To prepare for a patent attorney consultation, arrive with the invention described, searched and drawn. Your attorney’s clock starts at hello, and this way the first meeting goes on strategy instead of catch-up.
To advise you, an attorney or agent needs to understand what the invention is, how it works, what already exists and what you want to protect. If you arrive with a description and a sketch, they spend billable hours building that picture with you. Paid consults are often $200–$500 and hourly rates commonly $400–$600 [33]How much does a patent cost?Bold PatentsPaid consults $200–$400 (often $250–$500); $495/hr; an attorney-drafted provisional $3,000–$10,000 in attorney fees (13 Jul 2026)[32]PricingAlloy Patent LawReview and filing from an inventor-completed draft, $500–$1,000; $600/hr, so those hours add up.
The full list, with what each item should contain, is in the attorney-ready invention checklist.
Most of what an attorney asks for in a first consultation, produced as you work on the idea:
| Market, patent and financial memosWho wants it, how defensible it looks, whether the numbers work | Sample memo |
|---|---|
| A prior-art search plan and full search reportThe closest results, and how yours differs | Sample report |
| A numbered 2D sketch, 3D concept model and figure sheetParts named and numbered, so you can talk about them | Sample design |
| A dated Invention LogWhen you had the idea, what you did, who has seen it | Kept as you work |
| A draft application from Prepare My FilingFor the attorney to review rather than write | Prep Plan |
The samples use the Clip-On Tent Lantern example idea. Your own budget, timeline and questions are the parts only you can bring.
We don’t publish an hours-saved number, because it depends on the invention and the attorney. What changes is what the attorney no longer has to do:
A review of a prepared draft typically costs $250–$2,000 [31]How much does a provisional patent application cost?Stellar PatentAttorney review and filing of an inventor’s own documents, $250–$2,000 (26 Jan 2025)[32]PricingAlloy Patent LawReview and filing from an inventor-completed draft, $500–$1,000; $600/hr, against $1,500–$10,000 in attorney fees to draft a provisional from scratch [33]How much does a patent cost?Bold PatentsPaid consults $200–$400 (often $250–$500); $495/hr; an attorney-drafted provisional $3,000–$10,000 in attorney fees (13 Jul 2026)[34]How much does it cost to talk to a patent attorney?Gearhart LawAn attorney-drafted provisional, $1,500–$3,500 (8 Jul 2025).
Prepare My Filing is drafting software, not legal advice. See what each step costs in the cost to develop an invention guide, and patent office fees in the patent cost calculator.
| You say | They need |
|---|---|
| “My idea” | The invention: what it is, how it works, and at least one way of building it |
| “Nobody has done this” | The closest prior art you found, and how yours differs |
| “I’ve shown it to a few people” | Every disclosure: who, when, and whether it was confidential. It sets your filing deadlines |
| “I want to patent it” | What to protect (how it works, how it looks, the name), where you’ll sell, and your budget |
| “I came up with it last spring” | A dated record of conception and development |
| “Is it patentable?” | A request for a patentability opinion, with your search report attached |
Look up any term in the EntreDash glossary.
Nothing leaves EntreDash unless you choose to share it. A patent attorney is bound by a duty of confidentiality [15]Model Rule 1.6: Confidentiality of informationAmerican Bar AssociationA lawyer’s duty of confidentiality. Until you file, avoid showing the invention publicly. In the US you have one year from your own disclosure to file [18]MPEP 2153: Prior art exceptionsUSPTOThe one-year grace period for your own disclosure, and most other countries give no grace period.
Work out your dates with the provisional deadline calculator.
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EntreDash prices are live; outside figures were checked on 4 Oct 2026 or the date shown with each source.
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