There is no substitute for an initial disclosure by the inventor, in writing, including appropriate sketches, block diagrams, experimental results and copies of the closest known prior art, together with an accompanying written description of the invention, explaining the accompanying materials, how the invention differs from the prior art, all possible applications of the invention, why protection of the invention is important, etc.  Many organizations provide an outline for the presentation of these materials, see for example, RatnerPrestia's invention disclosure.

 

Beyond the initial disclosure, a true collaboration with counsel from the inception of the patent preparation phase is the best way to have patent applications drafted, filed and prosecuted most cost effectively. 

 

This process is best optimized by repetitive contact with competent counsel

Most importantly the information exchange should not involve a piecemeal exchange of disclosures and questions but a systematic exchange of information, planned and executed with comprehensiveness and efficiency.  A major impediment to this objective is often the rewriting and redrafting necessitated by supplemental disclosures when prior exchanges have lacked comprehensiveness, in turn often caused by an inadequate understanding of the process to begin with.