How We Work
Senior-Led Counsel. Clear Responsibility. Practical Execution.
Strong patent representation requires more than legal knowledge and technical credentials. It requires a working relationship in which responsibilities are understood, advice is connected to business objectives, and matters are handled with discipline from initial instruction through completion.
Divergent is AddyHart’s dedicated patent practice. We work with companies, universities, patent owners, and foreign associates to develop engagement models suited to their portfolios, internal resources, and commercial priorities.
Four Principles That Guide Our Work
Our approach is built around clear responsibility, commercially informed strategy, practical recommendations, and disciplined execution. These principles shape how we staff matters, advise clients, communicate decisions, and carry patent work from initial instruction through completion.
Senior-Led Responsibility
Senior-Led Responsibility
An experienced attorney leads the matter, understands the technology, supervises the work, and remains accountable for substantive recommendations.
Clear Recommendations
Clear Recommendations
We explain the issue, available options, practical tradeoffs, likely effects on claim scope, and our recommended course of action.
Technology First, Business Grounded
Technology First, Business Grounded
Patent strategy begins with the invention and considers products, competitors, design-around risks, commercialization plans, and the broader portfolio.
Disciplined Execution
Disciplined Execution
Clear handoffs, defined approval procedures, careful review, deadline management, and confirmation of completed actions support reliable execution.
A Working Model Built Around the Client
No two clients manage intellectual property in exactly the same way. Some have established prosecution playbooks and legal-operations teams. Others want outside counsel to help develop the structure. Some need primary U.S. prosecution counsel, while others need support for a particular technology, portfolio segment, or proceeding.
At the beginning of the relationship, we work with the client to establish:
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Scope and responsibility
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Lead attorneys and operational contacts
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Instruction and approval authority
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Communication and review procedures
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Budgeting and billing expectations
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Reporting requirements
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Technology and commercial priorities
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Escalation procedures
The objective is a working relationship that is clear, practical, and proportionate to the engagement.
Senior-Led Counsel, Connected to the Business
An experienced attorney is designated to lead each matter and remains responsible for understanding the technology, supervising the work, communicating with the client, and helping ensure that prosecution decisions support the broader portfolio strategy.
Our recommendations consider not only the legal issue, but also the technology’s relationship to:
Products and development roadmaps
Competitive and design-around risks
Manufacturing and supply-chain considerations
Standards and regulatory requirements
Licensing and enforcement objectives
Transactions and commercialization plans
Existing patent families and continuation opportunities
When a substantive issue arises, we aim to explain:
What the issue means in practical terms
The available options
The legal and technical tradeoffs
The likely effect on claim scope or portfolio value
Relevant timing and cost considerations
Our recommended course of action
The client retains decision-making authority. Our role is to provide the analysis and judgment needed to make those decisions efficiently.
Disciplined Execution. Communication Without Surprises.
Patent work is both substantive legal work and deadline-dependent process work. Reliable execution requires clear handoffs, accurate information, appropriate review, and confirmation that authorized actions have been completed.
Depending on the engagement, the workflow may address:
Matter intake and invention disclosures
Deadline identification and reconciliation
Drafting and internal review
Client review and authorization
Filing preparation and verification
Reporting of completed actions
Portfolio and continuation review
Budget and forecast reporting
Escalation of exceptions or incomplete instructions
We raise significant issues early, distinguish routine matters from strategic decisions, and explain when circumstances may affect timing, scope, or cost. Clients should not first learn about an avoidable problem at a deadline or on an invoice.
Flexible Engagement Models
Divergent can serve in different roles depending on the client’s portfolio, internal resources, and objectives.
Primary or Panel Counsel
Primary or Panel Counsel
Primary U.S. prosecution counsel or a member of an established outside-counsel panel.
Supplemental and Specialized Counsel
Supplemental and Specialized Counsel
Overflow prosecution support, Office Action strategy, appeals, post-grant proceedings, or discrete strategic projects.
Portfolio and Technology Support
Portfolio and Technology Support
Counsel for a defined technology, business unit, portfolio segment, or portfolio transition.
International Coordination
International Coordination
U.S. counsel working with foreign applicants, foreign associates, and multinational patent families.
Engagements may use fixed, agreed, phased, capped, or hourly fee arrangements depending on the work. Scope, assumptions, government fees, and third-party expenses are identified so the client can evaluate expected cost before work begins.
What Clients Can Expect
A clearly identified lead attorney
Direct access to substantive counsel
Advice connected to business objectives
Defined responsibility and approval procedures
Clear recommendations and practical alternatives
Transparent scope and pricing
Early identification of material issues
Confirmation of authorized actions
A working model that can scale with the portfolio
Work With Divergent
Whether you are evaluating new U.S. patent counsel, supplementing an existing panel, transitioning a portfolio, or seeking support for a particular technology or proceeding, we welcome the opportunity to discuss an engagement model suited to your needs.
Please provide only general, nonconfidential information through the initial inquiry form. Detailed questionnaires and diligence materials may be exchanged through an appropriate review process.