability searching, practical advice relating to pursuing patent versus trade secret protection, as well as drafting, filing, and prosecuting the patent applications both in the United States and internationally.
Our counseling services include all of the traditional patent portfolio management services:
Calfee represents clients with a wide range of portfolio sizes from sole inventors/ proprietors to Fortune 50 multinational corporations. Our patent practice includes a sophisticated team of full-time docket professionals who continually interface with a commercial IP docket/management system. Our docketing team also has experience with large transfers of entire patent portfolios.
Through Calfee’s customized extranet solutions, our attorneys and Knowledge Management Team provide clients with timely and secure access to the most relevant information, including:
Calfee’s Intellectual Property group has long provided various types of educational sessions, including CLE seminars, to clients at no charge. Such sessions have included presentations with question and answer sessions intended to educate clients about:
Calfee’s Intellectual Property Group develops legal alerts and other publications on timely topics to ensure that our clients stay apprised of recent changes in the law and other legal issues that may impact their business.
Please complete our subscription form, selecting the topic "Intellectual Property / Information Technology," to receive upcoming legal alerts and invitations to CLE seminars.
If you are interested in learning more about our patent prosecution practice and would like to talk with one of our patent attorneys, please contact:
Since 2004, Calfee has been recognized as a Leading Law Firm for Intellectual Property by Chambers USA, most recently in Band 1 in Ohio (2025).
Clients provided feedback to Chambers USA researchers, "Calfee is esteemed for its handling of IP litigation and portfolio management on behalf of large clients in Ohio and the Midwest and across the USA. The IP team is highly experienced in the engineering, chemical, and biological sectors, with notable abilities in handling matters for consumer products and manufacturing clients. The team is responsive, practical, and extremely knowledgeable."
Clients interviewed by Chambers USA said, "The firm offers excellent value for its services. The team is dedicated and provides sophisticated IP legal services at an attractive cost. Calfee's IP attorneys are highly regarded; they are true experts, and they do excellent work for their clients. This is a power bench; the team works well together and supports each other well. Each individual is responsive and knowledgeable in their expertise and experience. This is definitely one of my favorite firms to work with."
Chambers USA researchers also found Calfee's IP team to be held in "very high regard by fellow practitioners who note Calfee's extensive experience representing clients in wider patent and trademark matters, IP litigation matters, appellate work, and advising companies on managing IP assets in China."
Calfee was selected for inclusion in the 2025 "Best Law Firms" rankings in the following areas:
"Calfee's IP group is esteemed for its handling of IP litigation and portfolio management on behalf of large clients in Ohio, the Midwest, and across the USA. They are highly experienced in the engineering, chemical, and biological sectors, with notable abilities in handling matters for consumer products and manufacturing clients."
Researcher comments, Chambers USA
