A few years ago I wrote a blog entry entitled “How To Rip Off Your Clients Without Them Knowing They’re Being Had”. Basically, the issue is that in Israel, the statute says that you can retroactively request extensions of time in patent cases, i.e. at the time you file the response, even if it’s after the initial deadline; but there are several offices that tell their clients such extensions must be obtained prospectively. Those offices do that solely so that they can bill their clients more money.
I recently had a case in which, close to the initial deadline, the client told me, “We need more time, please obtain an extension”. To which I responded, “No need, we can obtain the extension when we respond”.
Subsequently, the client said to let the case go abandoned.
Score one for the good guys.