It is challenging for IP attorneys, law firms, and even lone IP specialists to handle end-to-end IP activities for their clients as the workload in IP grows. The need for virtual paralegals is at an all-time high due to the importance of these operations for IP firms and professionals. What a virtual paralegal does is covered in this article. We’ll attempt to respond to a frequently asked question, “Why should I hire a virtual paralegal?”

The definition of a virtual paralegal

IP experts, virtual paralegals, provide remote support for various entities’ intellectual property needs. Law firms, IP attorneys, and even lone IP practitioners now use virtual paralegals to reduce the burden. A virtual paralegal assists by handling numerous legal, administrative, and intellectual property tasks.

What is the role of a virtual paralegal?

Let’s examine the roles played by virtual paralegals after talking about who they are and what they do. The advantages of working with a virtual paralegal include the following:

• Manages administrative duties and IP assets (patents, copyrights, and trademarks) – Virtual paralegals look after the IP assets of law firms, attorneys, and solo practitioners working in IP domains.
• Virtual paralegals reduce the workload on law companies significantly, saving time. Firms and IP lawyers might use the time for other essential duties and client onboarding.
• Virtual paralegals monitor the entire IP application procedure, from filing to award. Additionally, they manage deadlines and respond to official requests whenever and wherever required.
• Virtual paralegals keep track of the IP application’s progress and provide notifications of approaching PTO deadlines. Important deadlines for the patent and trademark offices, as well as forthcoming case dates, should be addressed by IP firms and qualified IP practitioners. Additionally, notices containing deadline information for office action are sent by the Patent and Trademark Office. However, PTO must remind recipients to submit office action responses. Virtual paralegals maintain track of due dates and send out reminders regularly.

Additionally, virtual paralegals aid IP law firms and professionals reduce the likelihood of late fee payments due to missed deadlines by recalling quick responses to an office action. Additionally, timely submission of office action responses guarantees that the fewest possible IP applications are abandoned or refused, fostering customer confidence. These advantages explain why I should work with a virtual paralegal.

What Services Do Virtual Paralegals Provide?

The following ways that virtual paralegals support the IP application filing process from start to finish:

Services for Pre-filing

• Submitting an accurate IP application with no errors is essential to avoid problems with the USPTO. A faultless IP application is the first stage in giving the client IP rights. The information must be filed following the USPTO’s format to guarantee this. Virtual paralegals help IP law firms and professionals create flawless IP applications by drawing on their understanding of USPTO standards, including formal documents, assignments, powers of attorney, and declarations. Virtual paralegals ensure the accuracy of the information by double-checking the files and sending reports in case of any difficulties.
• Additionally, virtual paralegals help with file package preparation and the complete filing procedure. This process includes replacements, preliminary revisions, information disclosure declarations, and application data sheets.

Prosecution-stage

Intellectual property prosecution requires a significant amount of work. The virtual paralegals assist law firms and attorneys by handling the docketing services during the trial. They also analysed the allowance notices and draught 1.312 changes to reduce the additional costs associated with the correction. 

Post-Grant Support

Virtual paralegals help (CoC) by proofreading patents and creating rectification certificates. Along with calculating expiration dates, they also change the patent duration.

Select I’m Prepared to Hire Virtual Paralegals

Let’s say you’re sick of looking for an expert and knowledgeable IP paralegal who can manage searches for intellectual property, docketing office action answers, publications, oppositions, and grant renewal. If that’s the case, we can help. We offer the best paralegal IP services at competitive prices. Check us out here to learn more.