Booth Albanesi Schroeder purchases CPA Global’s First To File Patents and Workflow modules

USA/Canada News

24
Sep
2013

Editor

CPA Global’s First To File® (FTF), a leading provider of hosted intellectual property (IP) document management technology, announced today that Booth Albanesi Schroeder LLC, a boutique IP law firm based in Dallas, Texas, has purchased its Electronic File Room™ for Patents (EFR-Patents) electronic IP information management system, as well as its Workflow Management module.

These web-based services will help the firm increase operating efficiencies and enhance client service. 

First To File’s technology allows IP law firms and corporate legal departments to organize IP documents and correspondence electronically.

Cheryl Roberts, Office Manager at Booth Albanesi Schroeder, remarked: “We are looking forward to implementing First To File’s patents and workflow systems.  Our previous IP management approach of maintaining checklists on the server and emailing documents had become problematic and confusing.  First To File will bring orderly efficiency to our document management and correspondence, which will allow us to serve our clients even more effectively than before.”

According to Peter V. Schroeder, Partner at Booth Albanesi Schroeder: “Patent prosecution practice has unique issues – specialized workflow, governmental forms and fees, standard filing requirements, and follow-on formal paperwork and filing. While the industry has long had IP-specific docketing systems, it has lacked an effective IP document management system. After reviewing the available options, we decided only First To File provides a system specialized enough to deliver real benefits, and without creating headaches in integrating with our other systems.

“Reduction of staff time spent on mundane and repetitive tasks – downloading USPTO e-Office Actions, running OCR [Optical Character Recognition] software, filing, preparing IDS [Information Disclosure Statement] forms, pulling prior art references, etc. – was the primary budget driver for us. For our attorneys, First To File’s Tri-Fold® view provides comfort and familiarity because it simulates the format of US patent case file folders, and the simultaneous workflow display saves time in communicating file status, greatly reduces internal email, and provides an additional quality control for each application. The ability to create customized workflows – per client, patent-family, managing attorney, or technological field – will automatically prompt us to meet ‘special’ requirements for a file and keep individual task docketing to a minimum.”

Kurt Wedel, Vice President, Operations at CPA Global’s First To File, commented: “Booth Albanesi Schroeder is a great example of a boutique law firm that recognizes the value of an IP-specific document management system like First To File.  The EFR-Patents and Workflow Management modules will have a positive impact on the firm’s operations, both internally and externally.  We look forward to completing their installation rapidly so they can focus on serving their clients, as opposed to managing IT systems.”