About Us

Detroit trademark lawyer

Our law firm was founded in 2008 as The Hilla Law Firm PLLC by Michigan trademark and business attorney John Hilla.

We created the Noble Path Trademark Law brand several years ago and adopted that name in order to emphasize our intent to operate a law practice embodying the ideals of the Noble Eightfold Path of Buddhist tradition.

Are we a “Buddhist” law firm? No, not at all. However, we hope to provide our clients with a level of service that bears in mind certain ideals. 

That is, we hope to bring aspects of the so-called Noble Eightfold Path to your trademark registration matter. 

What does that mean?

The Noble Eightfold Path refers to a path of Buddhist practice. We believe that this path is applicable to our legal practice. 


In short, the steps along the Eightfold Path are: 

  1. Right Understanding
  2. Right Thought
  3. Right Speech
  4. Right Conduct
  5. Right Livelihood
  6. Right Effort
  7. Right Mindfulness
  8. Right Concentration 

We won’t describe the meaning of each of these qualities here. However, they are a recipe for engaging in ethical conduct with discipline and with wisdom. 


Noble Path Trademark Law, a service of The Hilla Law Firm, PLLC, is located in Metro Detroit, Michigan. However, we service clients globally for US trademark matters.

As a fully virtual law firm, we exclusively offer an easy, virtual intake process and virtual communications throughout our service timeframe. Given that we have clients in multiple different time-zones, worldwide, this is both for practical purpose and for everyone’s mutual convenience.

What it does not means is a diminished service level. We take very seriously our legal ethical obligations to provide quality, timeline, deadline-sensitive service. Attorney Hilla is happy to get on the phone (or Zoom) with you when and if the circumstance requires.


Michigan trademark lawyer

Trademark Attorney John Hilla obtained his J.D. from Wayne State University Law School in Detroit, Michigan. He also holds an LL.M (Master of Laws) from The George Washington University Law School in Washington, DC.

Prior entering the law, John published a globally distributed rock and roll music magazine (Rebel Route: Rock-n-Roll, Past and Present) and worked as a technical writer in Detroit’s automobile and medical insurance industries. He also played bass in such bands as The Onions (Grand Rapids, mid-1980s), King Tammy (Kalamazoo, late 1980s), Eerie Canal (Ann Arbor and Detroit, early 1990s), and Tabla Rasa (Chicago, mid-1990s). 

John has also published poetry in a variety of journals, including The Cimarron Review, and is the author of the novel Stay Freeavailable on AmazonBarnes and Noble.com, and from an independent bookstore near you.

In short, John and the rest of our staff are creators and entrepreneurs just as you are-and we know and follow the same path.

Noble Path Trademark Law services the entire State of Michigan as well as the remainder of the United States. In particular, we can register your trademark in:

  • Detroit
  • Southfield
  • Pontiac
  • Westland
  • Dearborn
  • Dearborn Heights
  • Livonia
  • Farmington Hills
  • Ann Arbor
  • Northville
  • Livonia
  • Farmington Hills
  • Ann Arbor
  • Northville
  • Plymouth
  • And more!