Over the many years that Charles has practiced in the intellectual property and franchising/product distribution fields, his greatest sense of accomplishment is when a longtime client calls to follow-up on a matter they started together many years ago and are still collaborating on today. It’s the relationship. All of the work that Charles does has a long “tail,” whether its prosecuting or enforcing a patent or trademark, starting and running a franchise system or assisting a client in acquiring a company that owns a portfolio of IP assets. Patent prosecution takes a year or two, and then the patent can be maintained for 20 years. A franchise agreement typically lasts ten, 15 or even 20 years. Trademarks can last forever. While he and his clients might be in daily contact for intense bursts of time, similar to preparing for a litigation matter, or searching and clearing a trademark, oftentimes they go a few years without needing to talk. But when a client calls or emails, they obviously have something important going on, and having established a relationship over time, they know that Charles will treat their matter accordingly, regardless of whether it’s a simple “Do you think this is a problem?” question, or an “Oh my gosh they’re ripping me off and going to kill my business!” situation.