The question is: do you need a patent attorney to file patent application? The answer is no. Just as filing your yearly income tax return does not require an accountant, filing for your patent does not require an attorney. You can do it yourself. Doing so would require you to learn a lot about the invention process, the patenting process, the rules of filing a patent, or you need to use a tool like Patent Express that will guide you through the best practices and the questions that might arise. However, no law requires you to use a patent attorney. You certainly can do it yourself and the Patent Office encourages inventors and helps them go through the process, but as with income tax returns, some situations become more complicated. At times like these, then the Patent Office will actually advise you to find an attorney. Sometimes inventors do not file the applications in the right form, or get stuck in the process so to ensure proper form, review is strongly recommended. That can be achieved through a tool like Patent Express or by working with a patent attorney.