Intellectual Property Law Firm Pricing Guide December 2025

If you’re looking to hire an intellectual property law firm for your business, it’s important that you know how much it will cost. Learn more about how IP law firms bill their clients and the factors that impact their hourly rates.

Intellectual property is an intangible asset — such as a design, text, invention, or even idea — that is owned by a company or individual.

Particularly in today’s day and age, where businesses often provide goods and services based on their own scientific discoveries, technical innovations, and unique designs, it’s just as important for businesses to protect their intellectual property as their other assets.

While there are many different types of intellectual property, they’re all valuable. For instance, logos, brand names, and slogans are what set companies apart from others in their industry, designs and original inventions can be developed into products, and computer software can be sold and monetized.

For businesses, protecting their intellectual property is essential because it gives them exclusive rights to produce and profit from their IP. The best way to do that is by consulting with an IP law firm who can provide guidance, file for patents, trademarks, and copyrights, and represent your business in case of an IP lawsuit.

This pricing guide breaks down how much businesses usually spend when they hire an IP law firm, as well as the factors that may influence their prices. With this information, you should be able to estimate how much you can expect to spend and find an IP law firm that meets your needs.

While most intellectual property projects on Clutch cost only a few thousand dollars, this may not be the best indicator of what you can expect to spend when hiring an IP law firm because cost is largely contingent on the services they’re providing and their hourly rates.

How Much Do IP Law Firms Charge for Their Services?

IP law firms on Clutch usually charge between $100–$149 per hour. While law firms charge an average hourly rate, it’s important to know that your bill won’t show a flat hourly rate. Instead, your bill will break down how much time everybody on their team has spent on your account specifically and their specific hourly rate.

More experienced lawyers, like partners, will charge higher hourly rates than less experienced associates. Your bill will also include tasks that paralegals, legal researchers, and administrative assistants do as well, but these rates are likely to be significantly less. 

Your bill will also include everything they do to support your business from consulting to research, drafting documents, and filing complaints. Of course, the more they’re working on or the more complex your case is, the higher your bill will be because of the labor involved.

For instance, a 20-minute phone consultation would take less time and would cost less than conducting legal research, drafting contracts, and negotiating licensing agreements, which can take days, weeks, or months to do properly.

With this in mind, it’s better to compare service providers by the hourly rates they offer — as well as their experience and specialties — before hiring an IP law firm.

What are the 4 types of Intellectual Property?

1. Patents: a patent gives you exclusive rights to your invention for a certain period, usually 20 years. It protecting your idea from being used or sold by others without your permission.

2. Trademarks: trademarks allow companies a name, symbol, and/or design that sets your brand apart from the rest. Logos, for instance, must be secure to ensure that you can use the image as a long-term brand identifier.

3. Copyrights: copyrights give protection over original works of authorship, whether it's a novel, song, movie, or even software code.

4. Trade Secrets: Have a secret sauce that gives you an edge over competitors? Protect it as a trade secret. From recipes to algorithms, anything that gives you a competitive advantage and isn't generally known qualifies as a trade secret. 

How Much Does it Cost To Register a Patent, Trademark, or Copyright?

While registering patents, trademarks, and copyrights are only a fraction of the services that IP law firms provide, it is often one most common reasons why companies of all sizes hire an IP law firm.

The process of registering a patent, trademark, or copyright is very complicated and lengthy. According to the US Patent & Trademark Office, processing can take over a year and it can take businesses several tries before their applications are accepted.

While this may make legal fees expensive, that’s part of the reason why it’s so important to hire an IP attorney. It’s very beneficial to have a legal expert guide your business through the process and make sure everything is filed correctly.

Afterall, it may be the difference between being able to launch your brand or release a product within your expected timeline.

This table explains the difference between these types of intellectual property rights and how an IP law firm can help your business attain one.

Pricing Models: Should You Hire an IP Law Firm on Retainer vs. Hourly Rates?

Generally speaking, companies that consult their lawyers frequently usually will keep a law firm on retainer, so it’s easier to work with them and get advice quickly when needed.

Retainers are monthly fees that are paid upfront to secure services. If they have established a retainer, companies will pay a flat monthly rate that will go towards their bill.

So, if your monthly retainer is $1,000 per month and the lawyers you usually work with charge a rate of $100 per hour, the retainer will cover about 10 hours of support over the course of that month. However, the law firm will charge an additional fee based on their hourly rate if they bill more than 10 hours working for your business.

Particularly if you’re trying to register a patent, trademark, or copyright, having an IP law firm on retainer is beneficial because you will frequently need their counsel over an extended period of time.

It also makes sense to keep an IP law firm on retainer in case of IP infringement or if you are planning to sell your IP and need to transfer ownership rights.

The only instance where it does not make sense to keep an IP law firm on retainer is if you don’t expect them to spend enough time on your account to break even on the cost. So in the case we outlined above, the law firm should spend at least 10 hours a month working on that account in order for the $1,000 retainer to be worth the price.

Still, for most businesses, having a law firm on retainer is almost a necessity. Companies often need immediate legal advice, and having a trusted expert readily available is always beneficial.

What Impacts the Cost of Hiring an IP Law Firm?

• Services provided
• Your Industry
• Law firm size
• Team experience
• Location 

As discussed above, IP law firms rarely offer a flat rate for their services. Instead, hourly rate is determined based on the experience and seniority of the team member. Then, billing is calculated depending on how much time they spend on your account.

Therefore, more complex services and the scope of your partnership will have a huge impact on what you can expect to spend with an IP law firm. 

Companies in certain industries can also expect to spend more on legal services because of their needs. For instance, those in tech, fashion, and oil and gas often need more support from intellectual property lawyers because of recent trends. In these industries, protecting new technology and preventing people from stealing your designs is a necessity.

Another big factor influencing the cost of hiring an IP lawyer is where they’re located. Generally speaking, law firms in the US and Western Europe charge more for their services than those in Southeast Asia and Eastern Europe simply because labor costs are higher in those areas.

Protecting Your IP Overseas

While it may cost less to hire an IP law firm in other areas of the world, small businesses based in the US probably shouldn’t solely hire lawyers licensed in other countries because they are probably only familiar with the IP laws and regulations in their own country.

However, companies looking to sell overseas still need help protecting their IP internationally. Generally, copyrights are universally protected, but trademarks and patents should be filed in every country where they need protection.

This may mean that global companies must hire lawyers in each country they plan to register. International IP lawyers specialize in IP protection and licensing in various countries. Many have offices around the world and connections to support their clients however they may need.

Protecting Your Intellectual Property is Essential; Hire An IP Law Firm That Specializes in What You Need

Whether you’ve just launched your business and want to protect your brand, developed a new software, wrote a book, or even genetically engineered a tree that produces sweeter fruit, an IP law firm can help ensure your IP is protected.

How much an IP law firm will charge you will depend on how much support your business needs, the experience of the lawyers working on your account, where you’re located, and more.

Still, hiring an IP law firm is well-worth it for your business. While these assets aren’t tangible, they’re still valuable and need to be protected just as much as any business’s other assets.