Intellectual property law is one of the hottest legal practice areas in the state. In the past five years, the number of trademark and patent filings by Florida residents has gone up by 34% to 38,582, exceeding a 28% increase nationwide. The courts in Florida handled hundreds of complaints last year, up nearly 50% from 2010.
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A COVID-19 economy is adding new jobs for IP lawyers. “In an upturn market, you see a lot of companies exploring new trademarks and patents to register,” says Jorge Espinosa, an IP attorney based in Miami. This means a larger team, virtually in today’s world. “They also have more money to go after infringers.”
“Florida has become far more technologically sophisticated, and we have, too,” says Ava Doppelt, an IP attorney and shareholder at ADDMG, a 44-year-old IP boutique firm. “Some of the science is so high level that even if you’re an electrical engineer, it’s very difficult to understand.” This allows the younger workforce to fill these needed positions.
Increasingly, many firms are now shifting to long-standing, client-focused relationships with big IP firms. Some IP firms of 50 or more patent attorneys, uniquely provide multilayered scientific specializations in multiple industries. As these relationships grow, everyone profits. Given these wide-ranging benefits, forming alliances with IP lawyers is a strategy that Florida’s general firms will continue to meet the needs of their clients’ intellectual property rights.
IP lawyers retain much of the most lucrative litigation on transactional work. Big IP firms can be especially welcome “special counsel”, as part of broader litigation as well as handle substantive patent work. The continued growth of this sector means business in this aspect of the legal field will continue to prosper in a declining economy. The opportunities for IP lawyers are endless in a COVID-19 world, while many are working and moving forward with proceedings virtually.
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References:
https://www.mondaq.com/unitedstates/patent/735344/a-shift-in-florida-law-firms39-ip-services
https://www.law.com/texaslawyer/2020/02/19/intellectual-property-audits-essential-to-protecting-companies-key-assets/
https://www.floridatrend.com/article/20216/high-tech-law-intellectual-property
