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ORIGIN STORY
How did we begin and reach where we are today?

As clients and their inventions have evolved over time, so too has Seed IP. From its humble beginnings in Seattle 60 years ago to its global presence today, Seed IP has enjoyed the trust of the world’s most valuable brands and innovative companies. Clients value Seed IP’s ability to understand both the legal and market implications of their brands and inventions.

MISSION
Where are we going and why?

Protecting and advancing today’s brands and inventions, to help our clients create a better tomorrow.

TAGLINE

Soft positioning (Why we do what we do / who we are / our culture / emotional appeal): 

Relationship themed  

• Trusted by trailblazers 
• Better relationships drive better results 
• Advancing and protecting the world’s most valuable brands and innovations
• Partnering with the world’s innovators 

Which tagline option fits best in terms of who we are, why we’re different, and why we matter?
Per Hayley and Russ, the relationships tagline option fits the best. 

‍How will we accomplish these goals?

Write as if speaking to one person 

• Understand our various audience segments and their motivations. Listen to uncover their pain points or questions. (Personas can be very helpful here.)
• Write as if speaking to one person within that audience to make communication more personalized and relevant. 
• Clarify the value of each piece of content at the start to draw the reader in.
  
  

Write with authority

• Leverage individual experience and team members’ specialized knowledge to present well-developed guidance from a united, “whole firm” front.
• Be concise.
• Include supporting data and specific examples whenever possible.
• Mention assumptions or limitations on analysis when appropriate.
• Maintain a professional, knowledgeable tone without speaking down to the audience.
  
  

Be human

• Be friendly, caring, and respectful. Speak like an experienced doctor at his patient’s bedside.
• Adjust vocabulary to the audience’s abilities and knowledge, using easy-to-understand language (rather than jargon or legalese) whenever possible. 
• Use verbiage that connects emotionally and presents a relatable, team approach to problem-solving, such as “Tom, Denise, and I understand your concerns about XYZ.”

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If Seed IP were a person, what would we sound like?

Intelligent

• Demonstrating our deep knowledge in IP law and advanced degrees in various technologies and sciences.
• Adaptable and quick to learn new things, constantly learning. 

Experienced 

• Confident and capable, thanks to decades of experience and deep expertise in various specialties.

Trustworthy

• Able to handle the most sensitive, complex matters diligently and confidentially. 

Inclusive

• Understanding that we’re better together, leveraging our collective insights for solutions that serve everyone.

Altruistic

• Driven by a larger purpose: serving our diverse communities and empowering innovative companies and people that make our world healthier and more advanced.

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The overall Seed IP tone (defined by the four dimensions of tone are:

• Serious but not soulless 
• Conversational but not flippant
• Respectful but not stiff
• Matter-of-fact but not blunt‍

‍How will we nuance our conversations by an audience?

To Corporate Carla 

• Be confident, empathetic, trustworthy. Corporate Carla is looking for deep industry expertise.  
• Talk to Carla like a colleague. Be friendly. Feel free to use legal verbiage, empathize with her responsibilities and employer’s expectations. Build trust by relating to her concerns over leaked information.

To VC Victor

• Be efficient, sophisticated, business-like, and trustworthy. VC Victor is looking for agility and deep expertise in a firm. He wants to understand the risks and feasibility of the returns on his investments, so take a more authoritative tone that assuages any concerns over ability.
• Explain how Seed IP can be more nimble than a big law firm like Cooley. With a firm of 50+ attorneys and a small leadership team, we can make decisions and act more quickly than a large hierarchical firm. 
• Feel free to dive into the numbers and technical jargon. VC Victor has a technical and business background, so don’t be afraid to get into the weeds during landscape analysis. 

• Emphasize the team mentality toward achieving the collective goal. We’re one firm and we’re on your team to help you avoid sinking money into unprofitable investments.

To Startup Steve (new) 

• Be efficient and reassuring. Steve wants to know that Seed IP has extensive experience helping startups and can protect his fledgling company quickly and fully while being cost-sensitive and respectful of his limited time. 
• Explain our history of relationships with important clients that allow flexibilities, such as seconding people to firms or companies and flexible billing. We partner better with clients. 

Feel free to use technical jargon and speak to Steve as a scientist. 

To Inventor Isabella (new) 

• Appeal emotionally. Be patient, reassuring, and educated. Remember that Inventor Isabella may have very limited experience working with a law firm,
  so focus on putting her at ease. 

Return to basics. Be an educator. Avoid legal jargon and explain things in
easy to understand terms.

To Entrepreneur Eddie (new) 

• Like with Inventor Isabella, be an educator. Entrepreneur Eddie needs guidance while starting a business. 
• Be pragmatic but also connect emotionally. Eddie is excited about the idea of starting a business, so help to cultivate and properly direct that excitement.

To Business Bob (new) 

• Be strategic, forward-thinking, inquisitive, and supportive. As Bob’s legal team, you can help Bob achieve his long-term goals for the company and protect the progress he’s made so far.
• Feel free to take a more authoritative tone that conveys experience and expertise.

To Graduate Gabby

• Be energetic and inclusive. Emphasize the opportunity to join a dynamic team culture that is diverse and supportive.
• Appeal emotionally: we can provide the mentorship she’s looking for early in her career while helping her to make a difference in the world. She will have the opportunity to build her career in the direction she wants.

To Lateral Larry (new) 

• Be inclusive, empowering, flattering. Relate as peers and show appreciation for his talent and experience. Highlight him as one of the few attorneys that meet our high standards and entice him with the idea that he would be working with people of his caliber at an altruistic firm. 
• Talk emotionally about our culture--it’s diverse, inclusive, and encouraging--and what that means for him. 
• Emphasize our desire to help him grow professionally in the ways that he wants.

To Summer Sarah (new) 

• Be inclusive, enthusiastic, and concise about the value that Seed IP offers to a law student in their first- or second-year summer. Explain the opportunities that summer associates have within the firm and the kind of mentorship opportunities available. 
• Explain that some summer associates even work throughout the year part-time while in school. Share statistics about the number of first-year summers that return for second-year summer, and the number of second-years that receive offers.  
• Describe the firm culture and how unique it is. Have attorneys share personal anecdotes, such as why they joined the firm, why they stay, how long they stay, and how much they enjoy working with colleagues.

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STEM expertise

• Our attorneys are scientists, engineers, doctors, and software developers. We have invented patented products, co-authored peer-reviewed scientific publications, and worked at industry-leading companies like Boeing, Gilead Sciences, Intel Corporation, and the Federal Aviation Administration. We are experts in strategic IP portfolio management.
• We leverage each attorney’s scientific/technical expertise and background to build ideal teams that address each client’s unique science/tech needs. 

• For example: When patenting a pharmaceutical company’s new cancer-related medication, we can leverage Technical Advisor Janaki Purushe’s expertise in patent preparation of pharmaceutical matters, Senior Associate Daniel P. O’Brien’s technical background in cancer biology, and Partner Karl R. Hermanns’ background in pharmaceutical patent matters with an emphasis on competitive patent analysis. 

• Please note that this is just an example. This will not be published externally. If we do decide to publish an example externally, we should choose attorneys who have longer tenure, per Kevin.

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Business expertise

• We focus only on IP and have top tier talent in the space--attorneys who are defining the cutting edge of intellectual property law and shaping the market. 
• For example, Russ Pangborn is active with ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers), having served as a member of the Intellectual Property Constituency (IPC), and was a founding member of the Brand Registry Group. He also participated in the Implementation Recommendation Team (IRT) for ICANN, as one of 18 industry experts with developing rights protection mechanisms to be implemented in connection with ICANN’s new gTLD program. 

• We’ve acted as inside and outside counsel for large corporations. We personally understand what Corporate Carla, Startup Steve, Business Bob, and the rest are concerned about and can respond appropriately. 

The unparalleled quality of work

• Take on complex intellectual property issues, for example, and turn them into value drivers for the company.

• For example, David Carlson met with two executives from a large account. He asked to see their corporate business plan and model so Seed IP could merge their patent strategy and portfolio with their business plan, in order to help achieve the company’s long-term goals. Surprised, the executives mentioned that out of dozens of attorneys they’ve worked with, David was the only one to ever ask about a business plan. 

• Our reputation and track record of success with some of the world’s largest companies speak for themselves. We’ve filed more than 41,000 patents and helped more than 1,470 clients. Our list of prestigious clients includes Amazon, Microsoft, U.S. Army, GlaxoSmithKline, Panasonic, and Pepsico. We have received the industry’s highest honors including the U.S.News & World Report® / Best Lawyers® “Best Law Firms.” Seed IP has 16 attorneys listed in the 2020 edition of The Best Lawyers in America®, the oldest and most respected peer-reviewed publication in the legal profession.

Attentiveness and responsiveness

• Quick turnaround and follow-up, even for smaller clients.
• We work more closely with clients and build face-to-face relationships. 

• For example, we fly internationally for free. (Pre-COVID)

• Please note that we will not advertise that we fly internationally for free on the website or marketing materials. 

Agility 

• A critical mass of 50 attorneys in one location, a small leadership team, and global resources mean we can make decisions and act more quickly than large hierarchical firms. 

• For example: If we’re working with a tech startup that is getting off the ground, we can work with them to arrange flexible billing practices. 

• Please note that we will not advertise that we offer flexible billing practices on the website or marketing materials.

Diversity

• Meet and exceed the diversity requirements that large companies have for their outside counsel.  
• Comfortable workplace for people of all backgrounds (representation matters). 

• Example: During recruiting, we strive to gather a diverse group in terms of gender, race, and background. We throw the net wide in order to provide opportunities to all.

A flexible, caring environment

• Genuine relationships, especially among partners, that positively impact the whole firm.  
• Work-life balance. 
• Mentorship opportunities. 

• For example, some summer associates continue to work part-time during the school year for additional mentorship and experience. Also, there is not a large gap between partners and associates; they interact daily.

Ability to craft a career

• Can control income as you become more senior. 
• Can determine your trajectory. Not lockstep; rather, based on performance and mastery. 

• For example, a mid-level associate can join Seed IP and create a specialization that matches their particular scientific or technical background.

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