An overview of a trademark application and maintenance process. Step 1: Is a trademark application right for you?You can be an IP lawyer without a STEM degree. You can even be a patent attorney but only on the litigation side. This guide covers basic resources for researching intellectual property (IP) law: copyright, patents, trademarks, and more. It is possible for an individual to file their own patent without counsel but if possible have a patent practitioner write the claims. One of the three inventors is now seeking to invalidate the patent and is wondering if the lack of a POA can be grounds to do so. (73) Filing an application without an attorney is possible, but even with some guidance it is definitely not without its challenges. By now, most people generally know that a business can register its trademark(s) with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). There is no legal requirement to engage a patent attorney in Australia.