Terms & Conditions of Service

Last updated: July 24, 2026 · Law Office of Hojae An, LLC (a Georgia limited liability company)

1. Acceptance of These Terms

These Terms & Conditions ("Terms") govern the legal services provided by Law Office of Hojae An, LLC ("the Firm," "we," "us") and your use of this website (anhojaelaw.com).

How we capture your acknowledgement

You are deemed to have read and accepted these Terms and our Privacy Policy in any of the following ways:

• By paying an invoice. Every invoice we issue contains a link to these Terms together with the statement: "By paying this invoice, you confirm that you have read and agree to the Terms & Conditions and Refund Policy posted at anhojaelaw.com/en/terms.html." Payment of an invoice by credit card or any other method constitutes your express acceptance of these Terms.
• By signing an engagement letter. These Terms are incorporated by reference into every engagement letter. Signing it — in writing or electronically — constitutes acceptance.
• By using this website. Continued use of this website constitutes acceptance of the website-related provisions (Sections 10 and 12).

If you do not agree to these Terms, please do not pay the invoice and contact us immediately.

2. Scope of Services

The Firm provides the following legal services:

• U.S. patent and trademark prosecution before the USPTO, including responses to Office Actions and TTAB proceedings
• Intellectual property counseling, infringement analysis, licensing and assignment agreements
• Business law matters: Georgia corporation and LLC formation, contract drafting and review, employment compliance
• Korea–U.S. cross-border legal counseling

The specific scope of any matter is limited to what is described in the applicable engagement letter. Matters not expressly listed there (for example, litigation, appeals, or tax filings) are not included absent a separate written agreement.

The Firm is operated by an attorney admitted to the State Bar of Georgia and registered to practice before the USPTO, who is also licensed as an attorney and patent attorney in the Republic of Korea. We do not provide advice on the law of jurisdictions in which we are not licensed.

3. Private Organization Notice & Filing Directly With the Government

4. Decision-Making Authority & No Guarantee of Results

The Firm has no authority or influence over any government decision. Whether a patent or trademark is granted, the outcome of examination, processing times, and the results of any opposition or appeal are determined solely and exclusively by the relevant government agency (USPTO, KIPO, etc.) or by a court, in their discretion.

• We do not guarantee or promise any particular outcome, approval, registration, or processing speed. No statement by the Firm or its personnel should be construed as a warranty of results.
• We are not responsible for agency delays, changes in government policy, examiner determinations, third-party oppositions, or any other factor outside our control.
• Any timeline or likelihood-of-success estimate we provide is an opinion based on experience, not a commitment.
• Our fees are earned by performing the work, not by achieving a result. An unfavorable government decision alone is therefore not grounds for a refund of fees for work already performed.

While we advise on filing content, strategy, and timing, the client retains final decision-making authority over the objectives of the representation. We do not make substantive decisions or settle any matter without the client's approval.

5. Sanctioned Countries and Restricted Parties

Specifically, we do not do business with:

• Persons or entities located in, organized under the laws of, ordinarily resident in, or acting on behalf of the government of any country or region subject to comprehensive U.S. sanctions administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). These currently include Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Syria, and the Crimea, Donetsk, and Luhansk regions of Ukraine. This list is subject to change by the U.S. government.
• Any individual or entity on OFAC's Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons (SDN) List, the U.S. Department of Commerce Bureau of Industry and Security Entity List or Denied Persons List, U.S. Department of State sanctions lists, or any other U.S. government restricted-party list — or any entity owned or controlled by such a party.
• Any party subject to sanctions imposed by the Republic of Korea, the United Nations, the European Union, or the United Kingdom.
• Any party seeking services for the benefit of, or on behalf of, a sanctioned party.

By accepting these Terms, you represent and warrant that you are not covered by any of the above and that you will not use our services for, on behalf of, or for the benefit of any sanctioned country, region, or party, or to evade any sanctions. We may screen clients against sanctions lists before and during an engagement. If a client is found to be a restricted party, we will immediately suspend services and terminate the engagement without notice. Refunds in that case will be made only to the extent permitted by applicable law; funds subject to a legal blocking requirement will be handled as the law requires.

6. Fees, Costs, and Payment

• Fee structure. Depending on the matter, fees are charged on a flat-fee or hourly basis. The amount and structure are set out in the engagement letter.
• Government fees and third-party costs. USPTO and KIPO official fees, notarization, translation, drawings, and search costs are billed separately at cost. Fees already paid to a government agency are governed by that agency's rules and cannot be refunded by the Firm.
• Advance fees. Fees paid in advance are treated as client funds and are earned by the Firm only as work is actually performed, consistent with applicable rules of professional conduct.
• Payment methods. We accept credit card, debit card, and bank transfer (ACH/wire). Card payments are processed securely by a third-party payment processor; the Firm does not store full card numbers.
• Payment terms. Invoices are due within 14 days of issuance. If an invoice becomes past due, we may suspend work after notice, and the client bears the consequences of any resulting missed deadlines.
• Currency. All amounts are in U.S. dollars (USD) unless stated otherwise. Currency conversion and foreign transaction fees are the client's responsibility.

7. Refund and Cancellation Policy

7.1 How to cancel

You may terminate the engagement at any time, for any reason or no reason. Cancellation takes effect upon written notice to office@anhojaelaw.com. We will acknowledge receipt within 2 business days.

7.2 How refunds are calculated

• Cancellation before work begins: if you cancel before we have begun substantive work on the matter, you receive a full refund of all fees paid.
• Cancellation mid-matter: we deduct only the value of work actually performed through the date of your notice — hourly matters at the agreed hourly rate for time actually spent; flat-fee matters according to the milestone allocation stated in the engagement letter — and refund the entire remaining balance.
• After completion: once the agreed scope of work is complete, fees are non-refundable, except that we will refund any amount we determine was billed in error.
• If the Firm withdraws (for example due to a conflict of interest, a sanctions screening result, or a client's failure to cooperate), the same unearned-fee refund standard applies.

7.3 What is not refundable

• Government filing fees already paid to the USPTO, KIPO, or any other agency — these are governed by the agency's own refund rules and are outside our control
• Third-party costs already incurred, such as translation, drawings, or prior-art searches
• Fees corresponding to advice and work product already delivered
• Requests based solely on an unfavorable government decision (for example, a refusal or rejection) — see Section 4; we do not guarantee outcomes

7.4 Refund processing

Approved refunds are issued within 10 business days of approval, using the same payment method as the original payment. Depending on your card issuer or bank, it may take an additional 5–10 business days for funds to appear. We provide a written accounting of work performed and amounts deducted with every refund.

7.5 Billing disputes

If you disagree with an invoice or a refund calculation, you may submit a written objection to office@anhojaelaw.com within 30 days of receiving the invoice or refund notice. We will respond with our determination within 10 business days. Fee disputes that cannot be resolved directly may be submitted to the State Bar of Georgia Fee Arbitration Program.

8. Payment Disputes and Chargebacks

If you believe a charge is incorrect, please contact us before initiating a chargeback with your card issuer. Most concerns can be resolved quickly and directly, and we honor valid refund requests in accordance with Section 7.

9. Client Responsibilities

You agree to provide accurate, complete, and timely information and documents, and to respond to our requests within the deadlines we identify. We are not responsible for missed deadlines, lost rights, or additional costs resulting from inaccurate or incomplete information or delayed responses. You may not provide false or misleading information or use our services for any unlawful purpose.

10. No Attorney-Client Relationship From This Website

The content of this website is provided for general information only and is not legal advice. Visiting this website, or contacting us by email, contact form, KakaoTalk, or telephone, does not create an attorney-client relationship. An attorney-client relationship is formed only after we complete a conflict-of-interest check and both parties sign a written engagement letter.

Please do not send time-sensitive or confidential information before an engagement letter is signed; information sent beforehand may not be protected by the attorney-client privilege. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.

11. Confidentiality and Privacy

We protect client information in accordance with Rule 1.6 of the Georgia Rules of Professional Conduct and applicable Korean law. For details on how we collect, use, store, and share personal information, see our Privacy Policy.

12. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, the Firm's total liability arising out of or relating to any matter shall not exceed the total fees actually paid to the Firm for that matter. We are not liable for indirect, special, consequential, or incidental damages or lost profits. This section does not apply where limitation of liability is prohibited by law and does not limit any obligation imposed by the applicable rules of professional conduct.

This website is provided "as is." We do not warrant that it will be uninterrupted or error-free, and we are not responsible for the content of any third-party site linked from it.

13. Governing Law and Dispute Resolution

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Georgia, USA, without regard to its conflict-of-laws principles. Any dispute arising out of these Terms or our services shall be brought exclusively in the state or federal courts located in Fulton County, Georgia. Fee disputes may first be submitted to State Bar of Georgia fee arbitration as described in Section 7.5.

If any provision of these Terms is held unenforceable, the remaining provisions remain in full force.

14. Changes to These Terms & Contact

We may revise these Terms from time to time. Revised Terms take effect prospectively when posted on this page; engagements already underway remain governed by the Terms in effect when the engagement letter was signed. The "Last updated" date at the top of this page reflects the most recent revision.