MJP, Ethics and the Practice of Patent Law - Why you are Probably Guilty of Unauthorized Practice of Law

Almost all patent attorneys in the United States to a greater or a lesser extent serve clients who are located far from the attorney's offices. Indeed, we think of ourselves not as attorneys of New York, or Virginia, or Vermont, but as national and international practitioners in a unique specialty. We assume that as patent attorneys we are authorized to do our thing wherever it is needed, provided that we are a member of the state bar in which our office is located and of course subject to obtaining Pro Hac Vice permission to appear in local courts. However, on any given day thousands of patent attorneys are almost certainly engaged in the unauthorized practice of law, and are at risk – a small risk, but a risk nonetheless - for serious consequences from what we all assume to be normal. Moreover, the trend toward virtual offices and working away from a fixed base means that in the future even more attorneys will be joining those now engaged in the unauthorized practice of law.

Approved Jurisdictions	Credit Hours	Credit Type
AZ CA CO GA ME MO MT NC ND NY PA WV	1	Ethics