Q: Do you offer a summer program for law students?
A: Because of the complexity of the work we perform on behalf of our clients, we do not hire beginning attorneys. For that reason, we do not run a summer program for law students. We will consider candidates with extensive industry experience who do not have significant legal experience on those occasions where it would assist our clients with their needs.

Q: What kind of credentials do your attorneys and team members have?
A: Our professionals are some of the most accomplished individuals in their areas of concentration. We have a highly experienced legal group – as of the end of 2008, our average years in practice among lawyers is about 15 years. All of our lawyers are admitted to the practice of law in Minnesota, and in addition, we have license to practice in the state of Georgia. Core to our business are our intellectual property attorneys. Most of these attorneys are admitted to practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office. To get this certification, one must first have a technical degree in engineering, chemistry, physics, or other sciences plus a law degree, and one must pass a special exam administered by the Patent and Trademark Office. Further, most of our attorneys have background in industry and many are working on their second career. Thus, they understand what it is like to stand in the shoes of the client. Finally, we maintain a group of Ph.D technical specialists who work in conjunction with our patent attorneys on technical issues related to intellectual property protection.

Q: How many attorneys do you have?
A: We maintain the number of attorneys that we need to appropriately service our client’s needs. In addition to attorneys, we also employ scientists and engineers with advanced technical degrees.  For more information, see our biographies in Our Team.

Q: What kinds of attorneys do you hire?
A: We hire intellectual property attorneys, litigators, and other attorneys we need to help our clients achieve their strategic goals. In all cases, we hire only attorneys with five or more years’ experience. We often look for attorneys who have had significant experience in corporate America in non-legal roles, because we find that adds to their ability to understand our clients’ objectives and appropriately counsel to achieve those objectives.

Q: Do you pay competitive salaries?
A: Yes. Our attorneys and professionals earn at or above market rates for billing at or above standard market hours. Unlike other firms, though, we don't employ a "one size fits all" cookie cutter approach. In other words, you set your goal, we don't. You'll earn pay commensurate with the goal you set, which is at least as good, and probably better than, what you would earn at other firms.

Q: Do you have a full range of benefits?
A: Yes. We recognize employee benefits are an important part of a professional's compensation package. During the interview process we will explain benefits we offer in more detail.

Q: What is your firm's partnership track?
A: We don't have a standard "partnership track" at our firm. Each individual is viewed on their own merits and background. However, we like our attorneys to be committed, long-term players with our firm, and we believe we generally have shorter than average time to partner than at other firms.