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Contact Info
3020 W. Market St.
Akron, Ohio 443334576 Massillon Rd.
North Canton, OH 44720- (330) 865-4949 (local)
- (330) 865-3777 (fax)
We hold all information in the strictest confidence.
Contacting us using this form will not establish an attorney-client relationship. Please don’t send any confidential information until such time as an attorney-client relationship has been established.
Frequently Asked Questions
People believe they need a lawyer only to solve a problem or to get out of a difficult situation. The truth is, the best time to see an attorney is not when you are in legal trouble but BEFORE that trouble occurs. Preventive law is one of the most valuable services that a lawyer can do. By avoiding potential problems, preventive law can save you time‚ money‚ and needless worry.
Your lawyer is your counselor, your advisor, and your advocate. Your lawyer is who you should turn to when you need to know what your rights and responsibilities are with respect to others, and what others’ rights and responsibilities are with respect to you. Your lawyer is the one who helps you assess your risks, and decide what your next steps should be. Your lawyer is the one who argues for you, both in and out of court.
It is not illegal for you to represent yourself in court or to handle your own legal matters but judges and court personnel are not allowed to give you any legal advice as your case proceeds. Attorneys are trained to provide professional legal assistance to you‚ to be aware of all court procedures‚ filing requirements‚ deadlines‚ and other details that a non-attorney easily could overlook.
You’re hiring an attorney to work for you‚ as your advocate. You should expect your attorney to:
- Research and analyze all available facts and information relating to your problem.
- Confer with you to pinpoint the problem.
- Be candid with you about your problem, your prospects for success‚ the time it will take‚ and the advisability of accepting any settlement offered.
- Interview those involved.
- Negotiate a settlement if both sides can reach a fair agreement.
- Keep you informed about what is going on in your case and answer your questions.
- Discuss fees with you at your first visit‚ and come to an agreement about the way in which the fee will be paid.
Upon being retained as your legal counsel‚ we expect you to:
- Be completely honest about all facts concerning your case‚ whether or not they are favorable to you.
- Understand that no lawyer can guarantee results in a contested matter.
- Be patient and understand that legal matters are rarely “open and shut” cases; they require time and research.
- Be on time for appointments.
- Pay a reasonable fee for the work performed.
With both your liberty and reputation at stake, you don’t want to hire the wrong attorney. Do not make the mistake others do and simply go through the yellow pages calling attorneys in order to find the lowest bidder. You are buying an attorney’s knowledge, experience, and professionalism. You’re not buying a refrigerator.
While nothing is better than in person meeting in most cases, a plethora of communication tools are available to facilitate today’s attorney-client communications. Subject to security and privacy considerations, many platforms from email and cellphone to text messaging, document sharing platforms, video conferencing and chat options are available to allow clients and their lawyers to communicate and share contracts or court documents.
There are no fees for any initial consultations.
Beware of attorneys that charge you a very low fee simply to get your case, as often the attorney will only put as much time into the case as the fee supports. On the other hand, beware of attorneys that try to take advantage of your situation and charge an exorbitant fee which has no relation to the amount of hours the attorney will need. Legal fees are set and determined by an agreement between the attorney and the client. The amount of the fee and the basis for the charge are determined by a number of factors:
- The amount of time spent on your problem
- The attorney’s ability, experience, and reputation
- The results obtained
- Overhead costs such as secretarial and para-professional assistance‚ investigators‚ and other personnel
- Your ability to pay
Intellectual property (IP) refers to creations of the mind, such as inventions; literary and artistic works; designs; and symbols, names and images used in commerce. IP is protected in law by patents, copyright and trademarks, which enable people to earn recognition or financial benefit from what they invent or create.
A trademark is a word, phrase, symbol, and/or design that identifies and distinguishes the source of the goods of one party from those of others. Some examples include: brand names, slogans, and logos. The term “trademark” is often used in a general sense to refer to both trademarks and service marks. Unlike patents and copyrights, trademarks do not expire after a set term of years.
A patent is a limited duration property right relating to an invention, granted by the US Patent & Trademark Office in exchange for public disclosure of the invention. Patentable materials include machines, manufactured articles, industrial processes, and chemical compositions.
A copyright protects original works of authorship including literary, dramatic, musical, and artistic works, such as poetry, novels, movies, songs, computer software, and architecture.
Your first step is often to contact the offender. You or your lawyer can send a cease and desist letter requesting the person or company to stop using your work. Before you can take legal action in a copyright infringement case, your work must be registered with the US Copyright Office. If it is not, do this as soon as possible, because you can’t recover damages for the time the work was not registered. Similarly, you can’t file a patent infringement suit until the USPTO has granted your patent, but you may be able to recover some damages from the time before the patent was issued.
The various areas of IP law are very complicated, and your rights and remedies differ under each. An experienced IP attorney can help you evaluate your options and determine your best course of action.
The information you obtain on this site is not, nor is it intended to be, legal advice. You should consult an attorney for advice regarding your individual situation. We invite you to contact us. We welcome your calls, messages and emails. Contacting us does not create an attorney-client relationship. Please do not send any confidential information to us until such time as an attorney-client relationship has been established.