Litigation
Overview
Most organizations don’t like it, but inevitably the day comes when some issue develops into a legal dispute. Some disputes are minor tiffs that can be resolved through a series of phone calls and letters, and others are full-blown competitive battles. At Altera Law Group, we seek to guide you to a solution that is economically sensible given the business realities of the dispute. We work to help find a solution that is right for you – one that has a positive legal outcome at a price that correlates to the value of the dispute to your business.
Many lawyers can and do handle litigation. Many know the rules of court and complex commercial law. We know those things, too. But beyond that, Altera has taken the extra steps to provide clients with the litigation resources they need at critical times. First and foremost, our litigation team has experience with a broad array of intellectual property litigation throughout the country. We will help you through critical times of litigation to make sure that you are getting what you need from the process. As with all other areas, we partner with you to get the dispute resolved for you with a favorable outcome. That’s what good partners do.
Most of the litigation work that we take on is on an hourly fee basis. How do we differ from other firms who do such work? First and foremost, we maintain our hourly fees at reasonable levels, below market for our years of experience and skills. We do this because we know that litigation is inherently inefficient and that litigation clients suffer disproportionately to other clients when billing rates are inflated. We could charge more for our services, but in so doing we would not be able to provide the kind of value that we believe our clients deserve. Second, we work with small, well-informed litigation teams. If you trust us with your litigation, we will not engage in “pile-on” mentality – increasing our staff and your budget at every turn in the road, as many clients fear their law firm will do. If we discover that we need additional resources devoted to your matter, we will first consult with you and agree on the nature and scope of services to be provided, and at what price. Third and very importantly, we are an experienced team. We do not employ beginners who will cut their teeth and fill up their timesheets while billing to your matter. In short, we give you only who you need, when you need them, to get the best possible result.
Litigation is risky and inefficient by its very nature. But a fact of business life is that it is often the only means available to resolve certain issues. If your company is faced with the hard choice of suing, or has found itself on the wrong end of a lawsuit, we will be there with you every step of the way, to guide you to a result that is economically justified and appropriate to your needs. We will do the litigating, but you will do the steering. We pride ourselves in never causing you to feel like you’re being driven off a cliff by runaway, out-of-control litigation.
Types of Litigation Altera Handles
- Patent Infringement Litigation
- Trademark Infringement Litigation
- Trademark Opposition and Cancellation Proceedings
- IP Malpractice
- Business Disputes
- Trade Secrets
- Unfair Competition
- Contract Disputes
Contingent Fee Arrangements
Altera Law Group occasionally will accept cases on a contingency or outcome-based basis. The primary cases that we will accept on such a basis are patent infringement lawsuits on behalf of a patent holder, patent malpractice actions, and contract disputes on behalf of the damaged party. Occasionally we will accept other types of intellectual-property related issues on a contingent fee basis.
To qualify for consideration for contingency-fee pricing on a matter, we require the following conditions. You must own valid intellectual property rights that have been demonstrably damaged due to someone else's actions. You must have the ability and willingness to pay for the non law firm costs of the dispute, including court reporters fees, expert witness fees, travel costs and the like. We will evaluate your case at the outset, and if we believe you qualify, we may offer you a contingency-fee based fee arrangement. We will enter then into a contract that spells out the precise details of the engagement.