Meet the Full-Service Law Firm Partnering With Amazon to Streamline IP
FisherBroyles leaders said the firm's lack of overhead expenses allows it to deliver fixed-fee rates on par with the small IP shops that are also partnering with Amazon.
October 21, 2019 at 05:25 PM
3 minute read
Photo: Shutterstock
One name stands out on the list of 11 law firms that were vetted by Amazon to provide fixed-rate trademark services to the company's sellers as part of its new "IP accelerator."
Growing "virtual" law firm FisherBroyles is the sole full-service provider on the list, and its nearly 250 attorneys put it in a different category from the 10 small IP shops that are Amazon's other partners in its tentative first step into the legal services arena.
"Amazon recognized we were a fixed-cost brick-and-mortarless enterprise in sort of the same way that they are," said Atlanta-based FisherBroyles' managing partner, James Fisher.
Amazon has billed the initiative as a way to ease the trademark registration process for sellers on its platform. By selecting one of the 11 partner firms, these sellers gain access to fixed-fee IP services, and they are also promised accelerated access to brand protection on the site, even before a trademark is officially issued, which can take a year and a half or even longer.
When it came to identifying potential law firms for the initiative, Amazon prioritized the capability to use fixed fees.
"The fee structure that they were suggesting fit right in," said FisherBroyles partner Scott Harders, who spearheaded the firm's participation in the program through a relationship with a professional contact who recently entered Amazon's law department.
"We didn't have to slash our rates," he added. "We eliminate such overhead that the partners can share more reasonable, more boutique-type rates."
In line with any other service or good sold on Amazon, the IP accelerator allows for easy feedback. Two users have already reviewed the firm's services, with one noting that the rates set by Amazon were above market price. Both reviewers raved about FisherBroyles' services, but the one noting the rates pointed to Amazon's failure to promptly offer access to its brand registry for the 4-star rating.
Several hundred businesses have made inquiries in the first three weeks, according to the firm.
"We're really drinking out of a fire hose right now," Harders said. And FisherBroyles expects longer-term work to emerge from its participation.
"To the extent those businesses grow, we anticipate they will have additional legal needs that we will be able to fill for them," Fisher said.
Legal technology expert Robert Ambrogi speculated in his initial coverage of Amazon's move that this was just the first step for the company with regard to legal services, as it might also seek to use its platform to connect businesses to lawyers in other areas.
Both Fisher and Harders said they've yet to have this discussion with Amazon.
"To the extent there is an evolution, we'll at least be in the conversation," Harders added.
Read More
Amazon, Williams-Sonoma Face Off Over Trademark Cases in SF Court
FisherBroyles: Partners Earn Twice as Much as They Did at BigLaw
Can 'Virtual' Law Firms Help Close the Partner Gender Gap?
In Virtual Merger, FisherBroyles Adds More Work-From-Home IP Lawyers
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