Appointed Persons: Appeal Tribunals, Trade Marks and Registered & Unregistered Design
Use your experience in intellectual property to become a fee paid judge earning £600 per day. Hearings usually take place in London but may take place anywhere in the UK.
The Judicial Appointments Commission (England and Wales) is recruiting for 2 roles:
- fee-paid Appointed Person x 4: Appeal Tribunal, Trade Marks
- fee-paid Appointed Person x 1: Appeal Tribunal, Registered & Unregistered Design
This is a rare opportunity for legal practitioners with knowledge and experience of intellectual property law to become a judge, called an Appointed Person in these 2 tribunals.
Appointed Persons hear appeals from decisions by officers of the Intellectual Property Office (IPO), acting on behalf of the Comptroller of Patents, Designs and Trade Marks under the Registered Designs Act 1949, and the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, including those resulting from the IPO's opinions service. Both tribunals share the jurisdiction for appeals with the High Court in England and Wales, the Court of Session in Scotland and the High Court in Northern Ireland.
Who can apply
To apply you’ll need at least 5 years post-qualification experience as a:
- Solicitor or barrister in England, Wales and Northern Ireland or
- Solicitor or advocate in Scotland or
- Those who have held judicial office or
- Patent Attorney or a Trade Mark Attorney registered with the Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys, or the Institute of Trade Mark Attorneys for at least 5 years
Candidates must have knowledge of intellectual property law and experience of applying the law.
About the roles
The main activities for both roles include:
- reading and assimilating papers in a case before it commences
- deciding issues of law and procedure which may arise during a case
- reviewing the decision under appeal, determining whether the relevant law has been applied to the facts found and (where appropriate) examining the facts from evidence presented and considering whether the decision was procedurally fair
- giving a reasoned decision either orally at the hearing or subsequently in writing
- giving directions for the conduct of cases including cases to be transferred to the High Court or referred to the Court of Justice of the European Union
- assessing and making awards of costs
Applications open on 2 October 2019 and close on 16 October 2019. More information about the roles and how to apply is on the JAC website.