This course is intended to give general attorneys familiarity with issues that arise during patent prosecution, so that the general attorney can more effectively use a patent attorney. Topics include relevant laws, a practical explanation of what occurs during the phases of patent application preparation, including timeframes and costs, basic issues that need to be addressed during patent prosecution, what the patentee can do with a patent, enforcement options, best practices for companies to protect their intellectual property and special ethical issues for patent attorneys.