In order to commence the patent application preparation and prosecution procedure, with Bruce & McCoy representing an applicant, the following steps will occur, some of which are necessary and some of which are optional with the applicant.

Conference

An applicant may wish to avail him or herself of an opportunity to have a telephone conference with Mr. McCoy. If so, please go to the conferences page which explains procedure and costs for obtaining a conference.

Prior Art Search

An applicant may wish to consider having a prior art search performed on his or her idea. If so, please go to the searches page which explains procedure and costs for obtaining a prior art novelty search.

Costs & Fees

An applicant desiring to have a patent application prepared needs to obtain an estimate of the cost from Bruce & McCoy. To do so, the applicant should read the warranty page and the attorney-client contract page to understand the terms under which a submission is made. If the applicant has complied with the terms for a submission, a cost estimate may be made by Mr. McCoy or he may decline to make an estimate for reasons he will state. If an estimate of cost is made, it will also be accompanied by a time line estimate and a proposed attorney-client contract stating the retainer amount required. See cost estimate page.

Attorney-Client Contract

If an applicant receives a cost and time line estimate from Bruce & McCoy in response to a submission, and if the applicant wishes to accept those terms, the applicant may execute the attorney-client contract and send it with the requested retainer to Bruce & McCoy. If Mr. McCoy agrees to accept the applicant as a client, Mr. McCoy will execute and return a copy of the contract to the applicant/client and proceed with the preparation of the patent application. Otherwise, he will return the retainer. See warranty page for details.

Attorney-Client Relationship

An attorney-client relationship will not be established until Bruce & McCoy has determined that the applicant's submission is complete and sufficient, that the applicant's retainer payment has been honored, and a copy of the attorney-client contract has been executed by Mr. McCoy and returned to the client. .