Legal Operations

Intellectual Property Law

Track patent and trademark portfolios with invention disclosure intake, prosecution timelines, and renewal deadline automation. MHSB designs practice-specific Lawmatics workflows, automations, and reporting for intellectual property law firms.

Intellectual property practices manage long-lived assets with government-imposed deadlines that span years. A single client may have a portfolio of dozens of patents, trademarks, and copyrights, each at a different stage of prosecution or maintenance. Missing a single renewal deadline or office action response date can result in the permanent loss of an asset worth millions. Lawmatics must be configured not just for initial intake but for ongoing portfolio management, where the CRM functions as a deadline engine across every asset the firm manages.

Invention disclosure and new matter intake

The IP intake process starts with capturing technical detail that attorneys need to evaluate patentability or registrability. We configure invention disclosure forms that collect the invention title, technical description, inventor names and assignments, relevant prior art, and commercial significance. For trademark matters, intake captures the mark, goods and services descriptions, first-use dates, and existing registrations. Conditional logic routes each submission to the correct prosecution pipeline. This structured intake feeds directly into your client intake workflow so patent and trademark counsel receive organized submissions rather than unstructured emails.

Prosecution timeline and office action management

Patent and trademark prosecution involves multi-year timelines with government-imposed response deadlines. We build pipeline stages that mirror the prosecution lifecycle: provisional filing, non-provisional conversion, examination, office action response, allowance, and issuance. Each stage has deadline fields that trigger automated alerts when response windows are opening or closing. Office action response workflows generate task checklists for the assigned attorney, including prior art review, claim amendment drafting, and examiner interview scheduling. The system tracks response due dates across the entire docket so nothing ages out silently.

Portfolio management and renewal tracking

IP practices must track maintenance fees and renewal deadlines across large portfolios. We configure Lawmatics with portfolio-level dashboards that show all assets for a client, their current status, and upcoming maintenance milestones. Patent maintenance fee dates at 3.5, 7.5, and 11.5 years are pre-calculated from the issue date. Trademark renewal deadlines at years 5, 9, and every 10 thereafter are tracked with advance notice sequences. International filings add complexity: PCT national phase deadlines, Madrid Protocol designation responses, and foreign associate correspondence are all managed through dedicated pipeline stages.

Typical workflows we configure

  • Invention disclosure intake with technical detail, inventor, and prior art fields
  • Trademark intake capturing mark details, goods/services, and use dates
  • Prosecution pipelines with office action response deadlines and task checklists
  • Patent maintenance fee reminders at 3.5, 7.5, and 11.5 years post-issuance
  • Trademark renewal tracking with Section 8/9 and Section 71 deadline automation
  • International filing pipelines for PCT and Madrid Protocol matters

If your IP practice needs a CRM that doubles as a portfolio deadline engine, schedule a consultation to discuss implementation.

What This Looks Like in Lawmatics

These are the Lawmatics tools we configure for intellectual property law implementations.

Document Automation for IP Filings

Automate patent applications, trademark filings, and licensing agreements with templates that pull from matter and contact records.

Document automation dashboard for IP filing workflows

Pipeline Stages for IP Matters

Track applications from search through filing, office actions, and registration with clear stage visibility for the whole team.

Pipeline view for intellectual property matter progression

Key Outcomes for Intellectual Property Law

We align Lawmatics with the workflows and expectations of this practice area so your team can deliver a consistent client experience.

Invention disclosure intake forms capturing technical details, prior art, and inventor information.

Patent and trademark prosecution pipeline stages from filing through registration.

Portfolio-level views showing all assets per client with renewal and maintenance dates.

Office action response checklists with deadline countdown automation.

International filing tracking for PCT applications and Madrid Protocol designations.

Prior art search task workflows integrated with examiner correspondence tracking.

Client segmentation by portfolio size, technology area, and prosecution stage.

How We Implement Lawmatics for This Practice

Our implementation team focuses on the workflows that matter most to your practice, from first contact to post-matter follow-up.

Intake built for the matter type

Capture the right facts and documents with conditional logic and guided workflows.

Automations that keep cases moving

Trigger tasks, follow-ups, and reminders based on stage and urgency.

Visibility that supports growth

Track performance by practice area, source, and outcome with clear dashboards.

Next Step

Want a Practice-Specific Implementation?

Schedule a consultation to see how MHSB can tailor Lawmatics for your practice area.