Attorney profile
Shimokaji IP
The short version
Shimokaji IP is an Irvine-based intellectual property firm handling patents and trademarks for startups, inventors, and established companies, with a review record that consistently credits attorney Michael Shimokaji for responsiveness and clear guidance.
Strengths
- Repeatedly praised for fast, often same-day responses to questions by email and phone
- Reviewers describe patient, plain-language explanations of patent and trademark procedures, particularly helpful to first-time filers
- Handles a broad technical range according to feedback, including medical devices, software, mobile apps, and mechanical engineering
- Offers a free initial consultation and is described in reviews as competitively priced relative to larger firms
- Long-running repeat clients and referrals appear throughout the review history, suggesting durable working relationships
Considerations
- One reviewer alleges collected government fees were not paid and filings were incomplete; Shimokaji disputes the account, cites unpaid client invoices, and offers reimbursement.
- Other clients describe quick replies outside normal hours and clear explanations for first-time inventors, contrasting with that filing dispute.
About Shimokaji IP
Shimokaji IP is an intellectual property law firm located at 8911 Research Drive in Irvine, California, serving Orange County and clients whose filings reach across the United States, Asia, and other countries abroad. The practice centers on patent and trademark matters: federal trademark registration, trademark searches and applications, design marks, oppositions, cancellation proceedings, infringement, and patent prosecution. The firm states that it has assisted more than 2,000 entrepreneurs and startups along with a dozen Fortune 500 companies, positioning it between solo-drafting services and the large high-profile firms that some clients say charge considerably more for comparable work.
The website describes a deliberately strategic approach - creating and protecting inventions and brands rather than simply processing paperwork - and offers a free consultation for patent and trademark questions. Published articles address patentability considerations in medical inventions, computer networks and architecture, and computerized methods of analyzing data, which hints at a technical range extending from software and engineering to medical devices. Clients reaching out by phone, fax, or the firm’s ClientServices email address are typically working through provisional or utility patent filings, trademark registration, or early-stage business questions about how to protect an idea.
Across 41 reviews and a 4.90 rating, the recurring praise is consistent: fast and often same-day replies, patient explanations of a process that first-time inventors describe as daunting, thorough claim drafting, and a willingness to work within a client’s budget and timeline. Reviewers mention prerecorded background videos that make consultations more productive, web meetings used to walk through claim details, and guidance tailored to a business’s current size with a view toward future needs. Medical tools, automobile engine components, mobile apps, and software appear among the technologies discussed.
One 1-star review breaks the pattern, alleging that government fees were collected but not paid and that filings were incomplete; the firm’s public reply disputes that account, cites unpaid client invoices as the reason the relationship ended, and offers to reimburse the government fees. Beyond that exchange, feedback is uniformly positive and tends to emphasize the individual attention of the named attorney.
The office is at 8911 Research Dr, Irvine, CA 92618. Its listed telephone number is +1949-788-9988. The practice website is www.shimokaji.com.
Recurring feedback
What clients consistently mention
- Responsiveness and communication speed are the most frequently cited strengths, with reviewers noting quick replies even outside standard hours
- First-time inventors and startup founders report that the patent process was explained clearly and made less intimidating
- Reviewers value thorough claim drafting and attention to detail, including guidance that went beyond the stated scope of the engagement
- Cost is discussed favorably in comparison with larger firms, with several reviewers describing the rates as competitive
- Most feedback covers provisional and utility patent filings and trademark matters, with engineering, medical, and software technologies appearing most often
All reviews
4.9 out of five stars based on 41 reviews.
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