IP work launches Blue Filament law firm in Birmingham

Blue Filament Intellectual Property got its start a year ago when Mary Margaret O'Donnell struck out on her own and launched her firm in downtown Birmingham. Today the intellectual property law firm has grown to five people – adding staff in its first year. O'Donnell spent a decade working in large law firms and boutique intellectual property law practices. Today O'Donnell and her team have prosecuted and managed thousands of trademarks throughout the world. "For me it was about building something from the ground up," O'Donnell says. Establishing Blue Filament Intellectual Property proved to be the biggest challenge in the firm's first year, O'Donnell says. However, she adds that she was able to start with a large portfolio of clients from around the world that helped ease that transition. That was far from easy, but it was not something O'Donnell would advise other entrepreneurial attorneys from doing. "I would tell them to have a strong heart and a strong mind to work very hard," O'Donnell says. Source: Mary Margaret O'Donnell, owner of Blue Filament Intellectual Property Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.