How do I know my attorney will not steal my idea?
It is important to be careful who you deal with and the internet is your friend in that regard and lawyers you may know, professionals in the area, personal recommendation is important. Essentially you don’t need to tell your patent attorney everything. If you’ve invented a paperclip you don’t need to bring in a prototype and lay it on the desk for him so he knows everything about your invention. You could start the process with your patent attorney just by saying, “Look I’ve got a device for joining paper together without punching holes in it and what do I do next?” Hopefully over time you gain trust in your patent attorney. Firm motto is trust no one but they’ll prove themselves to you over time hopefully, but of course pays to be careful. Inventors, in my experience, are not paranoid, they’re just being careful. It begs the question is your attorney worth talking to or not? Well look at the reputation of the attorney.
