How to Prepare for a Free Consultation with a Trademark Attorney
I can’t provide legal advice on a free consultation call, so what exactly should you expect when you book this time with me, as a potential trademark attorney to hire?
Getting ready to talk to a trademark attorney can feel like you need to have everything figured out first. You don't.
In this episode, I walk through what a free trademark consultation with me actually looks like, what we can talk about, and (just as importantly) what isn't appropriate for a free call. I'll also share a few simple things you can have ready to share, so you can make the most of our 30 minutes together.
A consultation with a trademark lawyer isn't a legal analysis of your specific situation, and it isn't a high-pressure sales call. It's a chance to figure out whether trademark protection makes sense for your business, whether the timing is right, and whether we're a good fit to work together.
What I Can and Cannot Do During a Free Trademark Consultation
A free consultation is a chance for me to explain how trademark law works, what your options generally look like, and how the process works. The distinction is that I can’t take the law and apply it to your specific facts during the call—that becomes legal advice and requires an attorney-client relationship.
Here is some of what I can do:
Explain how trademark law works and what trademarks do and don’t protect.
Explain the different types of trademark searches and when they might be used.
Walk through the trademark application process, including current use versus intent to use.
Talk generally about timelines, costs, flat fees, and what working together looks like.
Explain how things could play out if a conflict shows up.
Here is some of what I cannot do:
Tell you whether your specific name will be approved.
Analyze whether a specific business creates a conflict with your brand.
Review a cease and desist letter or tell you how to respond to it.
Give you an opinion about whether you would infringe on someone else's rights.
Apply trademark law to your unique facts or give you a legal assessment during the free consultation.
Those kinds of questions require time to understand your facts, ask the right questions, and then apply the body of law to your particular situation. That's what happens once we're in an attorney-client relationship and you've engaged me for the appropriate legal service.
How to Prepare for a Trademark Consultation Call
You really don't need to prepare a lot. The most helpful thing you can do is come ready to tell me what's happening in your business, what you're thinking about protecting, and why you've decided to book the call now.
Here are the things that are helpful to have ready:
Your name, logo, or tagline—What are you thinking about protecting? Are you launching something new or rebranding?
What your business actually sells—Goods, services, or both. Explain it in plain words; you don't need to worry about legal terms or classes of goods and services.
Where you do business—Are you serving customers locally, in one state, online, or nationwide?
Whether you're already using the name—Or are you planning to launch soon?
Your business structure—Are you the only owner? A sole proprietor? An LLC? Are you calling on behalf of a nonprofit organization?
Your rough timeline—Are you launching soon, still working on your branding, or thinking about trademark protection a few months down the road?
Your goals—What are you hoping to accomplish by protecting your brand?
Why you're booking the call now—What happened, what did you hear or read, or what question came up that made you want to talk to a trademark attorney?
You don't need to have the answers to the trademark questions before we talk. In fact, part of the reason for the consultation is to help you understand where trademark protection fits into your business and what the right next step might be.
What We’re Trying to Accomplish on the Call
At the end of the 30 minutes, my goal is for you to understand whether trademark protection makes sense for your business right now, or whether it's something that makes more sense later. Also, let’s decide together whether I'm the right person to help.
We'll look at where your business is, what you're hoping to protect, and whether the timing, budget, and goals make sense. From there, we'll talk about where we go next: whether that means moving forward together, looking at a particular service, or simply putting a pin in it and reconnecting when the timing is right.
Topics covered in this podcast episode:
What a free trademark consultation is—and what it isn't
The difference between general information about trademark law and legal advice
What you can expect during a 30-minute consultation
What to have ready about your business, brand, and timeline
Why your goals and the reason you're booking now matter
When a free trademark consultation may not be the right fit
How to think about timing, budget, and next steps after the call
New Here?
I'm Chelsea Fournier—a U.S. trademark attorney for business owners and credentialed professionals who've built something worth protecting. I work with therapists, coaches, consultants, speakers, and other service providers and practitioners who are past the idea stage—established enough that a name, logo, or tagline has real weight behind it.
Trademark work is the whole of my practice, not a service tacked onto something else. Every engagement moves through the same five stages — consultation, search, filing, intent-to-use, and maintenance — and I meet clients wherever they're starting in that process.
→ If you're not sure trademark protection makes sense yet, or just want clarity on timing and cost, the Free Consultation is a no-pressure place to start.
→ If you need to know whether your name, logo, or tagline is actually available, the Trademark Strategy Session and Clearance Report + Call screen for conflicts before you invest any further.
→ If you're ready to protect what you've built, Filing Your Application and the intent-to-use filings that follow get your mark on record the right way.
→ If you already have a registration, Registration & Maintenance keeps it active and enforceable, so the protection holds up long after the paperwork's done.
Wherever you're starting, there's a path that fits. Explore my Services + Flat Fee Pricing Schedule for more details.
Find the Trademarks With Chelsea Podcast On Your Favorite Podcast Player
Related Episodes:
🎧 Q: Hire a Lawyer or a Filing Service to Trademark My Brand?
🎧 Q: How Do I Know if a Business Name is Taken Already?
🎧 Q: Trademark Clearance Search or Knockout Search—Which Do I Need?
Connect With Chelsea
The unedited podcast transcript for this episode of the Trademarks with Chelsea Podcast follows:
This podcast is for educational purposes only and isn't legal advice.
