Press

Legal Advantage Signs 1,000th Client

Sunday, May 15, 2009

First quarter of 2009 sees 14th consecutive quarter with over 20% growth for innovative intellectual property, litigation and legal support services firm

Bethesda, – Legal Advantage LLC announced today the signing of their 1,000th client. This astounding number represents a 100% growth over the firm’s client base in 2007 and the fourth consecutive year in a row in which the firm inked triple digit increases.

Directly attributable to the company’s commitment to add client value, respond to client needs and innovate at a relentless pace, Legal Advantage is poised to continue its impressive streak with the launch of new products and services in 2009.

A proven leader in the intellectual property patent prior art search, patent illustration and drawings, trial graphics and document review services, Legal Advantage has been providing critical support solutions to law firms, companies and inventors since 2003.

Industry leading turn around service, intensive training for their new hires and a dedicated staff has been responsible for fueling their success. Two years ago Legal Advantage launched prior art search services and document review services, these services were exceptionally well received offerings. The firm has now been working on new products and services ideally suited to intellectual property prosecutors and litigators manage their clients and cases.

With just over 1,000 clients on board, 2009 is sure to only raise the bar even higher for Legal Advantage. “We thank our clients for the trust they have placed in us . Today we service over 50 of the AmLaw 200 firms and 20 of the Fortune 500 companies. This growth is just an indicator of things to come,” Legal Advantage’s CEO Mirza Baig stated.

“With the knowledge and technology we have in place, our possibilities are immeasurable.” The staff is busily preparing for the summer and the new endeavors it will bring.

Legal Advantage receives ISO 27001 Certification

Monday, May 4, 2009

Bethesda, MD - Legal Advantage, a premier provider of legal support and intellectual property services, is proud to announce that it is now ISO 27001 certified.

ISO is the world's largest developer and creator of standards that detail universal requirements for products, processes, services, systems, and materials. ISO 27001 is the latest international standard developed exclusively for Information Security Management Systems (ISMS), requiring companies to employ a methodical approach to managing sensitive information and ensuring data security.

According to a report issued by ACNielsen, there are less than 6,000 companies world-wide certified for ISO 27001. Legal Advantage is one of the select number of firms in this space to bag the critical, leading-edge international standards certification by passing all three stages in the certification process.

ISO 27001 comprises 10 exhaustive control categories including: information security policy, security organization, personnel security, access controls, physical security, asset classification controls, continuity planning, system deployment, communication management, and compliance.

Legal Advantage has been relentlessly working to accomplish the ISO 27001 for over 22 months now, and in this quest has established a team of core employees to ensure the pinnacles of information security are developed and maintained to better manage the certification.

Legal Advantage was evaluated for the efficacy in execution of information security procedures and policies to guard customers’ and organization’s confidential information and intellectual property. Periodic internal audits and surveillance audits by ISO will ensure that the efficiency is continuous within the organization.

This accreditation is a giant stride for Legal Advantage toward achieving operational excellence and maximizing customer trust and confidence in the Company's IT infrastructure and security capabilities. The ISO 27001 certification will arm Legal Advantage with enhanced might in global markets where ISO standards guarantee uniformity across national and regional boundaries.

“This is a momentous milestone for Legal Advantage, and we hope our clients see this as a further testament to our industry-leading corporate governance guidelines and security protocols,” said Mirza Baig, CEO of Legal Advantage.

“We are committed to the ISO 27001 ethos and working standard, and the robust policies and execution procedures which support this are vital to our operating culture,” Baig added.

“We are thrilled to have achieved excellence in the global information security management standard,” commented Samba Rao, Vice President of Operations, Legal Advantage.

“This is a fitting reward for our ongoing efforts to follow international best practices in line with superior industry standards, particularly the ones concerning the security of client information, which is paramount to us,” Rao continued.

Legal Advantage to Attend the 24th Annual Intellectual Property Law Conference

Friday, March 27, 2009

Bethesda, MD- Legal Advantage, LLC, a premier provider of intellectual property and legal support services announced today that it will be attending the upcoming 24th Annual Intellectual Property Law Conference scheduled to be held from April 1 to 4, at the Crystal Gateway Marriott, Arlington, Virginia.

It is a comprehensive three-day program featuring well-known speakers from across the IP law spectrum. Special sessions on Corporate Counsel Issues, Ethics Issues, and Alternative Dispute Resolution Practices will also be presented.

Speaking on the firm's presence in this event, Ashar Akhtar, Managing Attorney of Legal Advantage said, “IP law has seen and weathered some critical developments this past year, and its practitioners today face more issues than they ever did before, this puts their knowledge and skills to test.”

“This conference will help find solutions to recent issues in the realm as it's a confluence of the foremost IP law authorities. Additionally, the program gives us a chance to brainstorm and interact with our panelists, while also helping us stay current in our industry,” Akhtar added.

The event is co-sponsored by the ABA Section of Science & Technology Law and the ABA Section of Dispute Resolution.

For more information on the conference, please visit:

http://www.abanet.org/intelprop/spring2009/

Legal Advantage offers Mortgage Modification and Credit-Related Document Processing Services

Thursday, February 5, 2009

Bethesda, MD – Legal Advantage, LLC, a premier provider of litigation support services, announced today the offering of mortgage modification and credit-related document processing services. Mortgage and credit-related filings have reached epidemic proportions and Legal Advantage is working with clients to analyze and evaluate documents associated with mortgage and loan restrictions, as well as lender/borrower litigation, in order to assist outside counsel to provide the most comprehensive solutions for these issues.

Legal Advantage has a highly skilled team with experience that gives them a thorough understanding of a broad range of disputes, including contract law, bankruptcy and other related areas. In the foreclosure arena, Legal Advantage can assist clients in three separate processes: 1) foreclosure avoidance – by helping to restructure loan terms; 2) during foreclosure – by processing relevant foreclosure-related documents; and 3) post-foreclosure – by working with creditors on developing and implement loan restrictions. In terms of the Mortgage Modification Service, Legal Advantage’s team of legal associates and analysts takes care of the document collection and client interview processes for modification requests. Additionally, the team prepares the drafting of initial correspondence and financial statements before transmittal to client firms. The result is an accurate prepared package of documents that allows client law firms to begin negotiations with lenders immediately.

Legal Advantage has worked with numerous law firms to help restructure loans and analyze risks. “We began offering this service several months ago in response to requests for assistance from some of our clients. The collaborations have been extremely successful in providing high quality services, and allowing our clients to significantly scale their operations to meet increased demand. With the credit crisis in its current state, we see a significant demand for this service.” said Ashar Akhtar, Associate General Counsel of Legal Advantage, LLC.

“Given the current real estate situation, coupled with the general economic downturn, a matching up of offshore services with mortgage assistance was only a matter of time,” stated Akbar Sharfi, President of Legal Advantage. “Whether our clients represent debtors or are creditors, our selection of services save time and money for everyone involved. Everyone agrees that foreclosure is an absolute last and costly resort, and our foreclosure avoidance services aim to prevent this option. We are pleased to be able to play a part in assisting hard-working Americans retain their homes in the face of these crises However, in cases where foreclosure is absolutely unavoidable, our team works to make the process as painless and quick as possible for everyone involved.”

Legal Advantage Sponsors Temple University Law School’s 2009 Symposium on Intellectual Property

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Bethesda, MD - Legal Advantage announced today that it will be sponsoring the upcoming Temple Journal of Science, Technology & Environmental (TJSTEL) 2009 Symposium on Intellectual Property. This year’s TJSTEL Symposium is focused on Intellectual Property – Innovating Locally, Protecting Globally. This is the first year that Temple University is holding a symposium focused on enforcement and prosecution of intellectual property globally.

Previous symposia have included: Shaping the Future of Medical Malpractice: Legal and Ethical Considerations (held Friday, Feb. 22, 2008); Business Sustainability: Planning for a Responsible Future (held Friday, Feb. 9, 2007); and The Evolution of the Open Source Model: To Life-Saving Drugs and Beyond (held Friday, Feb. 10, 2006).

Confirmed Panel Speakers:

The Honorable Kent A. Jordan
United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit

Chen Wang, Esq.
Corporate Counsel & IP Leader
E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company

David L. Marcus, Esq.
Chief Patent Counsel
Comcast Cable Communications

Michael F. Snyder, Esq.
Shareholder
Volpe & Koenig, P.C.

Frank Peterreins, Esq.
Managing Principal - Munich, Germany
Fish & Richardson, P.C.

Timothy Devlin, Esq.
Principal
Fish & Richardson, P.C.

Jeffrey Rosedale, Esq.
Associate
Woodcock Washburn, LLP

Joseph P. Gushue, Esq.
Associate
Volpe & Koenig, P.C.

Aneesh Mehta, Esq.
Associate
Volpe & Koenig, P.C.

Matthew H. Adler, Esq.
Partner
Pepper Hamilton, LLP

Ashar Akhtar, Esq.
Managing Attorney
Legal Advantage, LLC

“We are excited to support TJSTEL. They have been a catalyst for Philadelphia and the broader community in providing a forum to discuss critical issues that are impacting the IP industry. We are proud to partner with the Journal in arranging this event with its distinguished panel of speakers,” said Mirza Baig, CEO of Legal Advantage, LLC.

For more information on the symposium please visit http://www.temple.edu/law/tjstel/symposia.html.

2008 - The Year In Review

Wednesday, Decmeber 31, 2008

Bethesda, MD - Legal Advantage, LLC, a premier provider of legal support services, is proud to recap some of the highlights achieved during 2008:

Fastest Turnaround Time: The year started with Legal Advantage announcing the launch of the “72-Hour Turnaround Guarantee,” a ground-breaking promise exclusively designed for overworked and stressed intellectual property attorneys. This Guarantee promised a standard project turnaround from Legal Advantage to its clients within 72 hours of receiving the full details of an illustration job during any business day. First rolled out in the Midwest, this program is now being expanded to the rest of the country.
Customer Bill of Rights: In February 2008, Legal Advantage became the first company in the patent illustration, prior art search, document review, and legal research industry to memorialize a ground- breaking Customer Bill of Rights. This e bBill of Rights guarantees gives the clients complete leverage in that they can be rest assured of total satisfaction in terms of delivery and quality of service offered to clients. Furthermore, And this is not all, Legal Advantage guaranteesensures its clients the highest level of personal accountability, professional commitment, and employee empowerment at all levels. as well as TThe company also makes sure bill itswhile creating for its clients have a dedicated line of communication and prompt attention, when it comes to theirfor each individual projects.
15,000 and Counting: Legal Advantage successfully completed 15,000 Patent Illustration and Prior Art projects in August, 2008. Speaking on this feat, Harold Pieroway, Senior Director of Account Services, said “It took us seven years to reach the magic figure of 15,000, but at our current rate, we should be able to 30,000 in less than two years now.”
Security First: Maintaining the highest possible security apparatus has always been Legal Advantage’s fortitude, and this was reaffirmed in September 2008 when the company announced its compliance with ISO 27001. This security protocol is generally regarded as one of the highest and strictest security compliance programs. “This compliance is another example of how Legal Advantage goes to great lengths to make sure that we are committed to providing the highest level of service. We do this while simultaneously increasing quality and turnaround times for our clients. Our goal is to provide access to our services through any medium with the highest security levels in place.” Stated Aqil Chishty, Senior Director of IT.
Going Green: Legal Advantage announced its compliance with the international standard for environmental management, ISO 14001, inon October 29, 2008. Commenting on this accomplishment, Samba Rao, Vice President of Operations, stated: "Our commitment to environmental management is absolute -- we even have an exclusively dedicated 'Green team.’ This Team takes care of all things eco-friendly, with special emphasis on the use of non-renewable resources, waste avoidance, effective waste disposal, and life-cycle planning. Legal Advantage will continue to evolve in its environmental management systems, and our ISO 14001 compliance is a testament to our efforts."

Speaking at the company’s Annual Review, Mirza Baig, CEO of Legal Advantage, commented: “I am delighted with the progress Legal Advantage has made. This year saw many landmark achievements which we are certain will form the groundwork for the company’s future success. Our outlook for 2009 is positive and we are excited about building on the platform we have created.”

Legal Advantage LLC goes Green

Tuesday, October 29, 2008

Bethesda, MD - Legal Advantage, a pioneer in the legal services industry, is proud to announce its compliance with the international standard for environmental management, the ISO 14001.

ISO 14001 approach requires organizations to evaluate all areas of activities where there is an environmental impact. Compliance with ISO 14001 can benefit firms by reducing costs of waste management, savings on consumption of energy and other resources, reduction in distribution costs, an improved corporate image as well as a framework for continual improvement.

Commenting on this accomplishment, Mirza Baig, CEO of Legal Advantage said "Environmental stewardship is a Legal Advantage core value and achieving the ISO 14001 compliance exemplifies our commitment to conduct business with state of the art environmental practices. The ISO 14001 framework will help protect and enhance the environment and our business. We are proud to have reached this milestone where we have minimized our impact on the environment."

"We proudly understand our environmental responsibilities and are continuously implementing strategies to help minimize our impact on the environment while continuing to improve the service to our customers,"said Harold Pieroway, Director of Operations.

Samba Rao, Vice President, Operations, added "Our commitment to environmental management is absolute as we have an exclusive 'Green' team. This team takes care of all things eco-friendly, with special emphasis on the use of non-renewable resources, waste avoidance, effective waste disposal and life cycle planning. Legal Advantage will continue to evolve in its environmental management systems, and our ISO 14001 compliance is a testimony to our efforts."

Legal Advantage to Sponsor and Speak at Florida LPO CLE Seminar

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Bethesda, MD - Legal Advantage, LLC, a leading legal support services provider, announced today that it is sponsoring a seminar titled “LEGAL PROCESS OUTSOURCING (LPO) IN INDIA - WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT WHO, HOW, WHY, AND WHY NOT?”

The half-day seminar will be held on November 14, 2008, at the Hyatt Regency Orlando International Airport, Orlanado, FL.

This seminar will be of benefit to both legal professionals and business executives who are not familiar with the LPO reality, but also to private attorneys, corporate counsels, ethicists, and corporate executives who already avail LPO services from India.

Ashar Akhtar, Managing Attorney of Legal Advantage said, "Hopefully this program will put to rest many of the biased notions surrounding the phenomenon of legal support service offshoring. Naturally, there are going to be some ethical and business question marks, but that's exactly what we are here for -- to provide answers to those concerns, to gain more information from our panelists, and to educate the participants on the benefits and best practices when considering offshoring."

The LPO industry has skyrocketed in recent years, with revenues for offshored legal work forecasted to grow exponentially. Process-driven services involving routine judgment, such as document review, are the most common forms litigation support work currently being offshored to India. The seminar will address best practices in offshoring from both an outsourcing attorney’s and service provider’s point of view.

The Conference has gained approval for International Law Certification Credit, General Continuing Legal Education (CLE) Credit, Intellectual Certification Credit, Business Litigation Certification Credit, and Ethics Credit. For more information on this and to register online, please visit:

www.floridabar.org/CLE

Legal Advantage LLC Exhibiting at American Intellectual Property Lawyers Association Annual Meeting in Washington, DC.

Monday, October 20, 2008

Bethesda, MD- Legal Advantage, LLC, a leading provider of intellectual property and litigation support services, today announced that it will be exhibiting at the American Intellectual Property Lawyers Association (AIPLA) Annual Meeting in Washington, DC on October 23rd-25th 2008. The AIPLA’s annual meeting attracts over 1000 in-house counsel, intellectual property attorneys, and patent agents.

“Increasingly we are finding ourselves engaged in discussions with in-house counsel and law firm administrators who are looking for a solutions provider with a workflow delivery platform. We can easily integrate with their in-house docketing systems and deliver the dashboard that they need to manage their patent illustrations and prior art projects,” said Rick Carter, Vice President of Legal Advantage, LLC.

Legal Advantage also announced that it will be sponsoring and attending the Network of Trial Law Firms’ Litigation Management Supercourse – Rock Solid Litigation Management on October 30-November 2, 2008.

Legal Advantage LLC Exhibiting at Intellectual Property Owners Association Annual Meeting in San Diego, CA

Monday, September 22, 2008

Bethesda, MD- Legal Advantage, LLC, a leading provider of intellectual property and litigation support services, today announced that it will be exhibiting at the Intellectual Property Owners Association (IPO) Annual Meeting in San Diego, California on September 22 and 23. The IPO’s annual meeting attracts over 500 in-house counsel, intellectual property attorneys, and patent agents.

“Increasingly we are talking to and selling directly to in-house counsel and law firm administrators who are looking for a solutions provider with a workflow delivery platform. We can easily integrate with their in-house docketing systems and deliver the dashboard that they need to manage their patent illustrations and prior art projects,” said Rick Carter, Vice President of Legal Advantage, LLC.

Legal Advantage also announced that it will be exhibiting at the American Intellectual Property Law Association’s annual conference in Washington, DC in October.

Legal Advantage Sponsors American Corporate Counsel’s Value Challenge Presentation at the Legal Marketing Association in Washington DC

Thursday, September 11, 2008

Bethesda, MD- Legal Advantage, LLC, a leading provider of intellectual property and litigation support services, today announced that it is sponsoring the American Corporate Counsel’s (ACC) Value Challenge presentation today at the Legal Marketing Association’s (LMA) month breakfast meeting at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Washington DC. Susan Hackett, ACC’s General Counsel and Senior Vice President will lead and moderate this exclusive preview.

The ACC Value challenge is an initiative by the leadership of ACC and AmLaw 250 firms to focus on providing more value and satisfaction while minimizing time spent on RFPs, managing the bill for hours already incurred that no one’s happy about. Hackett will announce the key finding from her four recently held regional Value Challenge sessions with top corporate and law firm leaders.
During the session, Hackett will lead a dialog between law firm market and Managing Partners to discuss how they would design a client entity that works better to move forward toward “value-driven” services, and then how to fulfill that prophesy by establishing practices that clients will flock to.

“We welcome this discussion as this is a test that many of our corporate and law firms clients face today” said Naseer Hashim, Esq. and Founder of Legal Advantage. “As a general counsel at various entities and also as an associate at Skadden, I completely appreciate the issues that are faced by both sides.”

“Our services today are designed and delivered with value in mind. I think this discussion will encourage interactive dialogue between inventors, intellectual property attorneys and which we believe is the key to delivering value,” said Mirza Baig, CEO of Legal Advantage. “We are firm believers and implementers of six sigma methodologies in our own process.”

“We are also active in harnessing our own internal knowledge through processes and knowledge management. This combined with our focused approach on outcomes allows us to deliver the value that litigators and IP attorneys are seeking.” Baig continued.

“We look forward to participating in this discussion and we are planning on sharing our processes and methodologies with rest of the legal community in the coming weeks,” said Ashar Akhtar, Managing Attorney of Legal Advantage.

ABA Ethics Committee Opinion on Outsourcing: A Step Forward

Monday, September 08, 2008

Bethesda, MD – Legal Advantage LLC lauds the ABA Ethics Committee opinion for its recent ruling on outsourcing. American Bar Association Formal Opinion 08-451 addresses the growing outsourcing and offshoring phenomena within the legal community by providing guidelines for professional obligations.

“I am glad to see the ABA proactively address this issue. There have previously been some sporadic state and local bar opinions, but 08-451 comprehensively addresses the issues an outsourcing attorney who is considering using an offshore provider needs to contemplate. The ethical guidelines laid out by the ABA provide an excellent framework that will give comfort to both attorneys and service providers. As litigation support services provider, we have always looked to the Model Rules for guidance, and were thus already in compliance with the ethics and management rules as laid out by the ABA,” said Ashar Akhtar, Assistant General Counsel and Managing Attorney for Legal Advantage, LLC.

“As we all know, litigation costs have increased exponentially in the past few years. Cost containment through a combination of in-house, outsourced and/or offshore solutions makes sense as both corporations and law firms look to manage costs without sacrificing quality.” Ashar continued.

Legal Advantage, LLC Announces ISO 27001 Compliance

Tuesday, September 03, 2008

Bethesda, MD - Legal Advantage a leader in the legal support services industry is proud to announce that it is ISO 27001 compliant. ISO 27001 generally is regarded as one of the highest and strictest security compliance programs.

ISO 27001 is a management system that identifies, manages and minimizes a range of threats to business information. Compliance with this standard highlights an organization’s efforts to protect clients’ information and data. This compliance is intended to make information and information systems more dependent, to maintain confidentiality and integrity. This certification also ensures compliance with legal, statutory, regulatory and contractual requirements. In addition, ISO 27001 compliance improves corporate governance and assurances to stakeholders such as clients, investors, consumers and suppliers.

“Although our information technology (IT) procedures were always robust and conformed to the highest standards, this compliance will instill even greater confidence in our clients. They trust us with their confidential data and we take that trust very seriously” said Farrukh Baig, VP of IT. “Currently we are in compliance with almost all federal and state regulatory requirements. This was a step up to ensure additional comfort.”

Aqil Chishty, Senior Director of IT, said, “This compliance is another example of how Legal Advantage goes to great lengths to make sure that we are committed to providing the highest level of service to our clients. We do this while increasing quality and turn around times for our clients. Our goal is to provide access to our services through any medium with the highest security levels in place.”

Legal Advantage completes 15,000th Patent Illustration and Prior Art project

Friday, August 22, 2008

Bethesda, MD-Legal Advantage, a leader in the Legal Services Industry, is proud to announce the successful completion of its 15,000th Patent Illustration and Prior Art project earlier this year.

In announcing this historic milestone, Mirza Baig, CEO of Legal Advantage, said, " This is a result of our 110% commitment to being the best IP and litigation support firm out there. We continue to come up with several firsts in the industries including highly regimented and acclaimed training programs for new hires, six sigma process implementation, 24x7 operations, the best rated user friendly web portal and the utmost commitment to quality through our proprietary 72 point QC list for prior art and patent illustrations.

“Legal Advantage’s teams today in Bethesda, Washington DC, Chicago, New York, San Fransisco, Los Angeles, Ottowa and Hyderbad, India ought to be very proud of what they have accomplished” said Samba Rao, Vice President of Operations. He continued “Our goal is to build on this and continue to be an embodiment of quality and service in the legal services realm"

For patent prosecution, Legal Advantage provides patent design, patent illustration, prior art search and patent proofreading services. “Legal Advantage’s mission is to be the marquee Legal Support Services firm in the world” Mirza Baig added.

“It took us seven years to get to achieve the 15,000 project level but at our current rate, we should be able to accomplish the same in less than two years now,” said Harold Pieroway, Senior Director of Account Services.

This continuous quest for perfection has made Legal Advantage the partner of choice for at least 50 of the AMLAW 200 law firms and many Fortune 100 corporations.

The Intellectual Property division of the firm operates 24x7, with more than one hundred people on staff to handle areas such as DNA and Chemical Sequencing searches, mechanical illustrations, judicial tracking, and e-filing, as well as an array of designs and utilities, ensure flawless workflow.

With a standard turnaround time of less than 72 hours, Legal Advantage is known for its quickly executed, yet accurate and impressive Intellectual Property searches and drawings that require minimal revision. This ensures swift deliverability, enabling clients to remain a step ahead of their competitors.

Legal Advantage Expands its Prior Art Search Offerings

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Bethesda, MD - Legal Advantage, a leading provider of patent and prior art search services, has expanded its search offerings to include Landscape Analysis, Patent Proofreading, Chemical Search, Patent Mapping, DNA and Chemical Sequencing Listing services.

Legal Advantage currently offers Novelty, Patentability, Pre-examination Search, State-of-the-Art, Collection Search, Freedom to Operate, Right to Use Search, Validity, Invalidity Search, Clearance Search, Infringement Search, Accelerated Examination Search, Opposition Search, and Patent Watch to over 250 of its law firm clients.

"While there is a tremendous and growing need among intellectual property and business professionals to access patent information, there have been limited ways for them to digest this information. Our patent landscape analysis services allow these patent prosecutors or business professionals to examine their portfolio and understand the opportunities that are out there," said Mirza Baig, CEO of Legal Advantage.

"We bring the same level of discipline to prior art as we do to other services. Legal Advantage fills the vacuum of scaled and quality service that has been lacking for these studies. Our intellectual property clients can now focus on innovating and protecting their intellectual property with a partner who understands their needs," Baig added.

DNA and chemical sequencing listing services were started after working with clients in New York and New Jersey. “We constantly work with bio-technology and pharmaceutical firms in assisting with their other search and illustration needs. This expansion in sequencing and listing services is a result of working with these companies over the course of five years,” said Samba Rao, Vice President of Operations.

"As always, we are expanding in every form, and diversification of our Prior Art offerings is vital to our growing process," continued Rao. "This will position us to optimally serve our clients with much more flexibility while improving our patent and prior art deliverables."

Legal Advantage, LLC Establishes “Customer Bill of Rights”

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

BETHESDA, MD- Legal Advantage is pleased to announce it has formalized a “Customer Bill of Rights” designed to solidify Legal Advantage’s continued commitment to its clients and ensure an enhanced customer experience in all aspects of its business and services. Legal Advantage is the first company in the patent illustration, prior art search, document review, and legal research to memorialize a Customer Bill of Rights.

First of its Kind 48-Hour Guarantee for Patent Illustration Projects

Monday, January 28, 2008

BETHESDA, MD – Legal Advantage, LLC announced today the launch of the “48-Hour Guarantee,” a revolutionary assurance specifically engineered for the overworked and highly stressed intellectual property attorney. Designed for attorneys that constantly battle competition and deadlines, imposed by both clients and the US Patent Office, the 48-Hour Guarantee harnesses the power of Legal Advantage’s proprietary workflow tools and patent illustration design team to help inventors and their attorneys file faster and with greater accuracy. This 48-Hour Guarantee will initially be launched in Chicago, St. Louis, Minneapolis, and Milwaukee. After the initial rollout, it will be expanded every six weeks to include additional cities across the United States.

The 48-Hour Guarantee is a comprehensive assurance that Legal Advantage makes to its clients for the typical patent illustration project. Within 48 hours of receiving the full details of an illustration project during any business day, Legal Advantage will turnaround a complete project to its clients that has passed three quality control checks, or they receive the project for free.

“For more than five years, Legal Advantage has been committed to providing the highest quality illustration services within the least amount of time. The 48-Hour Guarantee is the latest extension of this commitment and we believe it has the potential to revolutionize how intellectual property attorneys prepare and file patent applications,” said Mirza Baig, Chief Executive Officer of Legal Advantage. “Two years ago we led the reduction in turnaround time for a typical patent illustration from three weeks to five business days. Today, we not only have the capability, but we also make the commitment to leapfrog that achievement with our 48-Hour Guarantee.”

“Our workforce now includes a significantly greater number of industrial designers, talented graphic artists, and engineers. This has allowed us to become subject matter experts on almost every type of patent drawing and illustration project,” said Hal Pieroway, Legal Advantage Director of Account Services.

Workflow Patterns and Technology Decrease Patent Application Filing Turnaround Times

The 48-Hour Guarantee is built on the success of Legal Advantage’s new Web portal, the most widely used patent illustration tool for managing projects and internal resources. The portal provides services to over 2,000 intellectual property attorneys and patent agents across the United States.

Features and Pricing of the 48-Hour Guarantee::
• No additional rush charges; standard industry practice is to charge additional fees for rush projects that typically involve a 48- or 72-hour turnaround time.
• Online access to unique and powerful search tools that instantly determine the status of a project by attorney, complexity, matter number, and/or keyword.
• The 48-Hour Guarantee applies to all standard utility projects expected to require seven individual illustrations or less; larger projects will still be delivered within the five-day standard turnaround time.

Legal Advantage, LLC appoints Ashar Akhtar Managing Attorney-Operations

Monday, December 10, 2007

New Managing Attorney Enhances Legal Advantage’s Role in Document Review Service Offerings

Bethesda, MD-Legal Advantage, LLC announces the promotion of Ashar Akhtar to Managing Attorney—Operations. In this expanded role, Mr. Akhtar will continue Legal Advantage’s mission of providing timely and affordable document review services to Law Firms and Corporations throughout the United States and abroad.

With over seven years of experience as an attorney in metropolitan Washington DC area, Mr. Akhtar understands the intricacies of large-scale document review and legal research.

He previously held a number of positions at both private law firms and large federal government contractors. Additionally, he has contracted at several Am Law 100 law firms as well as Fortune 500 corporations and has worked on large scale document reviews for a number of federal agencies and corporate clients representing varied industries, including, investment banking, public health, and financial regulation.

“During my time in private practice, as well as my time contracting with large law firms and corporations, I was fortunate to be able to work at organizations that genuinely cared about providing quality legal advice. These days, the emphasis seems to be so much more so on quantity, whether it is the number of large clients, or the amount of billing hours an attorney accumulates. This is especially true in the document review part of the e-Discovery process, where diligence and thoroughness is often compromised for speed. In this sense, making the step to Legal Advantage was perfect. I was able to find an organization whose corporate culture emphasized excellence in litigation support services. It sounds cliché, but it really is nice to find a company that promotes quality over quantity. The unique thing about Legal Advantage is that we have the facilities and manpower already in place to deliver large-scale document review, and that makes the ability to focus on superior service that much easier. With this promotion, I am very much looking forward to continuing with the professional and ethical value system in which I am comfortable.”

Mr. Akhtar graduated from the McIntire School of Commerce at the University of Virginia in 1997 with a B.S. in Commerce/Finance and then earned his J.D. from the College of William & Mary School of Law. He is currently enrolled in an M.A. program for Library & Information Science at the University of South Florida and is a member of the District of Columbia Bar Association.

Mirza Baig, CEO of Legal Advantage, LLC, stated “This well deserved promotion is a result of Ashar’s extreme dedication and success within our organization. He has been quickly recognized by his co-workers and our clients as an expert in managing large and complex document review projects.”

Legal Advantage, LLC Appoints Regional Sales Director – Los Angeles, CA

Sunday, November 11, 2007

Bethesda, MD, – Legal Advantage, LLC, a premier provider of legal support services to clients throughout the United States and abroad, announced today the appointment of Brian McLaughlin as Regional Sales Director for its Los Angeles office. With more than 8 years of experience in executive sales roles, Mr. McLaughlin is ideally suited to lead Legal Advantage’s efforts in the Los Angeles legal marketplace, as well as directly contribute to the company’s overall growth in the Southern California region.

“In our search for another member of our sales team, we were seeking a sales professional with a solid understanding of the legal marketplace who could accelerate the growth of our core patent illustration services and further expand our document review service offering. We are confident that Brian’s consistent track record of success in sales will help us to realize our aggressive expansion plans in Southern California. We are pleased to welcome Brian as the newest addition to our nationwide team of sales professionals” stated James Eglin, VP of Sales and Marketing in making this announcement.

Mr. McLaughlin has held senior sales positions at a number of legal and employer service companies, including Bowne & Co, IKON Inc, and ADP.

“Over the years, I have been fortunate to work with a number of industry leaders that are renowned for the quality of their service and their ability to save clients a considerable amount of money from their current legal spend. With increased pressure on organizations to reduce the costs pertaining to large and complex litigations, our legal support and document review service offerings will be very favorably received by the market. With our technology, experience, staff and optimized processes, we are uniquely positioned in our industry and I’m excited to be part of the team,” said Brian McLaughlin.