For US patent & trademark firms
A European foreign associate your firm can instruct directly.
EPO and EUIPO work for US firms, on your terms: conflict-checked before acceptance, non-solicitation in writing, deadlines docketed on receipt and reporting in the format your docketing system expects.
Reply within one business day · US business-hour calls
Instruction handling
What US firms instruct me on before the EPO and EUIPO.
PCT regional phase entry
Entry within the 31-month term, claim amendment on entry, and a short note on what European examination will do to the US-drafted set.
Examination reports
Article 94(3) responses, Rule 71(3) handling, auxiliary requests and oral proceedings before the examining division.
Opposition and appeal
Notices of opposition within the 9-month window, defence of your client's granted EP, and representation before the boards of appeal.
Validation and Unitary Patent
Post-grant validation across national offices or a unitary effect request, with a country-by-country cost table before you instruct.
UPC matters
Opt-out and opt-in filings per family, plus representation before the Unified Patent Court as your firm's European representative.
EUIPO trade marks
EUTM applications, oppositions, refusals on absolute or relative grounds, renewals, assignments and representation for non-EU applicants.
Co-counsel terms
Conflict-free, and your client stays yours.
The reason firms hesitate to instruct a small European practice is rarely competence — it is the worry that the associate becomes a competitor. These terms are part of every instruction.
Conflict check before acceptance
Parties and technical field checked against existing matters the same day. A conflict means a clear decline, not a delayed answer.
Non-solicitation in writing
Your client stays your client. I do not market direct services to firms instructed through you, and inbound approaches are referred back.
You keep the client relationship
All reporting goes to your firm by default. I join client calls only when you ask me to, and under your firm's name where you prefer it.
Confidentiality on your paper
Happy to work under your firm's engagement or NDA terms rather than imposing mine, provided EPO professional secrecy rules are met.
Docketing & reporting
How deadlines and reports reach your system.
- 01Deadlines docketed on receiptEvery instruction is docketed the day it arrives — regional phase, response terms, renewal dates, opposition and appeal windows.
- 02Two reminders, then confirmationA first reminder well ahead of the term, a second close to it, and a filing confirmation with the official EPO or EUIPO receipt attached.
- 03Reporting in your formatShort email summary, formal reporting letter, or a structured field list your docketing team can key in directly. Tell me which and it stays consistent.
- 04Itemised EUR invoicesOfficial fees and professional fees listed separately per matter, so charges pass through to your client without reconstruction.
Credentials
One associate, both registers.
- —European Patent Attorney — entitled to represent before the EPO
- —European Trade Mark Attorney — EUIPO representation for non-EU applicants
- —Representative before the Unified Patent Court
- —Physics background — comfortable with technically demanding files
- —Your instruction is handled by me, not delegated to a trainee
FAQ
Questions US firms ask before the first instruction.
- Do you take instructions from US firms as foreign associate?
- Yes. US patent and trademark firms instruct me directly for EPO and EUIPO work. The client relationship stays with your firm; I act as your European associate and report to you, not to your client, unless you ask otherwise.
- Will you solicit our clients?
- No. Instructions from US firms come with a non-solicitation undertaking in writing: I do not approach your client for direct work, and any inbound contact from them is referred back to you.
- How do you handle conflicts?
- Every new instruction is conflict-checked against existing parties and technical fields before I accept it. If a conflict exists, I tell you the same day and decline — no work is started and no confidential material is retained.
- Which deadlines do you docket?
- I docket all EPO and EUIPO deadlines on the matters you instruct me on, including regional phase entry, response terms, renewal dates and opposition windows. I send reminders in advance and confirm every filing with the official receipt.
- How do you report and bill?
- Reporting letters follow your preferred format — plain email summary, formal reporting letter, or structured data for your docketing system. Invoices are itemised per matter in EUR with official fees separated from professional fees, so you can pass them through cleanly.
- Can you also handle EU trade marks for our firm?
- Yes. I am both a European Patent Attorney and a European Trade Mark Attorney, so patent and EUTM instructions from the same US firm can run through one associate rather than two.
Send a first matter and see how it is handled.
A regional phase entry or a single examination report is enough to test the reporting, the docketing and the invoice format before you move volume.
Working on your own client's European filing instead? See the European Patent Attorney services or the European Trade Mark Attorney services.