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Founded in 1993, Schwegman, Lundberg & Woessner (SLW) originated not over a conference table but at a Ms. Pac-Man® game where three shareholders from a large firm played and talked about developing a new IP law firm model with the primary focus of obtaining the strongest patents and a commitment to innovation in the practice of IP law. Today, SLW has offices in Minneapolis, Silicon Valley, and Austin and has grown to nearly 80 attorneys with advanced technical and life science degrees. SLW represents multinational corporations, middle-market businesses, universities, startups, and individuals.

And there’s a Ms. Pac-Man® game in the lunchroom.

Three of our five core values go right to the heart of the people at SLW.

Innovation and Creativity -- SLW seeks out input and advice of the entire staff. We have found that it is those who do the daily work who always seem to see a better way to do things that make the work flow smoother, the work product improve, and the work enviornment a better place to be.

Interdependence and Team Work -- In most law firms members of the paraprofessional and support staff are often assigned to specific attorneys. At SLW they are assigned to a client and become part of that client's team not just for one project, but for all projects. This not only creates for strong teams, but each individual plays his or her own vital role in seeing that our clients get the best result possible.

Respect for Each Other -- While, like any business, there are different titles and jobs, SLW works to avoid a trickle down organization. Rather each job, each position, has its own unique place in the firm and the person in that job is given the respect and trust to perform that job. There will always be people at the top -- that's business -- but we work to be sure there is no such thing as people at the bottom.