Do I need a patent attorney to file?

No, most patent offices, including the USPTO, EPO and UK IPO, permit self-represented filing for domestic applicants, but claim drafting requires precise legal language, and errors here are one of the most common causes of weak or unenforceable protection. Scoping claims correctly, broad enough to matter commercially, narrow enough to survive examination, is a judgement problem that AI alone cannot reliably solve, which is why even AI-native platforms build mandatory attorney review into the process.