Define requirements before substantive work begins
Divergent is the patent practice of AddyHart LLC. We coordinate with European legal, procurement, legal-operations, and information-security teams to identify the requirements applicable to a proposed U.S. patent engagement.
The diligence discussion covers the assignment, information involved, approved professionals, supported workflows, and requirements that need to be documented in the engagement or outside-counsel guidelines.
Enterprise onboarding
- Conflicts review, matter opening, and written engagement scope
- Responsible attorney, backup support, operational contacts, and escalation
- Vendor registration, tax documentation, and insurance documentation
- Accepted matters, transition responsibilities, and deadline allocation
Legal operations and billing
Agree on staffing and billing roles, matter codes, budgets, forecasts, accruals, invoice narratives, task coding, approval thresholds, and portfolio-reporting formats. E-billing and other system requirements are reviewed against the systems supported for the proposed engagement.
Information security and cross-border data handling
Our diligence process can address authentication and access controls, transmission and storage, device and remote-access protections, retention and disposal, backup and continuity, incident escalation, technology providers, and secure file exchange.
European privacy and data-processing requirements, cross-border handling, and any client-specific restrictions should be raised during diligence. Detailed control information is exchanged through an appropriate review process and subject to confidentiality protections.
AI tools and third-party providers
Client restrictions or approval requirements for generative AI and other automated tools are incorporated into the agreed workflow. Permitted technology use remains subject to professional obligations, attorney supervision, confidentiality, and independent review.
For foreign associates, translators, search providers, and other vendors, we agree on selection, authority, information sharing, confidentiality, expense approval, and deadline responsibility.
Materials to discuss during diligence
Depending on relevance, availability, and confidentiality requirements, the review may include:
- Vendor and security questionnaires
- Tax, vendor-registration, and insurance documentation
- Information-security control summaries and data-handling information
- Retention, business-continuity, and incident-response summaries
- Responsible-technology and AI-use information
- E-billing, invoice formats, and vendor-management information
Start a procurement or security review
Share the proposed engagement, RFP timetable, and the teams involved using nonconfidential information. We can then arrange the appropriate process for detailed questionnaires and diligence materials.