The client, a public company with a modest in-house legal team, needed a seasoned attorney with a versatile skill set.
Intellectual property portfolio analysis
Client needed immediate help understanding the breadth and value of their IP portfolio, which includes patents, copyrights, trademarks, and IP jointly owned with third-party companies.
Providentia’s solution had three parts: first, meeting the attorneys who had been managing the IP, mainly external counsel, to quickly understand the legal framework of protection the company had staked out; second, meeting with the technical leads for the company’s various product lines to understand the historic value of the company’s IP, and importantly the directions in which the company intended to grow its product offerings; finally, digging into the patent portfolio by taking a hands-on approach to prosecuting pending applications and analyzing the existing portfolio to identify the most valuable patents.
Client wanted to achieve real-time insight into their IP portfolio. Providentia consulted on IP docketing software technology, resulting in a cost-effective, robust solution that provides dashboard metrics for business leaders.
Privacy review
Client needed review of their privacy policy to ensure compliance with recent changes in the laws in California and the European Union. One of the challenges was determining exactly how the various business organizations within the company collect, use, disclose or share personal information.
Providentia’s fact-finding mission included meeting with marketing, human resources, and IT to walk through workflows where personal information could be collected, disclosed, or shared with a third-party. Key to this effort was Providentia’s ability to establish trust as quickly as possible, because there can be a tendency for employees to worry when they are asked to meet with someone from Legal.
Providentia drafted a policy that adheres to privacy regulations currently in place within the U.S. Phase two of this project will include evaluating the recently issued EU-US Data Privacy Framework and advising internal stakeholders about recommendations for compliance and best practices.
General Counsel support
Client also needed legal support for sales, human resources, product development collaborations, open-source licensing questions, and anything else that came through the doors of the legal department, in effect a Deputy GC.
Providentia’s solution was to second one of its team of big law firm & major company in-house experienced attorneys who was able to achieve all of the client’s objectives in a short timeframe, consistently aligning with the GC to ensure the right tracking.
