Why Big Law Trademark Bills Are So High (and How We Save Clients Money)

Too many companies are overspending on trademark matters, and most don’t even realize it.

According to the Thomson Reuters Institute 2025 Report on the State of the US Legal Market, the average agreed billing rate for law firms grew by 6.5% last year, the third consecutive year of significant increases.

With roughly 77% of legal matters still billed hourly, those rising rates represent a major hit to corporate legal budgets.

After years of working with big law firms, I saw firsthand how much inefficiency and overhead get passed on to clients. That’s why I built a firm that focuses only on trademarks, so we could deliver elite-quality legal work without the inflated price tag.

Here’s how we do it:

1. Lower Overhead = Lower Rates

When you hire a large firm, here’s what you’re actually paying for:

• Class-A office space in major cities.
• Layers of administrative staff and paralegals.
• Exorbitant salaries driven by a culture of high billable hour requirements.

We cut all of that out.

• No offices. We’re fully remote.
• No unnecessary layers. Clients pay for expertise, not infrastructure.
• No bloated salaries or large billable hour requirements. Our attorneys earn great livings while maintaining a good quality of life.

The result? Our rates are often less than half what a traditional large firm charges.

2. Smarter Trademark Clearance Searches

At big firms, trademark clearance searches often look like this:

• Searches are outsourced to vendors.
• The vendor typically charges $1,200–$1,600 per search, and the attorney then bills time to review it.

Total cost: $2,500–$3,000 for one opinion on one name.

At our firm:

• We use advanced software tools to screen for obvious conflicts in minutes.
• We run the same comprehensive searches in-house for about $800, including the attorney review time.

That’s a two-thirds cost reduction for the same quality analysis.

3. Filing Efficiently (and Strategically)

Big firms love to over-file trademark applications. For example, they will:

• File applications in 10–12 classes when only 2 are really needed.
• Draft applications in a way that guarantees an Office Action will be issued, and a significant amount of (billable) time will be needed to amend and clean up the application later in the process.

That means thousands in extra government fees and more attorney time later.

Our firm takes a more pragmatic approach. We always:

• Counsel clients to file applications only in the classes they need.
• Draft clean, precise applications to avoid unnecessary USPTO Office Actions.

With 1,000+ applications filed each year, we have a pulse on USPTO examination trends and know how to get an application right the first time.

4. Streamlined Portfolio Management

Trademark monitoring and enforcement shouldn’t break your budget.

At big firms:

• Monitoring is often billed hourly at premium rates.
• Enforcement tends to start with aggressive demand letters that escalate costs.

At our firm:

• We utilize advanced algorithms and software tools to efficiently monitor trademark databases and the marketplace, ensuring minimal attorney-review time.
• We lead with kindness, reaching out politely to attempt to resolve problems before threatening action. Most conflicts resolve faster (and less expensively) when you start with a collaborative tone.

Of course, when stronger action is needed, we take it. But we don’t believe in burning money or bridges unnecessarily.

5. Litigation Without the Bloat

While litigation is always our last resort in a trademark dispute, when it’s necessary, we don’t believe in inflating billing hours or building oversized teams.

At big firms:

• Trademark disputes often come with teams of 5-6 attorneys billing simultaneously.
• “Progress” typically means endless amounts of discovery and unnecessary motions.

At our firm:

• Small teams, sharp focus. Only the attorneys you actually need.
• Targeted discovery. We don’t file motions for the sake of it.

When we take on trademark litigation, we aim to litigate at about one-fifth the cost of a large firm. The goal is to win, not to make it impossible to afford the case.

6. Being Pragmatic

Our goal is to be a steward of our clients’ brands and their budgets.

We pride ourselves on giving pragmatic advice that aligns with business goals, not legal theater.

• No crazy hourly rates to cover our firm’s overhead.
• Common sense use of time and technology to get the work done.
• Leading with kindness to resolve disputes.

The Bottom Line

We built our firm to deliver the same caliber of legal expertise as a major law firm, but at a fraction of the cost.

It’s not magic. It’s just smart structure, modern tools, and common sense.

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Josh Gerben, Esq.

Josh Gerben, Esq. is a nationally recognized trademark attorney and the founder of Gerben IP. Since launching the firm in 2008, he has overseen the registration of over 10,000 trademarks and handled over 1,500 trademark disputes. Josh's practice focuses on building and defending global trademark portfolios for clients. These clients include entrepreneurs, private equity-backed businesses, athletes, celebrities, and public companies. Frequently quoted by major media outlets like CNBC, CNN, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal, Josh is widely regarded as a leading authority in trademark law.