Flat Fee Trademark Attorney: $500 for Search + Filing
The flat fee for a trademark search and single-class federal application at the Law Office of Michael Meyer is $500 — plus the USPTO filing fee of $350 per class, paid directly to the government. Total: $850. That covers everything from the initial clearance search through the filed application, with no hourly billing, no hidden add-ons, and direct communication with Michael throughout.
If you are looking for a flat fee trademark attorney who handles your application personally — not a platform, not a paralegal, not an automated system — this page explains exactly what the flat fee covers, what it does not cover, and how to get started.
What the $500 Flat Fee Includes
The flat attorney fee covers the complete trademark registration service from search to filing:
- Comprehensive clearance search — a full search of the USPTO TESS database, state trademark registries, and common law sources (business names, websites, social media) for marks that could conflict with yours
- Likelihood of confusion analysis — legal review of search results to assess the risk of a Section 2(d) refusal before you spend money on a filing
- Application strategy consultation — discussion of your mark, the right class or classes, whether to file use-in-commerce or intent-to-use, and how to describe your goods and services
- Full application preparation — drafting the identification of goods and services, preparing the specimen, and assembling the complete application
- Electronic filing through USPTO Trademark Center — filing the complete application and confirming receipt of your serial number
- Direct attorney communication — Michael handles your application personally and is available throughout the process
Not included in the flat fee:
- USPTO filing fees ($350 per class — billed separately at cost, no markup)
- Responses to substantive USPTO Office Actions (likelihood of confusion refusals, descriptiveness refusals) — quoted separately based on complexity
- Multi-class filings — priced per class at the same $500 attorney fee plus $350 USPTO fee per additional class
- International trademark filings, TTAB proceedings, or enforcement matters
There are no surprises after you engage. The $500 attorney fee and $350 USPTO fee are both disclosed upfront. If anything falls outside the flat fee scope — which happens primarily when an Office Action requires substantive legal argument — that is communicated before work begins.
Why Flat Fee Is the Right Model for Trademark Registration
Hourly billing for trademark registration does not serve clients well. The work involved in a standard trademark filing — clearance search, analysis, application drafting, and filing — is well-defined and consistent in scope. An attorney who knows what they are doing can estimate it accurately, which means there is no legitimate reason to put you on the clock for this work.
The flat fee model aligns the attorney's incentive with efficiency and outcome rather than time spent. It gives you cost certainty before you commit. And it means you can ask questions, request revisions to the application draft, and communicate freely without watching a billing meter.
What flat fee does not mean is unlimited scope. Substantive Office Action responses, TTAB appeals, and enforcement matters involve genuinely unpredictable amounts of legal work — those are appropriately handled on a quoted basis. Any firm that claims its flat fee covers everything including litigation is either excluding important services in the fine print or pricing the contingency into a much higher upfront fee.
At Michael Meyer Law the scope is clearly defined: search, analysis, consultation, drafting, and filing for one class. USPTO fees separate. Everything beyond that is quoted before work begins.
Flat Fee vs. Hourly vs. Platform: What You Actually Get
Not every trademark service that uses the words "flat fee" is offering the same thing. Here is how the three main models compare for a standard single-class registration.
Flat fee attorney (Michael Meyer Law — $850 total)
A licensed trademark attorney handles your matter directly. The fee includes a comprehensive clearance search covering TESS, state databases, and common law. You speak with the attorney before filing, during the process, and if any issues arise. The flat fee is a defined scope of legal work, not a document preparation service.
Online filing platforms ($450–$950 total)
Services like LegalZoom and similar platforms offer fixed-price packages but vary significantly in attorney involvement. Some use attorneys only for a final review step; others use paralegals for the substantive work. The search is often a basic TESS knockout check rather than a comprehensive clearance. When complications arise — which they do in over 40% of applications — the attorney who "reviewed" your application may not be the person handling your Office Action response, and that response may cost as much as the original service.
Hourly billing attorney ($200–$600/hour)
For routine trademark registration, hourly billing is not in your interest. A typical single-class filing takes 3–6 hours of attorney time from search through filing — at $300/hour that is $900–$1,800 in attorney fees alone before you have any cost certainty. Hourly billing is appropriate for litigation, TTAB proceedings, and complex enforcement matters. It is not appropriate for a standard filing.
The practical difference between a $500 flat-fee attorney and a $600 online platform is that the flat-fee attorney is a person with a bar number and direct accountability for your application. The platform is an organization where the connection between your money and the attorney's work is indirect.
What Makes a Legitimate Flat Fee Trademark Attorney
Most flat fee trademark services are either low-trust (platforms with opaque attorney involvement) or high-cost (premium national firms charging $1,500–$3,500 for the same work). A legitimate flat fee trademark attorney at a regional firm fills this gap — but there are specific signals worth verifying before you hire anyone.
Flat Fee Trademark Registration: The Process at Michael Meyer Law
Here is exactly what happens when you engage Michael Meyer Law for a flat fee trademark registration.
Initial consultation (included in flat fee)
You contact Michael by phone or email, describe your mark and the goods or services you want to protect, and discuss your business and brand goals. Michael assesses the mark's registrability, identifies any obvious risks, and recommends the appropriate filing strategy. This conversation happens before you pay anything.
Clearance search
Michael conducts a comprehensive search of TESS, state trademark databases, and common law sources. He reviews the results for likelihood of confusion with existing marks using the same DuPont factor analysis the USPTO's examining attorneys apply. If the search reveals a significant risk, he tells you before you pay the USPTO filing fee — not after.
Application preparation
Michael drafts the identification of goods and services, reviews your specimen for compliance with USPTO requirements, selects the appropriate international class or classes, and prepares the complete application. You review the draft before it is filed.
Electronic filing
Michael files the application through the USPTO Trademark Center. You receive confirmation of the filing and your application serial number, typically within 24–48 hours of filing.
Examination period communication
If the examining attorney issues a non-substantive office action — a request for clarification on the identification of goods and services, a specimen issue, or a minor amendment — Michael handles the response as part of the flat fee. Substantive refusals (likelihood of confusion, descriptiveness) are quoted separately before Michael begins the response.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is included in a flat fee trademark registration?
At Michael Meyer Law, the $500 flat attorney fee includes a comprehensive clearance search, likelihood of confusion analysis, application strategy consultation, full application preparation, and electronic filing with the USPTO. The USPTO filing fee of $350 per class is separate and billed at cost. Non-substantive Office Action responses are included. Substantive Office Action responses are quoted separately.
How is a flat fee trademark attorney different from LegalZoom?
A flat fee trademark attorney is a licensed attorney who handles your application personally from search through filing. LegalZoom is an online platform that connects you to an attorney for a review step — the substantive work is often handled by paralegals or automated systems, and the attorney involvement is limited. When complications arise, a flat fee attorney already knows your application and can respond effectively. With a platform, you may be starting over with a new attorney who has no context.
Does the flat fee include responses to USPTO Office Actions?
Non-substantive Office Actions — requests for clarification, specimen substitutions, minor identification amendments — are included in the flat fee at Michael Meyer Law. Substantive refusals such as Section 2(d) likelihood of confusion refusals or Section 2(e)(1) descriptiveness refusals require separate legal argument and are quoted before work begins, typically $500–$1,500 depending on complexity.
What is the total cost of a flat fee trademark registration?
At Michael Meyer Law, total cost for a single-class registration is $850 — $500 in attorney fees plus $350 in USPTO filing fees. There are no additional charges within the flat fee scope. Multi-class filings are $500 in attorney fees per additional class plus $350 in USPTO fees per additional class.
Is the USPTO filing fee included in the flat fee?
No — and you should be skeptical of any service that bundles both fees together without disclosure. The USPTO fee is a mandatory government fee paid directly to the United States Patent and Trademark Office. At Michael Meyer Law it is billed separately at cost with no markup. Bundling makes it harder to compare attorney fees accurately across providers.
How long does a flat fee trademark registration take?
The USPTO's current examination timeline runs approximately 8–14 months from filing to registration for a straightforward application. Michael handles the filing within a few business days of receiving your information and completing the search. The USPTO examination timeline is outside any attorney's control — it is set by the USPTO's current workload.
Why is Michael Meyer's flat fee lower than national trademark firms?
Michael Meyer Law is based in Gretna, Nebraska — in the greater Omaha metro. The fee reflects Nebraska's cost of practice, not the overhead of a Washington D.C. or New York IP boutique. The legal work is identical — the same USPTO, the same federal trademark law, the same application process. The difference is overhead. Michael works directly with every client with no delegation to associates or paralegals, which further reduces cost without reducing quality.
Can I get a flat fee trademark registration for multiple classes?
Yes. Each additional class is $500 in attorney fees plus $350 in USPTO fees. A two-class registration at Michael Meyer Law costs $1,000 in attorney fees plus $700 in USPTO fees, for a total of $1,700. Michael discusses whether multi-class filing is strategically necessary during the initial consultation — filing in too many classes creates unnecessary maintenance obligations and cost.
Get Started: $500 Flat Fee, $850 Total
Michael Meyer is a USPTO-registered trademark attorney (Reg. No. 78,575) who has handled over 200 trademark matters before the USPTO. The flat fee for a comprehensive clearance search and single-class application is $500 — no hidden fees, no hourly billing, no delegation to paralegals.
The consultation is included in the flat fee — you do not pay anything until you decide to move forward.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Contact a licensed attorney to discuss your specific situation.
Written by Michael Meyer, USPTO-Registered Patent & Trademark Attorney, Reg. No. 78,575. Michael has been involved in over 400 patent matters and 200 trademark matters before the USPTO. View credentials and verify license.